If you use Linux, native Microsoft Office apps do not exist. For Windows users on a budget, the free web versions are the only viable option. The standard workaround is installing these portals as a Microsoft Office Web PWA (Progressive Web App).
But the out-of-the-box experience is terrible. Microsoft’s UI is bloated with massive headers that waste screen space, they inject ads into free accounts, and clicking a document inside your PWA usually kicks you right back out into a standard browser tab.
Typical element-hider extensions fail here because Microsoft Office Web runs its editors inside secure, cross-origin iframes. Your main-page adblocker cannot see or modify them. I built a Chrome extension, TFLab Web Tweaker, specifically to pierce that iframe boundary, clean up the UI from the inside, and force the web apps to behave like actual native desktop software.
Here is how to set it up.
Prerequisites and What You'll Need
- A Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave).
- A free Microsoft Account.
- The TFLab Web Tweaker extension source code.
Step 1: Install TFLab Web Tweaker (Developer Mode)
This extension is not on the Chrome Web Store yet, so you must install it manually.
- Download the extension source code:
TFLab-Web-Tweaker.zip. - Extract the
.zipfile into a permanent folder on your computer. - Open your Chromium-based browser and navigate to the extensions page:
chrome://extensions/(oredge://extensions/). - Toggle Developer mode on (usually located in the top right corner).
- Click Load unpacked and select the folder you just extracted. The extension is now active.
Step 2: Install the Office PWAs
To get the native app experience, you need to install the Microsoft web portals as PWAs. Open the following links in your browser. Then, click your browser's Menu (3 dots) > More Tools / Apps > Install this site as an app.
- OneDrive:
https://onedrive.live.com/ - Outlook:
https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/ - Word:
https://word.cloud.microsoft/ - Excel:
https://excel.cloud.microsoft/ - PowerPoint:
https://powerpoint.cloud.microsoft/
The OneNote Workaround (Important)
Do not install OneNote directly from onenote.cloud.microsoft. PWAs are bound by Manifest Scope. If you install the OneNote app directly and open a notebook, the underlying URL changes to onedrive.live.com. When a PWA goes out of its scope, your browser forces a heavy URL address bar at the top of the window, ruining the native app look.
The Fix: Simply open OneNote from inside your installed OneDrive PWA. Because the domains match, this bypasses the scope mismatch and keeps the interface clean.
Step 3: Apply the Ad-Block Config & Stop Popouts
By default, web apps open links in new tabs (target="_blank"), which breaks your workflow by kicking you out of the PWA window. We need to force all links to open in the current window and load the ad-blocking rules.
- Click the TFLab Web Tweaker extension icon in your toolbar.
- Go to the Import section.
- Locate the folder you extracted in Step 1. Inside, find and upload the file named
MS_Office_Configs.json. I have pre-configured this file to hide Microsoft ads across OneDrive, M365, and Outlook.
Testing the Results
Open your newly installed Word or Excel PWA. You should observe the following:
- Reclaimed Screen Space: The bulky top headers are hidden, moving the Ribbon menu closer to the title bar to mimic the native desktop layout.
- No Clutter: Ads targeted at free-tier accounts are blocked.
- Contained Workflow: Clicking a document or link opens it strictly inside the PWA window, without spawning a new tab in your main browser.
Conclusion: Summary and Call to Action
By using PWAs combined with the TFLab Web Tweaker, you can turn a basic web shortcut into a distraction-free, native-feeling office suite on Linux or Windows. This setup maximizes screen real estate and keeps your documents contained within a single app window.
Did this setup help your workflow? If you encounter any issues with the configuration file or specific Microsoft domains, leave a comment below!