How to Install Microsoft Office on Ubuntu: Complete guide without wine

If you have ever tried to run Microsoft Office on Ubuntu, you’ve probably faced a tangle of confusing advice, compatibility warnings, or simple roadblocks. Ubuntu is a fantastic Linux distribution, powerful and easy for newcomers, but Microsoft doesn’t officially support Office for Linux. This catches many by surprise, especially students, professionals, or anyone stuck in a workflow that relies on Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

The good news? As of 2024, there are reliable paths to get Microsoft Office mostly or fully working on Ubuntu – from elegant web app integration to deeply-customizable desktop office solutions. This guide gives you every major approach: what works best, why, and how to make Office feel (almost) as native as it does on Windows.

Can Microsoft Office Run on Ubuntu?

Short answer: There is no official Microsoft installer for Office on Linux, including Ubuntu. Microsoft’s product documentation is clear: Office 365/2021/2019 desktop apps only run on supported versions of Windows and macOS. Android and iOS have their own dedicated apps, but Linux is not on the list.

Microsoft’s own support forums confirm this position and regularly suggest alternatives like Office Online, or encourage users to vote for Linux support features via UserVoice. If you try to contact official support, the advice is always the same: Linux isn’t currently supported for Office desktop apps.

But don’t despair! The Linux community has developed creative solutions: from running Office in a browser, to customized scripts that conjure Office inside containers or virtual machines, and even commercial compatibility layers that make old versions of Office run (quite well!) on Linux desktops.

Why Do People Need Office on Ubuntu?

Ubuntu bundles LibreOffice, an excellent open-source office suite, and it works beautifully for personal or internal use. Problems arise when sharing critical documents, because LibreOffice and Office have subtle incompatibilities.

For many, collaborating with others who use Microsoft Office is a non-negotiable requirement. Formatting, macros, and complex spreadsheet features don’t always translate cleanly. For example, advanced Excel functions like XLOOKUP or UNIQUE may be missing. Or maybe you simply prefer the workflow you know and love.

Sometimes you just need a bulletproof way to create, open, and edit real Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files on Ubuntu. That’s what the rest of this guide is all about.

Main Options for Using Microsoft Office on Ubuntu

There are three main strategies you can use, each with its own strengths, limitations, and ideal use cases:

• Use Microsoft Office Web Apps (Office Online).
• Install Office within a Windows Virtual Machine (VM) integrated into Ubuntu, utilizing solutions like LinOffice or WinApps.
• Install Office desktop apps through Wine-based compatibility layers, using tools like Crossover, PlayOnLinux, or Bottles.

Let’s break down when to use each, the nitty-gritty of setup, and what quirks you can expect.

Method One: Microsoft Office Web Apps

The simplest method, by far, is using Office Online. Microsoft provides official, free, browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook on any modern operating system – including Ubuntu.

You only need a web browser (Firefox, Chrome, or Chromium work fine), and a free or paid Microsoft account. Head to office.com, sign in, and get started instantly. These web apps are lightweight, updated, and often faster than sluggish old desktop installs. Plus, they’re 100% legitimate (no licensing issues!)

Key features and caveats:

• No installation required, just sign in and launch your app.
• Web Apps cover most user needs: basics like document creation, editing, collaboration, real-time sharing, and even some cloud storage features integrate perfectly (OneDrive included).
• Advanced features are missing: you won’t get complex mail merges, advanced or legacy macros, VBA scripts, or some of the deeper add-in integrations with other enterprise software.

For 95% of everyday use, Office Web Apps are more than enough – particularly for light users, students, or quick document edits on the go.

Desktop Integration: Wrapping Office Web Apps as Native Ubuntu Apps

If you want Office Web Apps to feel “installed” on Ubuntu, you can take it up a notch and create desktop shortcuts or even application menu entries.

Multiple projects allow one-click access:

• [DEB package wrappers]: There have been unofficial .deb packages, designed to install web app launchers for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote directly into your application menu. They work by opening a standalone browser or Electron window pointing at office.com. Setup is simple:
  1. Download the Office DEB package from a reputable source (be cautious: unofficial packages can pose security risks).
  2. Double-click to install it (ignore any “low quality” package warning if you trust the source).
  3. Icons will appear in your applications menu for quick access.
• [Snap/Flatpak wrappers]: Snap store hosts Office 365 Web Desktop, which creates a single launcher for the Office web suite using Electron. You can install via Ubuntu’s Application Center or a single terminal command.

Once installed, just launch the launcher as you would any app! They’ll open in a window that feels native, and support basic notifications – but remember you’re still using the web interface.

Major limitations: Web wrappers are subject to the limitations of the Office Online platform. If your workflow depends on desktop-only Office features (like advanced VBA, offline access, or add-ins), use a VM or Wine approach instead.

Method Two: Virtual Machine Solutions (VM-Based – Full Office Integration)

If Office Web Apps do not meet your needs, the next best experience is running the full-featured Windows Office suite through a virtual machine.

Historically, this used to mean running a full Windows desktop within VirtualBox, QEMU, KVM, or VMware, minimizing the window when not needed. But nowadays there are advanced projects that integrate Windows apps right into your Ubuntu desktop, making Word, Excel, or PowerPoint feel almost like native apps.

Let’s explore the leaders in the space:

1. LinOffice (GitHub project)

LinOffice is a specialized fork of the popular WinApps project, with the main goal of making it as easy as possible for Ubuntu users to run Microsoft Office in an integrated way.

Key features:

• Automates the download, installation, and setup of Windows and Microsoft Office desktop apps inside a VM.
• Supports Office 365, Office 2024, and even earlier versions, with all major apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook).
• Creates application launchers in your Ubuntu app menu, integrating file associations so you can open .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files directly with genuine Office applications.
• Excellent compatibility: since Office is really running on Windows, you get nearly perfect support for plugins, macros, and even Microsoft-specific features.

How to Install LinOffice:

1. Install dependencies with your package manager (Podman, Podman-Compose, FreeRDP v3, Python3, and PySide6 for the GUI). For Ubuntu:
   • sudo apt install podman podman-compose freerdp3 python3 pyside6

   Note: Some packages (like FreeRDP v3 or PySide6) are only in Ubuntu 24.04+; on older Ubuntu you may need to use backports or pip.

2. Download and run LinOffice’s quickstart script:
   • curl -sSL https://github.com/eylenburg/linoffice/raw/refs/heads/main/quickstart.sh -o quickstart.sh && chmod +x quickstart.sh && ./quickstart.sh
3. Follow the prompts. LinOffice downloads about 8 GB of Windows and Office images, then automates their installation inside a VM.
4. After setup, you’ll be able to log in with your Office 365 account for activation, or use traditional activation tools (where legal).

Pros:

• Highly automated: Most distributions are supported, and the whole process is designed to be friendly even to non-experts.
• Full-featured Office experience, with the highest possible compatibility.

Cons:

• Needs considerable disk space (downloads and spins up a Windows VM in the background).
• Uses more RAM and system resources than the other approaches – since you’re running two operating systems at once.
• Some Windows window management quirks (for example, if you open many Office windows at once), but generally minor.

2. WinApps (Official project page)

WinApps is the original, flexible solution for integrating Windows applications into Linux desktops, including Ubuntu. It supports not just Microsoft Office but also other Windows software (like Adobe Photoshop, etc.), and is actively maintained by the community.

Key features:

• Works with KVM, QEMU, Docker/Podman, and FreeRDP (remote desktop protocol – so the Windows apps are streamed to the Ubuntu desktop as native-looking windows).
• Supports a wider range of Office versions than LinOffice, including older releases (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, 2024).
• Can use an existing Windows VM or set up a dedicated one via the included scripts.
• Creates individual Ubuntu application launchers for each Windows app you want to integrate.

How to Install WinApps:

1. Install dependencies (Podman, Podman-Compose, FreeRDP, dialog, iproute, libnotify, netcat/nmap-ncat), usually with a single apt/dnf/zypper command.
2. Download WinApps compose.yaml into ~/.config/winapps/ and set up the Windows VM by running podman-compose --file ./compose.yaml up in that directory.
3. Follow prompts to configure the VM, install Windows and Office, and set login credentials (RDP_USER, RDP_PASS, etc.)
4. Run the setup script: bash <(curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/winapps-org/winapps/main/setup.sh)
5. Select desired Office apps to integrate (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), and WinApps will create start menu entries and set up file associations.

Pros:

• Highly flexible; supports more than just Office.
• Perfect compatibility for any Windows application since it’s running on real Windows.

Cons:

• Setup is less automated compared to LinOffice; requires more manual adjustment.
• Resource intensive (as with any VM-based solution).

Both LinOffice and WinApps are powerful and give you the true Office experience, but require a bit more hardware (a modern CPU is recommended) and disk space. For enterprise, multi-user, or business environments, these solutions are ideal.

Method Three: Wine-Based Compatibility Layers

If you don’t need the very latest Office features, Wine-based methods can provide a surprisingly robust Office setup right on your Ubuntu desktop – no virtual machines needed!

Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on Linux. Various tools (like Crossover, PlayOnLinux, or Bottles) simplify installing and managing Windows software… with varying degrees of success.

1. Crossover (Commercial – Paid)

Crossover is the most polished and user-friendly solution in the Wine family. Developed by Codeweavers (who contribute heavily to Wine project), it allows you to run Office 2016 and earlier, and reportedly even Office 365 (though results may be spotty and support is not guaranteed for the newest versions).

Key features:

• Easy graphical installer and management interface.
• Supports older Office versions (2016, 2010, 2007), but not the very latest ones.
• Pre-configured “recipes” help get Office running with proper fonts, libraries, and integrations.
• Best for users who want Office 2016 or earlier, but don’t need cutting-edge features.

How to Install Office in Crossover (example for Ubuntu/Fedora):

1. Purchase a Crossover license (official site), download the Linux installer, and install it (DEB or RPM as needed).
2. Optionally, set up a Distrobox container if you want to isolate the installation.
3. Use Crossover’s GUI to create a new “bottle,” select Microsoft Office 2016 (or another supported version), and follow the wizard to install the application.
4. Register your Office license in the app, and set up menu shortcuts for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
5. If you need to adjust locale settings (e.g., to fix date formats or decimal separators), use the registry editor built into Crossover.

Pros:

• Simplifies Wine to a point-and-click solution, with support and documentation.
• Compatible with most modern Linux distributions.

Cons:

• Costs money (about $60), plus you need your own legitimate Office license.
• Newer Office releases may not work at all or not reliably.
• Some advanced components (OneDrive, Outlook, OneNote) have limited support or missing features.

2. PlayOnLinux (Free and Open Source)

PlayOnLinux is a popular, scriptable tool to install and manage Windows software – including Microsoft Office – on Linux.

Community-contributed install scripts are available for Office 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. Office 2016 generally works well for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Newer versions (2019+) are not officially supported as of June 2024.

How to Install Microsoft Office 2016 with PlayOnLinux:

1. Install PlayOnLinux from your package manager (sudo apt install playonlinux) or by setting up a special container (like Distrobox) to isolate the process.
2. Download the Office installation image (.img file) and product key from your Microsoft account.
3. Inside PlayOnLinux, use the Tools –> Manage Wine Versions menu to install the right Wine version (usually 4.15 for best compatibility with Office 2016).
4. Create a 32-bit virtual drive, install needed Wine components (like dotnet, msxml6, riched20), and adjust settings for Windows version, libraries, and graphics scaling as needed.
5. Run the Office installer (Setup32.exe) from the PlayOnLinux menu, and wait for the installation to complete (this may be slow, and status messages can be sparse).
6. After installation, manually copy any required DLLs if needed (AppvIsvSubsystems32.dll, C2R32.dll) into the appropriate Office folders.
7. Create shortcuts for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint through PlayOnLinux’s interface.
8. Activate Office with your key (logging in may not work, but key activation usually does).

Troubleshooting Tips: If PlayOnLinux install scripts fail, manual installation in a Distrobox/Podman container with the right packages gives better results, and makes it easy to reset the environment if something breaks.

Pros:

• Totally free (you only pay for your Office license).
• Allows for experimentation and tweaking Wine settings, which advanced users may enjoy.

Cons:

• Installation can be fragile; success depends on the stars aligning with Wine versions, Ubuntu releases, and your specific Office installer.
• Limited to Office 2016 or earlier in most cases.
• Some components (OneNote, Outlook, advanced cloud features) are likely to be buggy or not work at all.

3. Bottles (Modern Wine Manager)

Bottles is a user-friendly, modern GUI for managing Wine “bottles” on Linux, which some users report success with – but as of mid-2024, reliably installing Microsoft Office is hit-or-miss, especially with missing 32-bit dependencies on certain systems.

Compatibility Summary Table

Linux integrationGoodGoodGoodOKEase of setupEasyMediumEasyEasy if script works; complicated if manual

	Linoffice	WinApps	Crossover	PlayOnLinux 4
Office versions supported	Office 365, 2024 (all apps)	Office 365, 2024, 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007	Office 365, 2016, 2010, 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)	Office 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Compatibility (stars)	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★
What doesn’t work?	Some multi-window quirks	Some multi-window quirks	Onedrive, Outlook, OneNote may be limited/broken; occasional crashes	Onedrive, Outlook, OneNote may be limited/broken; frequent crashes
Cost	Free	Free	$60 + Office license	Free + Office license
RAM use	High (VM)	High (VM)	Normal	Normal
Immutable Linux support	Fully supported	Works with extra packages	Needs Distrobox	Needs Distrobox*

*Flatpak PlayOnLinux is available but does not reliably launch Office as of June 2024.

Quirks, Workarounds, and Tips for Ubuntu Office Integration

Installing Office is the first step, but for a truly seamless Linux-to-Office experience, you’ll probably want to tune file associations, fix some quirks, and automate cleanup. Here are some advanced tips:

File Associations (So .docx Opens in the Right App)

• On KDE: Open System Settings → Default Applications → File Associations, and edit the mime types for .xlsx, .docx, .pptx, removing any legacy or unwanted file patterns, and making sure only the desired launcher is set as default.
• Sometimes, Office (via WinApps/LinOffice) leaves behind temp files (like ~$Book1.xlsx), which don’t always get cleaned up properly. To hide these, redefine file patterns as [!~][!$]*.xlsx (and repeat for docx/pptx).
• In file managers (e.g., Dolphin), enable the option to hide backup files, so these temp files vanish from view.

Clean Up Temporary Office Files Automatically

If temp files are left behind on your Linux home directory, using a simple cleanup script helps:

#!/bin/bash
find ~ -type f \( -name '~$*.xlsx' -o -name '~$*.docx' -o -name '~$*.pptx' \) 2>/dev/null -exec rm {} \;

Make the script executable: chmod +x ~/bin/office_cleanup.sh and optionally run it on logout or daily via your desktop’s autostart feature.

Locale and Formatting Settings

• Often, Office defaults to US locale (mm/dd/yyyy) for dates. Office running on Crossover, PlayOnLinux, or via VM can be adjusted using registry editor: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International and set sShortDate or other variables for your region (e.g., d/M/yyyy for UK/Europe).
• For number formatting (decimal separators, thousand separators), edit sDecimal, sThousand, etc., as desired.

Backing Up and Restoring Your Office Install Environment

Especially relevant if you use a Distrobox/Podman container for PlayOnLinux or Crossover, you can:

• Commit the container state: podman container commit -p msoffice2016 msoffice2016_container && podman save msoffice2016_container:latest | gzip > msoffice2016_container.tar.gz
• Backup your Office environment’s home folder separately.
• Restoring is a matter of extracting backups and re-creating the container environment, saving hours if you need to migrate or recover from errors.

Security and Network Access Considerations

If you’re running old, unsupported Office or Windows versions: For Office 2016 or Ubuntu 18.04 – which are both out of support as of 2024 – it’s wise to block Internet access to your VM/container to reduce security risks. This isn’t always trivial, but tools such as Podman or network namespace separation (–unshare-netns) with Distrobox may be used (with caveats).

For Office Web Apps, standard browser security applies.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

• “Package is of poor quality” when installing .deb wrappers: If you trust the source and understand it’s just a web shortcut, you can safely proceed. Only install from trusted sources.
• Office Installer Fails in PlayOnLinux: Try an older Wine version like 4.15, and make sure you’ve installed all dependency packages. If scripts fail, sometimes running the install manually in a container is more reliable.
• Activation problems: Office activation can be tricky. If sign-in does not work, product keys (from your Microsoft account) are usually accepted for Office 2016 and earlier; for Office 365 and later, VM-based solutions are more foolproof.
• Missing Features in Office Web Apps: Advanced scripting, some fonts, and macro-driven workflows need real desktop Office (use LinOffice/WinApps/Crossover if you can’t live without these).
• Performance is slow in VMs: Allocate more RAM/CPU, or try a lighter Windows version; ensure hardware virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V) is enabled in BIOS.

Choosing the Right Method (2024 Decision Guide)

• Just need basic editing and sharing? Web apps or their desktop wrappers are perfect (and free!).
• Want full desktop Office and don’t mind using extra resources? LinOffice or WinApps VM integration is state-of-the-art, especially with Office 365, 2021, or 2024.
• Happy with Office 2016 or older? Crossover or PlayOnLinux are both great fits, with PlayOnLinux being entirely free.
• On resource-constrained hardware, try PlayOnLinux/Crossover first; for enterprise users, VM-based integration offers ultimate compatibility at the cost of more complicated setup.

If you’re nervous about getting started, the community projects mentioned in this guide all have active GitHub repositories, forums, or Discord chats where you can find answers or ask for help – linked throughout this guide for your convenience.

Setting up Microsoft Office on Ubuntu in 2024 is much more approachable and reliable than ever before, thanks to advances in virtualization, improved Wine compatibility, and simple web-based deployments. Each method has pros and cons – but you no longer need to feel locked out of the world’s most ubiquitous office suite because you chose Linux. With the right approach (from snappy Office Online wrappers to deep VM integration), you can tailor your install for your needs and finally bridge the compatibility gap. Life’s too short to fight with document formatting or miss out on important collaborations – get your Office sorted and get back to work!