Using WordPerfect on Linux

WordPerfect on Linux in 2026

Revision 7.1

April 2026

Purposes

As its main purpose, this site provides information, scripts and support packages designed to assist an owner of a legitimate copy of WordPerfect 8.1 for Linux, who desires to use it on a current Linux distro, in doing so.

The scripts and the main support packages provided were devised by the author of this site, Peter Stone, with assistance from Leon Goldstein.

It is hoped that, when installed in the manner recommended, WordPerfect 8.1 for Linux will work in almost all respects in the way that it was designed to, and will provide an effective tool for writing, editing and printing.

The site also provides similar facilities in respect of WordPerfect 8.0 for Linux.

In addition, it provides information about using other versions of WordPerfect (such as WordPerfect for Windows) on a current Linux distro.

In these pages, words such as "current" should be understood as referring to April 2026 and subsequently.

Content

This site consists of twelve pages, arranged as follows.

(1) This home or index page.

(2) Five pages on installing or tweaking WordPerfect 8.1 for Linux on current distros.

(a) A page on obtaining the original WordPerfect 8.1 packages from Corel Linux OS CDs, and on obtaining the necessary installation scripts from the present site.

It contains links for downloading the relevant scripts from the present site.

(b) A page on installation by script.

This provides information about installing WordPerfect 8.1 by one of the scripts provided on this site on a current distro. There are separate scripts for debian-based distros; for Fedora and Mageia; for OpenSUSE Leap 15; for Slackware; for Manjaro and EndeavourOS; and for PCLinuxOS.

The scripts work by way of extraction of the WordPerfect code via the conversion of the WordPerfect deb packages into tgz tarballs.

The scripts utilise a single support package, named "wp-utils" (or, in the case of certain distros, a variant named "wp-utils-arch"), created by the author of this site, to satisfy all necessary dependencies, including those involving libc5.

The scripts enable WordPerfect 8.0 and 8.1 to co-exist in the same system.

The scripts have been updated in the light of a recent trend towards the use of "/lib" as a symbolic link to the "/usr/lib" directory.

They also ensure that the command, “/usr/bin/xwp”, respects the usual location of the WordPerfect settings file.

In most cases the scripts now install a "cups-pdf" package, to enable printing from WordPerfect to a PDF file.

The scripts have been tested most recently (in April 2026) on Mint 22.3 MATE, Fedora 43, OpenSUSE Leap 15.6, Slackware 15, Manjaro 26.0.3, EndeavourOS Titan 2026.03.06, and PCLinux 2025.09.

But the scripts are not designed to work on OpenSUSE Leap 16.

This provides information about installing WordPerfect 8.1 by a manual method on distros for which the above-mentioned scripts are not available.

(d) A page on tweaks.

This provides information about some possible tweaks after installation.

(e) A page providing a tutorial on the WordPerfect Print Manager.

(3) A page on WordPerfect 8.0 for Linux.

Scripts are provided to enable the installation of the basic version of WordPerfect 8.0 from the rpm packages once issued in Caldera or TurboLinux distros.

There are separate scripts for debian-based distros; for Fedora and Mageia; for OpenSUSE Leap 15; and for Slackware.

The scripts also enable WordPerfect 8.0 and 8.1 to co-exist in the same system, and enable WordPerfect 8.0 to use additional fonts.

(4) A page on WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux, which includes WordPerfect 9.

(5) A page on other versions of WordPerfect for Linux.

This deals with versions 6, 7, and 8.2 of WordPerfect for Linux.

(6) A page on emulations.

This deals with using on Linux other versions of WordPerfect, such as WordPerfect for Windows via Crossover.

(7) Two older pages, on manual installation respectively on rpm distros and on Libranet, which serve to illustrate the historical development.

Last updated in April 2026