> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Install FreeOffice on Ubuntu Linux - URL: https://itsfoss.com/install-freeoffice-ubuntu/ - Published: 2023-11-21T05:38:39.000Z - Updated: 2023-11-21T05:38:39.000Z - Description: The free alternative to MS Office can be a decent choice for some. Learn to install it in this tutorial. - Author: Sagar Sharma - Tags: Installation 📥, Ubuntu, #hide If you are looking for [LibreOffice alternatives on Linux](https://itsfoss.com/libreoffice-alternatives-linux/), FreeOffice can be an excellent choice, especially if you are ok with using non-FOSS software. Its developer. SoftMaker, has a proprietary office product which comes at a cost. Their free version is labelled FreeOffice which offers fewer features but costs you nothing. This makes FreeOffice a decent choice for those who are not happy with LibreOffice for some reason and want a more modern, MS Office like product without the licensing fee. Want to try it? In this tutorial, I will walk you through two ways you can install FreeOffice on Debian and Ubuntu-based distributions: - Using the FreeOffice repository (recommended) - Using the FreeOffice `.deb` file So let's start with the recommended method. ✋ ****Non-FOSS alert**: Softmaker's FreeOffice is not open source. ## Method 1: Install FreeOffice using the SoftMaker repository (recommended) You may be wondering why I recommend this method over the other one. Well, that's pretty simple. When you use SoftMaker's repository to install FreeOffice, it will be updated when you update your system repository in Ubuntu (when you use `sudo apt update`). This means you don't have to update the FreeOffice manually, it will be taken care of automatically while upgrading the system itself. First, you will have to [create a new directory](https://learnubuntu.com/mkdir-command/?ref=itsfoss.com) `keyrings` using the following: ``` mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings ``` Next, download the GPG key for the SoftMaker repository using the following: ``` sudo wget -qO- https://shop.softmaker.com/repo/linux-repo-public.key | gpg --dearmor > /etc/apt/keyrings/softmaker.gpg ``` After downloading the repository key, set up a new repository entry in your system: ``` sudo echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/softmaker.gpg] https://shop.softmaker.com/repo/apt stable non-free" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/softmaker.list ``` To take effect from all these changes you've made, update your system repository: ``` sudo apt update ``` Finally, install the FreeOffice using the following: ``` sudo apt install softmaker-freeoffice-2021 ``` That's it! From now on, you can access FreeOffice from your system menu: ![access freeoffice from Ubuntu start menu](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/11/access-freeoffice-from-Ubuntu-start-menu.png) ### Uninstall FreeOffice If you don't want to use FreeOffice anymore, then you can uninstall it using the following command: ``` sudo apt remove softmaker-freeoffice-2021 ``` But if you want to remove the FreeOffice repository as well, then I would suggest reading [our detailed guide on removing repositories from Ubuntu](https://itsfoss.com/remove-software-repositories-ubuntu/): [Remove Software Repositories from Ubuntu \[3 Easy Ways\] 😎From apt-add-repository to Software & Updates tool, here are several ways to remove software repositories from Ubuntu.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSSSagar Sharma![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/06/how-to-remove-software-repos-in-ubuntu.png)](https://itsfoss.com/remove-software-repositories-ubuntu/) ## Method 2: Install FreeOffice using the deb file ✋ If you use this method to install FreeOffice, the only way to update this package is to install the newer version of .deb package. If you don't want to go through the hassle of adding the repository to Ubuntu to install FreeOffice and you want a straightforward solution then you will find this interesting. To download the FreeOffice `.deb` file, [visit the official download page of FreeOffice](https://www.freeoffice.com/en/service/tips-and-tricks/linux?ref=itsfoss.com): ![Download the .deb file of FreeOffice](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/11/Download-the-.deb-file-of-FreeOffice.png) Once you are done downloading `.deb` file, open the terminal, and move to the directory where the downloaded `.deb` file using the cd command. For the most users, it will be located in the `Downloads` directory: ``` cd ~/Downloads ``` To [install the downloaded deb file in Ubuntu,](https://itsfoss.com/install-deb-files-ubuntu/) simply execute the following command: ``` sudo apt install ./softmaker-freeoffice*.deb ``` That's it! ### Uninstall FreeOffice If you are tired of updating FreeOffice manually and you no longer want to deal with it then here's how you remove it. To [remove the deb package](https://itsfoss.com/install-deb-files-ubuntu/), it is necessary to know the exact package name which can be done using the following: ``` apt list --installed | grep freeoffice ``` ![Know the name of the installed FreeOffice deb package in Ubuntu](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/11/Know-the-name-of-the-installed-FreeOffice-deb-package-in-Ubuntu.png) Once you find the exact package name, you can [use the apt remove command](https://learnubuntu.com/uninstall-apt-package/?ref=itsfoss.com) to remove it in the following manner: ``` sudo apt remove ``` In my case, the package name is `softmaker-freeoffice-2021` and to remove it, I will be using the following: ``` sudo apt remove softmaker-freeoffice-2021 ``` That's all it takes to remove the FreeOffice deb package. ## Here are more MS Office alternatives If you are on the journey of finding the best alternative to MS Office, then here are the top 6 alternatives you can try: [6 Best Open Source Alternatives to Microsoft Office for LinuxLooking for Microsoft Office on Linux? Here are the best free and open-source alternatives to Microsoft Office for Linux.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2012/06/best-open-source-alternatives-ms-office.jpg)](https://itsfoss.com/best-free-open-source-alternatives-microsoft-office/) If you want, you can also try a paid alternative SoftMaker Office: [SoftMaker Office: A Premium Office Suite for LinuxBrief: SoftMaker Office is an interesting paid alternative to Microsoft Office on Linux. Compared to some free and open-source office suites out there, it offers some extra features and a better user interface. SoftMaker is a premium office suite for Linux, Windows, and macOS. It is neither fre…![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2018/02/softmaker-office-features.png)](https://itsfoss.com/softmaker-office/) I hope you will find this tutorial helpful.