In the office automation sector, we can say that Microsoft Office is the most recognized. However, this application is not available for Ubuntu, so we have to look for alternatives. In this sense, if you want a similar application with a lot of potentials, then it is convenient to know how to install WPS Office on Ubuntu 20.04
What is WPS Office?
WPS Office is a complete office suite originating from China. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Office proprietary formats but we can install it on Ubuntu 20.04
The project has been with us for some time and includes the following components: Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheet. It is therefore a fairly complete suite that can cover the needs of many people.
According to the project’s website:
WPS Office is a high performing, yet considerably more affordable solution that is recognized as a preferred alternative to Microsoft Office and is fully compatible and comparable to Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. The WPS Office suite is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux-based PCs as well as Android and iOS.
So, WPS Office is a cross-platform application with versions for various desktop and mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS. So we are talking about a complete, robust, modern suite to complete our even more operating system.
Install WPS Office on Ubuntu 20.04
As WPS Office is a proprietary application, it is not surprising that it is not included in the official Ubuntu 20.04 repositories. However, the support for our distribution is fully guaranteed by the developers and by the community of users and contributors.
So, the process is quite simple and will allow us to access the latest stable version available.
Let’s get started.
The first step is to download the DEB package offered by WPS Office at this link
Don’t forget that the package system Ubuntu works with is DEB so download it.
Then you can open a terminal either from the main menu or with direct access.
Then, navigate to the folder where the WPS Office package is. In my case it’s Downloads
cd Downloads
And execute the following command to install the package:
sudo dpkg -i wps-office*.deb
After entering your user password, you can start the installation as expected.
Then, you can run it from the Ubuntu main menu.
Running the application
Now if you search for WPS Office in the main menu, you will get several results that correspond to each of the modules of the application.
In this case, I have chosen the main launcher.
Now you will have to accept the license terms.
By accepting them, you will be able to view the application. Click on New Document to start working.
Now at the top, you have to select if it is a text document, presentation, or an excel file.
In my case, I have chosen a text document.
As you can see the interface is similar to Microsoft Words.
Uninstall WPS Office
If you decided that you want to remove WPS Office from your system, you can do so by running the following command
sudo dpkg -r wps-office
Again, by entering the password, start the process and it will be uninstalled from your system.
Conclusion
Ubuntu is a fairly complete operating system but thanks to the support that many companies give it, it is possible to have quality proprietary programs such as WPS Office. With WPS Office we can have a solid, modern, and complete alternative to Microsoft Office and thus make our documents, presentations, and spreadsheets with very high quality.
So, have you used the WPS Office? do you like it? please leave us a comment and share our post.
