55 Best Office Pranks to Try on April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day is the perfect time to bring laughter into the workplace with a few harmless office pranks. Whether you want to confuse your coworkers, surprise your boss, or make the breakroom a little more interesting, these pranks are easy to pull off, safe for work, and guaranteed to get some laughs.

Here are 55 of the best office pranks that will keep the workplace fun without getting you in trouble!

Desk and Workspace Pranks

Illustration of a confused person with question marks by a laptop, beside text reading "Keyboard Confusion," suggesting swapping keys on a keyboard.

Upside-Down Monitor – Flip a coworker’s computer screen by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow (Windows) or System Preferences → Display → Rotation (Mac).
Jelly Keyboard – Remove the keys from a keyboard and put them in a bowl of Jell-O, then place it on their desk.
Sticky Note Overload – Cover a coworker’s desk, chair, and computer with colorful sticky notes.
Desk Wrapped in Plastic Wrap – Wrap an entire desk (including the chair and phone) in clear plastic wrap.
Bubble Wrap Floor Mat – Tape bubble wrap under a coworker’s chair or under their desk mat so it pops when they step on it.
Fake Desktop Icons – Take a screenshot of their desktop, set it as the wallpaper, and hide all their real icons.
Frozen Mouse – Tape a small piece of paper under the mouse sensor so it stops working.
Duct Tape Chair – Lightly tape the wheels of their chair to the floor so they can’t roll away.
Keyboard Confusion – Swap two frequently used keys (like “M” and “N”) on their keyboard.
Backwards Monitor – Flip their screen display settings so everything appears in reverse.

Email and Tech Pranks

"Humorous graphic titled 'Fake Software Update.' Suggests using a fake 'Installing Updates...' screen as a desktop wallpaper. Includes an illustrated person at a laptop with a software update icon. Neutral, lighthearted tone. Website credit 'creativetacos.com.'"

Auto-Correct Madness – Change common words in their email settings so “Hello” becomes “Banana” or “Yes” becomes “Absolutely Not.”
Fake IT Support Message – Send an office-wide email saying the Wi-Fi will be “down for maintenance from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.”
Slow Mouse Speed – Reduce the mouse sensitivity on a coworker’s computer so it moves incredibly slow.
Invert Their Mouse Scroll – Adjust the mouse settings so scrolling up makes the page go down and vice versa.
Fake Software Update – Put a fake “Installing Updates…” screen on their computer and set it as the wallpaper.
Google Translate Mode – Change the language settings on their web browser to something like Russian or Mandarin.
Autocorrect Name Swap – Set their name in email autocorrect so it changes to “Boss” or “Superstar.”
Broken Keyboard Trick – Set up their keyboard to play a sound every time they type a letter.
Change Contact Names – Swap the names of their coworkers in their contact list.
Confusing Voicemail Greeting – Record a voicemail that says, “Hello? …Hello? …Just kidding, leave a message!”

Breakroom and Food Pranks

Cartoon orange juice box with a straw on a beige background. Text reads: "Mystery Drink: Replace orange juice with carrot juice and watch reactions." Lighthearted tone.

Color-Changing Coffee – Add food coloring to the office coffee pot so it pours out green or blue coffee.
Upside-Down Coffee Cup – Glue a coffee cup to the table and watch as coworkers try to lift it.
Salted Sugar – Swap the sugar in the breakroom with salt.
Microwave Mystery – Tape a fake “Out of Order” sign on the office microwave.
Plastic Wrap Over the Mug – Cover the top of someone’s coffee mug with clear plastic wrap before they take a sip.
Frozen Donuts – Freeze a box of donuts and leave them in the breakroom.
Shrunken Lunch – Swap a coworker’s sandwich with a miniature version.
Snack Bag Surprise – Replace the contents of a chip bag with baby carrots or something unexpected.
Mystery Drink – Replace orange juice with carrot juice and watch reactions.
Rubber Band Lunch – Wrap their entire lunch in layers of rubber bands.

Office Supply Pranks

Image showing text: "Sticky Note Message. Cover a coworker’s monitor with sticky notes, leaving only a tiny space for them to see." On the right is a monitor with sticky notes covering most of the screen. The tone is playful and humorous.

Glue Stick as Lip Balm – Swap the label on a glue stick with a ChapStick label and leave it on someone’s desk.
Tape the Phone Receiver – Tape down the phone receiver button so it won’t pick up calls.
Empty Stapler Trick – Remove all the staples from someone’s stapler and watch as they keep trying to use it.
Paperclip Chain – Attach all the paperclips in their drawer into a long chain.
Double-Sided Tape Mouse Pad – Put double-sided tape on the underside of someone’s mouse pad so it sticks to their desk.
Replace Office Pens – Replace all of a coworker’s pens with crayons or markers.
Giant Stack of Printouts – Print a 100-page document and leave it in the printer with their name on the first page.
Sticky Note Message – Cover a coworker’s monitor with sticky notes, leaving only a tiny space for them to see.
Office Supply Theft – Hide all the office supplies and leave a ransom note.
Permanent Marker Dry Erase Board – Write a message on a whiteboard using permanent marker instead of dry erase.

Office-Wide Pranks

Cartoon person holding a megaphone and clipboard with "Rules" checklist, alongside text: "New Office Rules: Print out fake office policies like 'No talking before 10 a.m.'" Playful tone.

Meeting Room Mix-Up – Book all the conference rooms under fake names like “Unicorn Strategy Meeting.”
Office-Wide “Silent Day” – Get everyone to agree to be silent for an hour and act like nothing is wrong.
Invisible Elevator Button – Tape over the elevator buttons so they don’t press properly.
Fake Fire Drill – Send an office-wide message saying there’s a mandatory fire drill.
Silly Dress Code – Email a fake memo stating there is a new dress code that includes hats and capes.
“New” Office Rules – Print out fake office policies like “No talking before 10 a.m.”
Broken Door Sign – Place an “Out of Order” sign on a door that works perfectly fine.
CEO Surprise – Tell everyone the CEO is visiting and watch as they panic to look busy.
Team Building Exercise – Announce a fake mandatory team-building exercise like “Office Dance-Off.”
Early Workday Notice – Send an email saying work starts at 6 a.m. starting next week.

Last-Minute and Easy Pranks

Colorful graphic with text reading "Confetti Explosion: Put confetti inside their umbrella so it falls when they open it." Features a smiling umbrella and confetti.

Upside-Down Desk Items – Flip everything on someone’s desk upside down.
Mouse Pointer Trick – Set their mouse pointer speed to the lowest setting.
Fake IT Call – Call a coworker pretending to be IT and ask them to “turn their computer upside down.”
Confetti Explosion – Put confetti inside their umbrella so it falls when they open it.
New Boss Prank – Send an office-wide email introducing a fake new boss with ridiculous credentials.

Final Thoughts

Office pranks are a great way to bring laughter to the workplace—as long as they stay fun, harmless, and work-appropriate. These pranks are simple to pull off, easy to clean up, and won’t get you fired (hopefully!).

Which prank will you try first? Share this list with your coworkers and let the fun begin!

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