60 funniest coworker office pranks of all time

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!

1. The classic prank

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.

2. Here’s a throwback

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.

3. Turn the keyboard into a beautiful garden

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.

4. This would be so annoying!

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.

5. U Mad Bro?

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.

6. Then call on repeat

Do you have a coworker who spends way too much time on their phone? Wrap it in rubber bands and then make sure it rings as much as possible.

7. Not the scissors!

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!

8. How to cause a heart attack

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…

9. …and this is just next-level

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.

10. Another effective way

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.

11. Or make them think they’re going crazy

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.

12. A prank or a present?

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.

13. Now this is just cruel

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.

14. Good luck!

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.

15. Do you like the beach?

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.

16. You okay in there?

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.

17. I haven’t seen your car!

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.

18. This is mean

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.

19. Did I time-travel?

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.

20. Hehe …you’re kidding, right?

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.

21. How to get Linda to leave early

If you have a coworker that doesn’t like bugs, this is one way to mess with them …provided you know they’ll laugh at it, of course.

22. Change their document settings

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.

23. How to ruin someone’s day

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.

24. Instant panic

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?

25. Bring Your Pet to Work Day

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.

26. For the egomaniac in your office

Do you have someone in the office who just loves to talk about themselves? Why not decorate their office with pictures of the person they love best?

27. For those with a really twisted sense of humor

Look, if you do this to me, suffice it to say we’re not going to be friends anymore. Do us all a favor and prank your coworkers instead.

28. Simple but effective

Pranks don’t need to be elaborate to be fun. Why go to a lot of trouble when you can scare the daylights out of someone trying to use the toilet?

29. If your coworker trusts you too much…

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.

30. How to make an entrance

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.

31. Try to contain your laughter

This prank is so deceptively simple that it’s brilliant. Just make sure you have a seat that’s close to the kitchen, then enjoy the morning chaos.

32. The perfect gift for your boss

Some bosses really think a lot of themselves. If you want to show your boss what you really think about them, this mug is a perfect choice.

33. A classic

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.

34. Dress up that carpet stain

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.

35. Make your colleagues admire your work ethic

“Man, she’s so dedicated to her job! She stays late every day!” Why do I get the feeling that Ferris Bueller would approve of this?

36. Keep your feet in your space!

This one is from a real situation. The worker in the next cubicle kept poking his foot over, and his neighbor just happened to have some googly eyes.

37. So beautiful

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!

38. chuckles nervously

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.

39. Today WILL be Casual Friday

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.

40. It’s going to smell SO FRESH

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.

41. Swap out those photosx

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.

42. Program a fake update

It’s insanely easy to change someone’s screensaver to the classic “System updating” message. It’ll probably take them hours to figure it out.

43. The sneaky penny prank

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.

44. For those who dare to drift off…

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.

45. Make a phantom paperclip

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.

46. It’s deceptively simple

This prank takes 10 seconds (or five if you’re really good at drawing spiders). Then wait nearby and listen for a shriek.

47. Or take it to the next level

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.

48. Sitting at the kiddie table

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.

49. For that coworker that really hates something

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.

50. “Freeze” their computer screen

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.

52. Flood their computer with obnoxious videos

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.

53. This classic

You can’t improve on a classic prank. Sometimes, you just have to go with the traditional “wrap everything in gift wrap” prank.

54. Hack your coworker with a wireless mouse

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.

55. Make iced coffee

Mountain Glacier
Source:

Mountain Glacier

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.

56. Replace an email signature

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.

57. Tinfoil is a classic, too

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.

58. Make their cubicle low-tech

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?

59. So many cups

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.

60. Go full Jim Halpert

The Office Wiki
Source:

The Office Wiki

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.

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