If you just moved to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and you still need to open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, you have probably run into a familiar problem. Ubuntu does not ship FreeOffice by default, and hunting through forum threads for the right commands wastes time you do not have. This guide will walk you through how to install FreeOffice on Ubuntu 26.04 the right way, using the official SoftMaker repository so your installation stays current and secure.
You will learn every command needed to set up FreeOffice on Ubuntu 26.04, why each step matters, and what to do when something does not go as planned. By the end, you will have TextMaker, PlanMaker, and Presentations running on your desktop, ready to handle DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files without paying for a Microsoft 365 subscription.
This is not a copy-paste tutorial written by someone guessing at commands. Everything here reflects how a working sysadmin actually sets up software on a production or personal Ubuntu machine: check the system first, verify trust sources, confirm the install worked, then plan for updates and removal. That is the difference between a quick fix and a setup that keeps working six months from now.
FreeOffice itself is a proprietary but free-to-use office suite made by SoftMaker. It bundles three applications: TextMaker for word processing, PlanMaker for spreadsheets, and Presentations for slide decks. Unlike LibreOffice, it is not open-source, but many users find its interface closer to classic Microsoft Office, which shortens the learning curve for teams switching from Windows.
Prerequisites
Before you configure FreeOffice on Ubuntu 26.04, make sure your environment meets these basic requirements. Skipping this checklist is the number one reason installations fail halfway through.
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS running on a 64-bit (amd64) system. FreeOffice does not support 32-bit architecture.
- Sudo access or an administrator account. Every command that touches system packages needs elevated privileges.
- Active internet connection to download the repository key and the FreeOffice package itself.
- curl, ca-certificates, and gpg installed. These handle secure downloads and key verification.
- At least 300 MB of free disk space, since the installed suite plus temporary download files add up.
- A desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE if you plan to launch FreeOffice from the applications menu rather than the terminal.
If you are managing a remote Ubuntu server through SSH without a graphical desktop, you can still install FreeOffice, but you will only be able to launch it through a remote desktop session or X forwarding.
Step 1: Update Your System
The first rule of any Linux installation is simple: never add a new repository to a system with a stale package index. Old metadata can cause dependency conflicts that are hard to trace later.
sudo apt updateThis command refreshes Ubuntu’s local list of available packages and their versions. It does not install anything yet, it just tells your system what is currently available from your configured sources.
sudo apt upgradeRunning upgrade applies any pending updates to packages already installed on your machine. Doing this now, before adding the SoftMaker source, means you are not troubleshooting two changes at once if something breaks.
Why This Step Matters
Think of apt update as refreshing a shopping list before you go to the store. If the list is outdated, you might try to buy something that no longer exists or miss items that just arrived. Running this first avoids confusing errors when you add the FreeOffice repository in a later step.
Step 2: Install Required Tools
FreeOffice does not live in Ubuntu’s default repositories, so you need a few small utilities to set up a trusted, external source safely.
sudo apt install curl ca-certificates gpgHere is what each package actually does:
- curl downloads files from the internet directly through the terminal, including the SoftMaker signing key.
- ca-certificates stores trusted root certificates so your system can verify that shop.softmaker.com is really who it claims to be over HTTPS.
- gpg converts and manages cryptographic keys, which lets APT confirm that packages from SoftMaker have not been tampered with.
Why This Step Matters
Skipping this step is a common mistake that leads to failed downloads or, worse, an unverified repository. Without ca-certificates, curl cannot confirm the SoftMaker server’s identity, and without gpg, APT has no way to check that the packages you download were not altered in transit. These three tools form the trust chain that keeps your Linux server tutorial secure from start to finish.
Step 3: Import the SoftMaker Repository Key
Every trusted APT repository needs a signing key so your system knows the packages are authentic. This step downloads that key and converts it into a format Ubuntu’s package manager understands.
curl -fsSLo softmaker-repo.asc https://shop.softmaker.com/repo/apt/softmaker-repo.asc
gpg --dearmor --yes -o softmaker.gpg softmaker-repo.asc
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo install -m 0644 softmaker.gpg /etc/apt/keyrings/softmaker.gpgWhat Each Command Does
The first line uses curl to fetch the ASCII-armored key file from SoftMaker’s official server. The second line, gpg --dearmor, converts that text-based key into a binary keyring format, since modern APT expects binary keys rather than plain text ones.
The third line creates the /etc/apt/keyrings directory if it does not already exist, with permissions that only allow root to write to it. The final line copies the converted key into that directory with read-only permissions for everyone else.
Why This Step Matters
This is the security backbone of the entire installation. Placing the key in /etc/apt/keyrings with a Signed-By reference, which you will add in the next step, means only packages signed by this exact key can be installed from the SoftMaker source. Without this, anyone who could intercept your connection could potentially serve you a malicious package disguised as FreeOffice.
Once the files finish their job, clean them up:
rm -f softmaker-repo.asc softmaker.gpgRemoving the temporary copies from your home directory keeps your workspace tidy and avoids confusion with the actual keyring already installed under /etc/apt/keyrings.
Step 4: Add the SoftMaker Repository Source
With the key in place, you now need to tell APT where to actually look for the FreeOffice package.
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/softmaker.sources > /dev/null <<EOF
Types: deb
URIs: https://shop.softmaker.com/repo/apt
Suites: stable
Components: non-free
Architectures: amd64
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/softmaker.gpg
EOFBreaking Down the Source File
Each line in this configuration tells APT something specific:
- Types: deb tells APT this source provides binary Debian-style packages.
- URIs points to SoftMaker’s actual repository server.
- Suites: stable refers to SoftMaker’s own release channel, not an Ubuntu codename, so this same line works whether you are on Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, or 26.04.
- Components: non-free reflects the fact that FreeOffice is proprietary software, even though it costs nothing to use.
- Architectures: amd64 restricts the source to 64-bit systems only.
- Signed-By links this source directly to the key you installed in Step 3.
Why This Step Matters
Adding the repository through a dedicated .sources file, rather than editing the main sources.list directly, keeps your system organized and makes it easy to remove FreeOffice cleanly later. Tying the source to a specific signing key with Signed-By also prevents a common Linux server tutorial mistake: adding a repository without pinning it to its own key, which weakens your overall system security.
Step 5: Refresh APT and Verify the Package
Before installing anything, confirm that Ubuntu can actually see the FreeOffice package through the new source.
sudo apt updateNow check if the package candidate is visible:
apt-cache policy softmaker-freeoffice-2024You should see output similar to this:
softmaker-freeoffice-2024:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 3702
Version table:
3702 500
500 https://shop.softmaker.com/repo/apt stable/non-free amd64 PackagesWhy This Step Matters
This confirmation step catches configuration mistakes before they turn into failed installs. If Candidate shows (none), something is wrong with your source file, most likely a typo in the URL or suite name. Catching this now saves you from a confusing “unable to locate package” error later, which is one of the most common frustrations people run into during a FreeOffice setup.
Step 6: Install FreeOffice on Ubuntu 26.04 Setup
This is the step you have been waiting for. With the repository configured and verified, installing FreeOffice takes one command.
sudo apt install softmaker-freeoffice-2024APT will show a summary similar to this before asking for confirmation:
The following NEW packages will be installed:
softmaker-freeoffice-2024
Need to get 142 MB of archives.
After this operation, 281 MB of additional disk space will be used.Type Y and press Enter to proceed.
Why This Step Matters
Installing through APT, rather than manually downloading and unpacking a .deb file, means the package manager handles dependency resolution automatically. It also registers FreeOffice properly in your system’s package database, so future updates and removals work cleanly through the same tool you already use for everything else on your Ubuntu machine.
Step 7: Verify the Installation
Do not assume the install worked just because the terminal did not show an error. A quick check confirms everything landed correctly.
dpkg-query -W softmaker-freeoffice-2024Expected output:
softmaker-freeoffice-2024 3702Next, confirm the application launchers exist:
command -v textmaker24 planmaker24 presentations24Expected output:
/usr/bin/textmaker24
/usr/bin/planmaker24
/usr/bin/presentations24Why This Step Matters
This double-check habit comes from years of server administration where assuming success without verification leads to surprises later. If either command returns nothing, the package likely did not install completely, and you should reinstall it with sudo apt install --reinstall softmaker-freeoffice-2024 before moving forward.
Step 8: Launch and Configure FreeOffice
You can open FreeOffice applications either through your desktop menu or directly from the terminal.
textmaker24 # Word processing
planmaker24 # Spreadsheets
presentations24 # Slide decksOn your desktop, search for TextMaker, PlanMaker, or Presentations in your applications grid. GNOME users can find these under Activities, then Show Applications.
Set Default File Formats
On first launch, FreeOffice may ask you to pick between a ribbon-style or classic menu layout. Choose whichever feels more familiar, since you can change it later.
To match Microsoft Office file types by default, open each application and go to:
File > Options > Files > Default File FormatsSet TextMaker to DOCX, PlanMaker to XLSX, and Presentations to PPTX if you regularly exchange files with Microsoft Office users.
Why This Step Matters
Setting the correct default formats early prevents a frustrating cycle of manually changing the save format every single time you create a new document. This one small configuration change saves real time once you are working with FreeOffice daily.
Updating and Removing FreeOffice
Keeping software current matters just as much as installing it correctly. Update FreeOffice the same way you update any APT-managed package.
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade softmaker-freeoffice-2024If you ever need to remove it completely:
sudo apt remove softmaker-freeoffice-2024
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/softmaker.sources
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/keyrings/softmaker.gpg
sudo apt updateWhy This Step Matters
Third-party repositories are not always included in automated update tools like unattended-upgrades. Checking for FreeOffice updates manually, or confirming your update policy explicitly includes the SoftMaker source, keeps you from running an outdated version without realizing it.
Troubleshooting Common FreeOffice Installation Errors
Even a well-documented process can hit snags. Here are the most common issues and how to fix them.
GPG signature errors during apt update
This usually means the keyring file is missing or corrupted. Recreate it by rerunning the curl and gpg commands from Step 3, then run sudo apt update again.
Missing package candidate
If apt-cache policy softmaker-freeoffice-2024 shows Candidate: (none), open the source file with cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/softmaker.sources and check for typos in the URI or suite name.
Command not found after installation
If textmaker24 returns “command not found,” confirm the package is actually installed with dpkg-query -W softmaker-freeoffice-2024. If it shows as installed but the command still fails, reinstall with sudo apt install --reinstall softmaker-freeoffice-2024.
Fonts look wrong in Word or PowerPoint files
Install Microsoft’s core fonts from Ubuntu’s multiverse repository:
sudo apt install ttf-mscorefonts-installerRestart FreeOffice afterward so the new fonts load correctly.
Complex documents render incorrectly
Documents with macros or unusual embedded objects sometimes look different in FreeOffice than in Microsoft Office. Try opening a copy in LibreOffice first to compare formatting before editing your original file in FreeOffice.
