In this short list of 64 office and computer related pranks ought to brighten up your Aprils Fools Day. Got a good one to add? Let us know in the comments!
If the victim uses Microsoft Word, go into the victim’s computer and change the auto-correct feature so it misspells common words. Just open Word, choose “AutoCorrect Options” from the Tools menu, and have it replace common words like “the” and “and” with wacky words like “eggplant” or “Uranus.” Be creative.
On most computer monitors, if you turn the brightness control all the way up and the contrast all the way down, the screen will appear to be blank. Do this to your victim and they will drive themselves crazy trying to “fix” their “broken” monitor.
Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel and find the option for your Mouse. On the Buttons tab, change the buttons configuration to switch the primary and secondary buttons of the mouse. Now when the victim clicks with the mouse, nothing will work as expected.
This idea is great for playing a prank on your co-worker in an adjoining cubicle. Plug an extra mouse into one of your victim’s spare USB ports and snake the wire back into your cubicle. When the victim is working away, give the spare mouse an occasional small nudge. (This is especially funny if your victim is actually trying to use the mouse at the time.)
Change the victim’s homepage to something unexpected. Open their browser and choose Tools->Options and enter the URL for a new page.
Change their Screen Saver to the “Marquee” setting. Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Display and choose the Screen Saver tab. Then select “Marquee” from the drop down list. Click “Settings” and enter the message of your choice. Then set the “Wait” time to 1 minute.
Take a Post-It note and place it over the eye of the victim’s optical mouse. When the victim tries to use his or her computer, the cursor won’t move. Be sure to write “April Fools!” on the note! (Note if they have a standard mouse, you can perform the same trick by taping a piece of paper over the ball underneath the mouse.)
Sneak onto your victim’s computer and change their default font color to white. This will cause momentary confusion as their writing will suddenly be invisible.
First, take a screen shot of the victim’s desktop (press the “Print Screen” button). Then open up a Paint program and press “Paste.” Save the image in bitmap format and quit Paint. Set this image to be the Desktop background image (right-click on the desktop, choose Properties, click the “Display” tab, press the “Browse” button, find your image, hit “Open,” then “OK”). Finally, hide all the desktop icons (right-click on the desktop, choose “Arrange Icons By,” then unclick “Show Desktop Items.” Now their desktop will look normal, but when they try to click on the icons nothing will happen!
Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Mouse > Pointer Options, and change the mouse pointer to the slowest speed. If your victim isn’t very computer-savvy, and doesn’t know about this setting, they won’t understand why their cursor is suddenly moving slower than a snail!
Open any application the victim might normally have open. Press “PrtScn” to capture the desktop as an image (make sure the mouse pointer and task bar can not be seen). Next, open an image editing program, and paste the image. Then save the images as a file. Next, right click on the desktop, select “properties”, and browse for the image you just created. Select that image as your background (make sure that it is stretched and not centered or tiled). Your victim will think he has the application open on his computer and won’t understand why he can not close it or minimize it.
Change one or more of the shortcuts on your victim’s desktop to point to a funny audio file (suggestions: search the internet for “Banana Phone” or “Peanut Butter Jelly Time”).
Change his mouse to left handed configuration (assuming he’s right handed, reverse if left handed).
When your victim is away from his or her desk, do a Google-search for something embarrassing and leave the results displayed on the desktop for all to see.
Unplug the keyboard and/or mouse from the PC.
Change the victim’s e-mail alert sound to something annoying and turn the volume up really loud on your victim’s computer. Then send them an e-mail.
Change the “start up” sound on your victim’s computer to something funny or embarrassing. Make sure the volume is turned up all the way when he or she arrives to work.
Change the cursor on the victim’s computer. Go to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Mouse, and select the “Pointers” tab. Then change the cursor to the hourglass image. Now the victim will think their computer is stuck on a task endlessly.
Carefully pop off a few of the keys from the victim’s keyboard. Switch them around and replace them. If the victim is a “hunt and peck” typist, this will cause great confusion!
Make some copies of a paperclip. Then put them into the paper tray of the copier. People will go nuts trying to find the paperclip stuck in the printer.
Buy a box of donuts several days before April 1st. Keep them in the refrigerator with the top open until they are very dried out. On April Fool’s Day put them by the office coffee maker so everyone will help themselves!
Remove the desk drawers in the victim’s desk and switch them around. (If you can’t remove the drawers, just take out the stuff and swap it around.)
Steal all the victim’s pens and replace them with pens that have the caps glued on.
Coordinate several people to help you play this prank. Have them take turns throughout the day calling the victim and asking for “Larry.” At the end of the day, have someone make the final call and say “This is Larry. Do you have any messages for me?”
Find an old toy with button-activated sound (music, baby crying, etc.). Tape it to the back of the victim’s desk drawer, so that when the drawer is completely shut the button is activated. Leave the drawer open a crack, and wait for victim to arrive.
This office prank should be performed in an office where a lot of people are willing to “gang up” against one victim. Buy several restaurant-size rolls of aluminum foil. Then wait until the victim leaves for the day on March 31. Go into their cubicle or office and wrap everything in foil: desk, chair, computer, books, pencils, etc. If enough people help, this doesn’t take too long. Be sure to take lots of pictures!
Do you have lockers at your work? Are they moveable? If so, sneak in the night before April 1st and switch them around. It creates great confusion the next day!
Tie a piece of cord under the victim’s office chair to hold down the lever that adjusts the chair height. (When you sit on the chair it will slide all the way down, but as soon as you stand up the chair will rise all the way up.) All the ups and downs will drive the victim crazy.
Take a pair of pants, stuff them and attach a pair of shoes. Place them in the bathroom stall so it looks like someone is “sitting.” Lock the door and crawl out under the door. If the bathroom has more than one stall, you’ll need to make enough “dummies” to fill them all. For added effect, make a tape recording of authentic “sound effects” and play it on a loop from inside the stall. This is one of the more elaborate office pranks, but worth the effort!
Take the fancy office chair out of the boss’s office and switch it with the ugliest chair. Whoever had the ugliest chair will probably be happily surprised to see their “new” chair, and the boss will probably be embarrassed to have to come and take it away. Of course, you better make sure your boss has a good sense of humor!
For a person who is required to wear a hard hat at work: hide their hat replace their hat with one you have painted bright pink, or otherwise decorated in an embarrassing way. Unless they can find someone who will loan them one, they’ll be forced to wear it all day.
If you have an office phone system that allows conference calling, you can prank two people at once. Call the first victim’s extension, then very quickly call the second victim and push the conference button. Now both people will think the other person called them and will begin arguing over who called whom!
Coordinate everyone in your office to play a practical joke on your boss. Throughout the day, each person should email, voicemail or leave a note for the boss, saying they need extended time off. Each person should give a different explanation: pregnancy, sick family member, etc.
Go into the victim’s office and locate every pencil and pen in their desk. Paint the tips with clear nail polish. When they try to write, none of them will work. (After the prank is revealed, the nail polish can be removed by dipping the pens and pencils in polish remover.)
Use glue to secure the victim’s handset to the phone (be sure to use glue that can be removed”check the label first because some glue will destroy plastic). Then go to a nearby phone, call their number and watch while they lift the entire phone to their ear.
If he has an overhead bin style cabinet, layer the bottom with paper, then attach the paper to the door (with tape or something) so it comes out when the door to the cabinet is open. Then fill it with empty soda cans. When he opens the door to his cabinet, viola, all the cans will come crashing out and it will be most embarrassing for him.
Borrow the victim’s cell phone when they aren’t around and change the language setting to a foreign language. Then watch and laugh as they struggle to translate the setting instructions on their phone.
Attach a string to the back of the victim’s desk drawer. Then run it up the wall, into the suspended ceiling, to a small container attached to the ceiling directly over the victim’s head. When the drawer is opened the string will be pulled, dropping a shower of confetti onto the victim’s head.
Take an item from the victim’s office (something they use a lot such as a special coffee cup, stapler, pencil cup, etc.). Take a picture of the item and leave it on the victim’s desk (in the same spot where the item was located), along with a “ransom” note.
Take a token item from the victim – place it in a Jello mold, freeze it in a bottle of water, place in the center of a rubber band ball, etc. Keep taking the item and pranking the victim repeatedly.
This trick works great if you work in an office building that has two entrances. Print up two signs that say “Please Use Other Door.” Put one on each door, with arrows pointing toward the opposite door.
If the victim has an alpha-numeric pager, call them up and leave a message like “REPLACE BATTERY,” “PAGER ERROR,” or “SERVICE PAGER.” Call several times in a row.
If the victim has a phone with a hook that presses down when the handset is in the cradle, tape it down. When he or she answers a call the phone will keep ringing.
Take about 20 (or more) paper or plastic cups, place them on the victim’s desk and fill them with water. Then take a stapler and staple them all together. You can also put the cups on the floor blocking their door, or just about anywhere.
Remove your victim’s desk chair and replace it with a bench from outside (the heavier the better!).
Take all of the victim’s paperclips and hook them together in one long string.
Leave a phone message for the victim that says that a “Mr. Lyon” called (or Mr. Behr also works), and wants to be called back. Then list the phone number of the local zoo.
Borrow your victim’s car keys and make a duplicate. Then, every day or so, move the car a few parking spaces over, or turn it around so it’s parked backwards in the space. Eventually start moving it to another part of the lot altogether. Classic.
Print out some pictures of a scantily-dressed girl, or other racy image. Mix them into the paper tray of the office copier or printer. When the victim makes copies, they’ll have a big surprise!
If you work in an office with a suspended ceiling: Hide his phone in the ceiling tiles above your victim’s desk. When they arrive”give them a call!
Take all the chairs you can find from other offices, the conference room, etc., and fill up your victim’s office as full as possible.
Replace everything on your (male) victim’s desk with similar items, but make them as “girly” as possible (pink pens, lacy picture frames, bows, flowers, etc.). Remember to change his screen saver too!
Find a small rubber ducky, remove the jug from the office water cooler, and squeeze the duck inside. Replace the jug and wait for the fun!
Put confetti in your victim’s fan (tape the bottom to hold in the confetti if necessary).
Take a cup full of water and a jumbo note card. Hold the note card on top of the cup and turn it over carefully, placing it on your victim’s desk upside down. Slide the note card out from underneath and the cup will be stuck there. (But be sure there is nothing nearby that can be harmed if it spills!)
Place a piece of clear tape over the microphone part of the phone. Laugh as your victim struggles to talk to their callers.
Using fishing line or black thread, tie everything on your victim’s desk–stapler, tape dispenser, pencil cup, etc.–to his chair. When he pulls the chair out, everything on his desk will go crashing to the floor! Or, attach everything on your victim’s desk to the back of one or more of his desk drawers (string the line through the holes in the top of the desk). When he open the drawer, all his stuff will go crashing across his desk.
This prank is for a co-worker who has an office with a glass window in the door. Find a box slightly bigger than the window, cut off one end and tape it to the door around the window (with the open end at the top). Fill the box with empty cans, balloons, packing peanuts, or other item of your choice. When your victim looks in the window it will look like the entire room is filled! For added effect, put a chair or something behind the door to make it hard to open.
Plug a radio into the power strip that your victim’s computer is plugged in to. Turn the volume all the way up. Now turn the power strip off. Your victim will at first be puzzled why their computer won’t turn on; and then will get a big surprise when they flip their power strip on.
This prank is elaborate but fun: Remove all the drawers from the victim’s desk. Flip the entire desk upside down, replace the drawers, then flip the desk back. Now when the victim open the drawers, all the stuff will fall out straight to the floor.
Photoshop his face into a bunch of funny scenarios and put them up all over the office.
First, determine what your victim’s least favorite thing is”sports team, political view, movie, music, etc. Then cover his or her work area with posters and items celebrating that thing. (For example, if he’s a Chargers fan, cover his office with Raiders gear.)
Borrow all the pictures from his desk and office. Scan the photos, and use a photo-editing program to put monkey faces onto everyone’s faces. Print them out and place them back on the victim’s desk.
Take a small piece of wire and wrap it around the handset cord of the victim’s phone. Place it so both ends of the cord are attached together. Then wait until the victim receives a phone call and watch while they lift the handset and they pick up the entire phone along with it.