If you’re like most people in this day and age, the thought of office pranks makes you think of, well, The Office. The NBC sitcom brought us master prankster Jim Halpert. Right from the start of the show, he was putting desk items in Jell-O and wrapping things in gift wrap. And of course, the pranks only got better from there.
But office pranks have been around a heck of a lot longer than John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson. Let’s face it, working in an office can be boring. Even though there’s a lot of work to do, there’s also some downtime. And when you put a dozen bored people in a small building together, prank wars ensue.
They range from the simple and classic to the involved and outrageous. Some people find them funnier than others do. But let’s be real — it’s always a little bit fun to mess with your coworkers who don’t have a sense of humor.
It’s important to include everyone in the fun. That’s how to pull off an epic prank. It’s surprising, creative, and of course, it catches people off guard, making them laugh. Here are 60 of the best office pranks to pull on fellow coworkers. Happy pranking!
Nothing is more classic office pranking than putting someone’s desk supplies in Jell-O. Ever since Jim Halpert did it in the very first season of The Office, we’ve all wanted to pull the same prank on our most irate coworker.
If your office still uses traditional desktops with separate mice, try this prank that’s been around since the Dark Ages — just tape or put a sticky note over the bottom of the mouse and watch your coworker get frustrated.
Since this one takes a bit of time, it might be better while your coworker is on vacation. Sprinkle some cat grass seeds in between the keys on their keyboard. They’ll return to a lovely crop blooming on their desk.
You can do this in less than 30 seconds while your coworker is in the bathroom. For most computers, all you have to do is press CTRL + ALT + ↓ to flip the desktop image.
It’s surprisingly easy to switch the keys on a keyboard. You need about 10 minutes and some delicate fingers for this prank, so wait until your coworker is out of the office for a bit.
This prank is possibly the most frustrating one ever invented. You need the scissors to cut the zip tie, but the zip tie is holding the scissors closed. Talk about driving someone crazy!
We don’t recommend pulling this prank if you have someone with a heart problem or an anxiety issue! All you have to do is duct tape an air horn to the bottom of the chair. When they sit down…
If you have a diabolical sense of humor, you can pull the same prank in the bathroom. Say you’re making sure people don’t waste time in the restroom by scaring the you-know-what out of them.
You can achieve this horrifying prank with some paper Mache, a black marker, and streamers. Or if you’re really feeling lazy, just print out a picture and tape it to the ceiling.
Sometimes, the joy of pranking comes down to confusing the heck out of someone. If it took you a moment to notice what’s going on, it’ll take them a while to notice too. But first, they’ll think they’re going crazy.
For this man’s birthday, his coworkers turned his cubicle into a child’s birthday party, complete with a ball pit. You decide if it’s a prank or just the best birthday gift ever.
Zip ties are some of the most diabolical things on the planet. This is the ultimate way to cause panic in the bathroom when they realize they have to fight for the toilet paper.
If you have some strong cable ropes, it won’t take long to pull this prank. Then you’ll have the fun of watching them try to get it down. If you’ve got a devilish sense of humor, tell them they’ve been “suspended.” No, don’t do that.
Do you have a coworker who just won’t shut up about their amazing beach vacation? Turn their cubicle into the beach scene they love so much. You might want to keep a vacuum on hand for all that sand.
This is best to do if you work in a small office that only has one or two stalls. Eventually, someone will wonder what’s up with that guy who’s been on the can all day and they’ll have to go check.
This takes some dedication, but if you’re willing to sacrifice your lunch hour, you can hide your coworker’s car in their very own snow sculpture. You might want to wait for a really good snowfall, though.
Everyone loves a good doughnut, and they’re bound to groan when they see a vegetable platter instead of some chocolate frosted pastries. To avoid a riot, you might want to bring some actual doughnuts after the initial shock.
This coworker must have thought they were losing their mind when they showed up to work and found themselves transported to the 1970s, complete with a typewriter, an old Coca-Cola, a rotary phone, and vintage advertising.
Everyone loves cake, right? Maybe not if you leave a threatening message like this one. Then it all comes down to who’s going to be brave enough to take the first slice.
Here’s something that’ll make your life infinitely better — it’s really, really easy to change someone’s document settings so that whenever they type a certain phrase, it changes it to a phrase of your choosing.
Most people will probably suspect a prank or a coincidence, but you just know that Brenda from accounting takes everything way too seriously. It’s always fun to get Brenda wound up.
Running out of toilet paper is bad enough at home where only family will see your distress. What are you going to do when you run out of toilet paper at work? Page the front desk?
With some water, a plastic bag, some tape, and a quick trip to the pet store, you can turn anyone’s desk drawer into a fish tank. Get creative and add some decorations and a couple of hermit crabs for ultimate confusion.
Do you have a coworker who’s foolish enough to leave their phone unlocked — or worse, give you their login information? Change their autocorrect settings to make them look as illiterate as possible.
Who among us hasn’t occasionally dreamed of having an entrance song? With this handy-dandy hack, everyone will notice when the coworker of your choice enters the room.
If you’re willing to spend some time pranking after-hours or on your coworker’s day off, move their desk and chair into the bathroom. Set everything up exactly as it was.
Got a weird stain in your cubicle? Not anymore. Now it’s a fancy animal office friend that we all know and love. And of course, it confuses everyone else.
The real fun with a prank like this is finding out how long it’ll take for the desk owner to notice that their pictures changed. What a beautiful family you have!
Step one: take a photocopy of your face, making as eerie an expression as possible. Step two: tape it on the outside of a window, looking in. Step three: watch and enjoy.
If you have a coworker who keeps a personal change of clothes on hand in a closet or locker, force them to be casual by replacing all their clothes with the tackiest thrift store finds you can put on a hanger.
This one is similar to the air horn prank listed above. But instead of an air horn, zip tie a can of Febreze to the bottom of a chair. When someone sits on the chair, they’ll get the most aromatic “bomb” of all time.
If you have a coworker with a lot of family photos in their workspace, slowly replace them with pictures of celebrities, political figures, or even yourself. Then wait to see how long it takes them to notice.
Do you want to make your coworkers wonder what reality is? Every couple of days, put a penny in the same spot on their desk. Wait for them to find it, then replace with a new penny.
If you have a coworker who’s prone to drifting off at their desk, have everyone take a group picture with their unconscious body, then have it made into a big poster and hang above their desk.
If you photocopy a document for someone, make sure the original has a paperclip. If you get it just right, it’ll look realistic enough that everyone tries to take it off, giving you a small but satisfying chuckle.
This one is also super easy. Cut out the shape of whatever bug will freak out your coworkers the most — a beetle, a centipede, a spider. Then tape it to the inside of a lampshade and wait.
This one is best done to higher-level employees with some authority. Replace their desk and all its accouterments with a kids’ version. Make sure to get it as close to reality as possible.
Do you have a coworker that either really hates or really loves something? Plaster their desk in images of it, especially if it’s something embarrassing — like this example of Justin Bieber.
You can download desktop images of just about anything, including the “computer is frozen” warning that drives us all crazy. How long will it take them to stop yelling and realize it’s a prank?
51. Use a Chrome extension to replace online photos with Nicolas Cage
Yes, believe it or not, this is a real extension. It turns every photo in every news story to a picture of Nicolas Cage. It’s a perfect way to make them wonder if they’re dreaming.
Isn’t the internet a wonderful place? There’s so much annoying content out there. The next time you want to get under a coworker skin, open 50 tabs of the same obnoxious video, preferably in separate windows so they have to hunt them down.
If you have a wireless mouse, connect it to their computer system. They’ll be sitting at their desk wondering why their mouse is acting of its own free will.
For a prank that requires overnight prep, make some coffee before the office closes for the day. Then put the whole pot in the freezer overnight. All that remains is to watch your coworkers the next morning as they try to pour their coffee.
Most people in the professional world don’t have the tacky email signatures we all had in middle school, but you can bring that back by changing the signature line — they probably won’t notice.
Tinfoil is another version of the gift-wrapping gag. The fun of the prank is catching them off guard and of course, forcing them to unwrap every item on their desk.
We rely so much on technology in this day and age! Why not teach your coworkers to appreciate the old ways by giving them cardboard replicas of all their tools?
Another classic prank causes so much havoc. Just fill as many paper cups as you can with water, forcing your coworker them to move every single one or risk spilling liquid everywhere.
Most adults aren’t gullible enough to believe that a completely new person is their old coworker. But if you can pull off this epic Office prank, hats off to you.
If you’re like most people in this day and age, the thought of office pranks makes you think of, well, The Office. The NBC sitcom brought us master prankster Jim Halpert. Right from the start of the show, he was putting desk items in Jell-O and wrapping things in gift wrap. And of course, the pranks only got better from there.
But office pranks have been around a heck of a lot longer than John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson. Let’s face it, working in an office can be boring. Even though there’s a lot of work to do, there’s also some downtime. And when you put a dozen bored people in a small building together, prank wars ensue.
They range from the simple and classic to the involved and outrageous. Some people find them funnier than others do. But let’s be real — it’s always a little bit fun to mess with your coworkers who don’t have a sense of humor.
It’s important to include everyone in the fun. That’s how to pull off an epic prank. It’s surprising, creative, and of course, it catches people off guard, making them laugh. Here are 60 of the best office pranks to pull on fellow coworkers. Happy pranking!
