How to Install WPS Office on Chromebook — The Best Free Office Suite for 2025

WilgufTech August 03, 2025

Install WPS Office on Chromebook: A Complete Guide (with Fonts Support)



If you're using a Chromebook and looking for a powerful, free, and user-friendly alternative to Microsoft Office, WPS Office is a fantastic option. Developed by Kingsoft, WPS Office brings together a clean interface, strong compatibility with Microsoft file formats (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX), and features like PDF editing — all in a single package.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the installation process of WPS Office on a Chromebook using the Linux (Crostini) environment, including optional steps to improve font rendering and document compatibility by installing Microsoft core fonts.

Why Use WPS Office on a Chromebook?

Chromebooks are light, fast, and secure, but their default office options are often limited to web-based tools like Google Docs. WPS Office fills the gap by offering:

  • A full-featured, offline-capable suite
  • A Microsoft Office-like interface
  • Support for Writer (Word), Presentation (PowerPoint), and Spreadsheet (Excel)
  • PDF reader and editor
  • Excellent cross-platform support

Whether you're a student, teacher, or professional, WPS Office is one of the few office suites that balance speed, features, and user-friendliness — and it works great on Chromebooks with Linux enabled.

Step-by-Step Installation Instructions

Before you begin, make sure you have Linux enabled on your Chromebook. You can enable it via:

First, enable Linux on your Chromebook:

  1. Open Chromebook Settings.
  2. Scroll to About Chrome OS at the bottom.
  3. Under the Developer section, select Enable.
  4. Allocate at least 10GB of storage for Linux.

Then, open the Linux Terminal, and follow the steps below:

Step 1: Update the Package List

sudo apt update

This ensures your Chromebook's Linux system has the latest information about available packages.

Step 2: (Optional) Install Nemo File Manager

This helps in opening files graphically if needed.

sudo apt install nemo

Step 3: Download WPS Office Installer

Grab the .deb package directly from the official WPS CDN:

wget https://wdl1.pcfg.cache.wpscdn.com/wpsdl/wpsoffice/download/linux/11723/wps-office_11.1.0.11723.XA_amd64.deb

Step 4: Install WPS Office

sudo dpkg -i wps-office_11.1.0.11723.XA_amd64.deb

This command installs the WPS Office package onto your system.

Step 5: Fix Missing Dependencies

In case of errors (which is common with .deb packages), fix them with:

sudo apt -f install

This command automatically resolves any missing packages.

Step 6: Install Microsoft Fonts (Recommended)

Some documents (especially DOCX or PPTX files) use Windows-specific fonts. To display them correctly:

wget http://ftp.br.debian.org/debian/pool/contrib/m/msttcorefonts/ttf-mscorefonts-installer_3.8_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i ttf-mscorefonts-installer_3.8_all.deb
sudo apt -f install

This will install fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, and Calibri, improving compatibility.

Launching WPS Office

After installation, you can open WPS Office from your Linux Apps in the Chromebook Launcher. You’ll see three main applications:

  • WPS Writer – for Word documents
  • WPS Presentation – for PowerPoint slides
  • WPS Spreadsheet – for Excel-style spreadsheets

If you prefer, you can also run them from the terminal using:

wps

Tips and Troubleshooting

  • WPS Won’t Launch?
 Try restarting the Linux environment, or re-running the install commands if any error occurred during installation.
  • Fonts Look Weird?
Make sure you’ve installed ttf-mscorefonts-installer, and reboot your Linux container.
  • Need to Open Files?

Use the nemo file manager to navigate to your files easily:

nemo
  • Update Notification in WPS Office?
 You can safely ignore the update prompt, as the Linux version often lags behind the Windows one.

Final Thoughts

WPS Office is arguably one of the best free office suites available today — and having it installed on your Chromebook makes your device more capable and flexible. Its familiar interface, lightweight performance, and strong support for Microsoft formats make it an ideal tool for productivity, especially for those who prefer working offline.

If you need a better writing, spreadsheet, or presentation tool than Google Docs or LibreOffice, WPS Office deserves a place on your Chromebook.

WilgufTech

Posted by WilgufTech

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