Linux is a simple lightweight and very popular operating system. It is mainly famous for its highly customizable user interface and different skins. The application library of Linux is also large and ever-growing. But still, we do not see a lot of Windows Programs being ported to Linux. Many stick to Windows for some of these programs only. Let us see how to install and run Microsoft Office on Linux.
Microsoft Office on Linux
We need to download some necessary programs first before proceeding to install and run Microsoft Office on Linux. I’ve demonstrated the process on Linux Mint Cinnamon, which is based on Ubuntu. So we need a program called PlayOnLinux, which is a front-end client for Wine. Wine as many of you will recognize is the main structure that enables Windows programs to run on Linux. PlayOnLinux makes it easier for beginners to install and run Windows programs including Microsoft Office on Linux, due to its simpler interface.
Downloads
We need to visit the official website and install the PlayOnLinux program using commands. Linux Mint has a huge library of Linux Apps store, so we can download the programs using this as well. Linux Distro like PopOS also has an app store, so you can check your OS and try to find the programs in the app store. Anyway, you can use the package manager to install the program. Download the program for Ubuntu, Debian, or others according to your Linux Distro. Download the installer program from the website.
The second program we need is called Winbind. This program is needed to run Microsoft Office on Linux OS. We can install it from the app store or by running the commands below.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y winbind
The last thing we need to run Microsoft Office on Linux is the most important, it is the “Microsoft Office Software” package. You can download the program from getintopc or similar websites. I cannot share the link because of piracy and copyright violations. After downloading the software, you can see an installer iso image file inside the folder. We need to mount this installer iso image to obtain the installer .exe file. Right-click o the image file and then select open with disk image counter or similar option. Now you can see the name of the file under the CD-ROM section in the quick access list.
Install Microsoft Office on Linux
We will now launch the PlayOnLinux program from the apps list. Now select “install a program” and we can see multiple program categories. We need to select the “Office” category and then select the Microsoft Office version of your choice. I have selected MS Office 2010 for this demonstration. Now select next and then choose your installer program using the setup file option. Then continue the setup and create a fresh installation using erase and install option.
The program may download some additional files and run some Wine configurations. Make sure you are connected to the internet throughout this process. You will see the Microsoft Office set up screen, and continue with the normal installation. It will take a while to install all the files and in the end, Wine software will run some script, and then the installation will be a success. Now we can proceed to run Microsoft Office on Linux.
Run Microsoft Office on Linux
Shortcuts for the Microsoft Office programs; MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, and others will be created on the desktop. You can launch the programs using these shortcuts. The programs were opening and running quite smoothly. We can start editing documents and creating tables and spreadsheets using Microsoft Office on Linux. I know we can use MS Office alternatives like Libre Office or Open Office. But if there is a way to run Microsoft Office on Linux then I am sure many of us will want to try it.