Unlocking Productivity on Your Chromebook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing OnlyOffice

OnlyOffice stands out as a versatile open-source office suite packed with features for spreadsheet calculations, document editing, presentation creation, and much more. If you’re a Chromebook user eager to leverage OnlyOffice’s capabilities, this guide will walk you through the straightforward installation process.

Enabling Linux on Your Chromebook

Begin Your Setup

First, ensure that your Chromebook is compatible with Linux. To get started, navigate to your Chromebook’s settings by clicking on the clock in the bottom right corner and selecting the gear icon.

Once in settings, look for the Advanced section. Click the down arrow next to Advanced to expand additional options, where you can find the Developers section.

In the Developers menu, locate the Linux development environment. Select Linux developer and click the Turn on button to initiate the setup of the Linux container, which will allow you to use Linux applications seamlessly.

Accessing the Linux Terminal

After enabling Linux, access the Chrome OS Terminal from the app menu. If the Terminal doesn’t automatically open after installation, locate the Penguin icon and click it to bring up the command-line interface for your Linux container.

Inside the Terminal, execute two important commands to update your Linux environment. These commands ensure you’re working with the latest software versions:

sudo apt update

This command refreshes your software sources, checking for any new updates. Following that, run:

sudo apt upgrade -y

This will install any available updates for your Linux environment. Note that this process may take some time.

With Linux enabled, you can now install and enjoy a variety of applications, including OnlyOffice.

Installing OnlyOffice on Chrome OS via Flatpak

Utilizing Flatpak for Quick Installation

The quickest way to get OnlyOffice running on your Chromebook is through Flatpak, which simplifies the installation process by utilizing the Flathub app store without downloading files from the OnlyOffice website.

To begin, open your Chromebook’s Terminal, click on Penguin, and install Flatpak with the following command:

sudo apt install flatpak

After successfully installing Flatpak, set up the Flathub app repository by entering:

flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

With Flathub available on your system, you can easily install OnlyOffice using:

flatpak install flathub org.onlyoffice.desktopeditors

Once the installation is complete, OnlyOffice will appear in your Linux apps menu in the Chrome OS app launcher, ready for use.

Installing OnlyOffice on Chrome OS via DEB Package

Alternative Installation Method

If you prefer to install OnlyOffice using a downloadable DEB package, you can opt for that route as well. Start by opening a Terminal window on your Chrome OS.

In the Terminal, click on the Penguin icon to access your Linux terminal. Use the wget command to download the latest version of OnlyOffice:

wget https://download.onlyoffice.com/install/desktop/editors/linux/onlyoffice-desktopeditors_amd64.deb

After the download is complete, proceed with the installation using:

sudo apt install ./onlyoffice-desktopeditors_amd64.deb

You will be prompted to confirm the installation by pressing ‘Y’. Upon approval, the installation will commence and conclude after a few moments. Once finished, you will find OnlyOffice available in the Linux apps folder within the Chrome OS menu.

Conclusion

Enjoy enhanced productivity with OnlyOffice on your Chromebook by following these simple installation steps. Whether you choose to use Flatpak for a quick install or opt for the DEB package directly, you’re now equipped to handle all your office needs efficiently on Chrome OS.