Earlier, we mentioned in our Chromebook vs Laptop comparison that Chrome OS has evolved and is on its way to becoming a desktop-class operating system. However, users are hesitant to permanently switch to a Chromebook as it doesn’t support many of their favorite apps, especially Office programs. Sure, Android and web versions of MS Office are available on Chromebooks, but they are not suitable for professional users. So, if you want to run the full-fledged version of Microsoft Office, you’ve come to the right place. Here we detail a complete guide on how to install Microsoft Office on a Chromebook. So, without further delay, let’s get to the guide.
Run Microsoft Office on a Chromebook
Here you can get an overview of how to install MS Office on a Chromebook. I recommend sticking with the guide to avoid getting any errors during the installation process. On that note, let’s get started.
Download Microsoft Office to Your Chromebook
First of all let me say this Microsoft Office 2007 works best on Chromebooks. You can try the latest versions, but you may encounter some installation errors. So, if you have a copy of MS Office 2007 on a CD or on your old PC, transfer it to Chromebook. If you haven’t kept it, you’ll have to get it cheap from eBay or Amazon. Make sure you buy MS Office from a trusted vendor.
If it is in the setup file, there is one more point to note. ISO or ZIP format then extract it to a folder and then move the folder to your Chromebook. We showed above how the extracted folder should look like.
Install Microsoft Office on your Chromebook
1. Now that you have a copy of MS Office 2007, let’s proceed with the installation. You need to enable Linux and Install Wine 5.0 On your Chromebook (just watch the first episode). FYI, Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows apps to run on a Chromebook via the Linux container.
2. After doing this, move the MS Office folder to the Linux files section in the Files app. Be sure rename folder something short. For example, I just renamed it to office.
3. Now, open the Linux Terminal and run the following command. move to office folder.
cd office
4. You are now inside the office directory. Here, execute the following command Start the MS Office installation process on your Chromebook.
wine setup.exe
5. Will open installer window. If you’re prompted for a serial key dialog, you’ll need to find it on your CD or inside the folder. After entering the serial key, the installation process will begin.
6. After the installation is complete Press the “Close” button. You have successfully installed Microsoft Office on your Chromebook, but you need to fix the shortcuts.
7. Just to test some things, you can run the command below to check if MS Office is working properly on your Chromebook. make sure you change yourusername to your real. You can do Find your username in the highlighted portion of the Terminal window.
wine "/home/yourusername/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/Office12/WINWORD.EXE"
8. After entering the command, you will get a prompt. assign a name For your office work. Enter a name and press the “OK” button. You may be prompted for an update window. Simply select “Not now” and continue.
9. Finally, Microsoft Word will open on your Chromebook. Now you can test everything and check if everything is ok.
10. scaling too low then open Terminal and run winecfg. It will open the wine configuration window. Here go to the “Graphics” tab and increase the screen resolution to 140dpi.
Fix Shortcuts
1. Now, let’s fix the shortcuts so that you can quickly open Office programs from App Drawer in one click. Open the Files app and go to the Linux files section. Here, click on the 3-dot menu and Enable “Hidden files”.
2. Next, go to the following file path: .local -> share -> applications -> wine -> Programs -> Microsoft Office. Here you will find all the shortcuts (.desktop files).
3. Right-click the shortcut you want to fix. For example, I want to fix MS Word shortcut, so right click on it and open with Text. In the text window, change the specified address. then follows Exec= with the following command. Make sure to change the username though. After that, press Ctrl + S to save changes and close Text.
wine "/home/yourusername/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/Office12/WINWORD.EXE"
4. Now, Open the App Drawer and click the Microsoft Word shortcut inside the Linux folder. This time, MS Word will open instantly without any file path errors.
5. You can repeat the above step for other programs Excel, PowerPoint etc. like and fix shortcuts. Here are the commands you need to change within the Text file for various shortcuts.
- Socket
wine "/home/yourusername/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/Office12/POWERPNT.EXE"
- Excel
wine "/home/yourusername/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/Office12/EXCEL.EXE"
- a note
wine "/home/yourusername/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/Office12/ONENOTE.EXE"
Enjoy MS Word, Excel and Other Office Apps on Chromebook
This is how you can install Microsoft Office on a Chromebook. The Office experience was flawless on my i5 powered Chromebook, especially when using the 2007 version of MS Office. Just follow the step-by-step instructions and you’ll be able to run all your favorite Office apps on your Chromebook.
If MS Office isn’t working for you, take a look at Libre Office from our list of the best Linux apps for Chromebooks. It is free, installs with one command and is compatible with all MS Office documents. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you run into any issues, comment below and let us know. We will definitely try to help you.
