51 hilarious April Fools’ pranks for family, friends, and coworkers
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April Fools’ Day is the perfect excuse to pull off some lighthearted mischief. Whether you’re pranking your kids, friends, coworkers, or even your pet, we’ve got 51 of the most creative pranks to make this April 1st unforgettable.
Classic pranks with a twist
1. Color-changing milk – Add a few drops of food coloring to the milk carton and watch as your family’s morning routine gets flipped on its head.
2. Frozen cereal – Pour cereal and milk into a bowl the night before and freeze it for an unexpected breakfast challenge.
3. TV remote hijack – Download a universal remote app and secretly change channels from your phone.
4. Fake phone call – Set up a fake phone call from a celebrity or well-known person using a prank calling app.
5. Strawberry jam toothpaste – Fill a tube of toothpaste with strawberry jam for a delicious (yet surprising) morning routine.
6. Fake cracked screen – Set a cracked screen wallpaper on your friend’s phone or computer and watch them freak out.
7. The classic whoopee cushion – Place a whoopee cushion on someone's chair before they sit down for a guaranteed laugh.
8. Fake spider surprise – Place realistic-looking fake spiders in unexpected places like shoes, bathrooms, or under pillows.
9. Fake toilet paper roll – Replace a toilet paper roll with a fake one that’s impossible to tear.
10. Mismatched shoes – Swap out a pair of shoes with two mismatched ones and wait for the confusion to unfold.
Be a financially smart family!
Workplace shenanigans
11. Sticky note takeover – Cover a coworker’s desk, chair, and monitor with sticky notes.
12. Auto-correct prank – Change a common word in a coworker’s text settings to something ridiculous (like ‘yes’ to ‘definitely not’).
13. Fake Zoom freeze – Pretend your screen has frozen during a meeting by staying perfectly still.
14. Keyboard confetti – Sprinkle confetti under a coworker’s keyboard keys for a surprise explosion.
15. Salted coffee – Replace the sugar in your coworker’s coffee with salt and watch their reaction as they take a sip.
16. Unplugged mouse – Cover the bottom of a coworker’s mouse sensor with tape, making it stop working completely. Watch as they check connections, change batteries, and grow increasingly puzzled!
17. Mouse pointer chaos – If you want to be more obvious, tape a small piece of paper over a coworker’s mouse sensor with a funny message like 'April Fools!' or 'Try again!' so they see it when they check why their mouse isn’t working.
18. The mystery password – Change a coworker’s computer password to something completely random and watch them try every possible combination.
19. Unwanted phone call – Call your coworker from a hidden number, pretending to be someone important, and keep them on the line for a funny surprise.
20. Fake boss email – Send an email from your work account with a fake (but professional) tone, making them think their boss has a serious request.
21. The phantom printer – Print a random, nonsensical document on a coworker's printer, and watch them try to figure out why their printer won’t stop printing.
Harmless but hilarious home pranks
22. Toothpaste Oreos – Swap the cream in Oreo cookies with white toothpaste.
23. Bathroom horror – Tape a cut-out of a scary figure behind a bathroom door.
24. Soggy socks – Lightly soak a family member’s socks before they put them on.
25. Soap that won’t lather – Coat a bar of soap with clear nail polish.
26. Jelly in the showerhead – Unscrew the showerhead and place a gelatin cube inside.
27. Fake ice cubes – Freeze small plastic insects or other funny objects inside ice cubes and watch your family react when they make a drink.
28. Switched toothpaste – Replace your family’s toothpaste with a similar-looking (but safe) substance like mayonnaise or pudding.
29. The airhorn surprise – Tape an airhorn under a chair or door, so it goes off when someone sits down or opens the door.
30. Shampoo surprise – Coat the inside of the shampoo bottle with clear nail polish to prevent it from dispensing properly.
31. Upside-down cup trick – Fill a cup with water, place a sturdy card on top, flip it over, and then carefully remove the card while leaving the cup upside down on a counter or table. The next person to move it gets a surprise spill!
School-safe pranks
32. Upside-down backpack – Sew the straps to a friend’s backpack upside down.
33. Fake test – Print a fake test sheet with impossible questions.
34. Vanishing ink – Use erasable ink to fake a permanent marker mishap.
35. Invisible writing – Write a message with white crayon on paper so they can’t read it.
36. Wrong classroom – Text a friend that the schedule changed, leading them to the wrong room.
37. Classroom chair swap – Replace a classmate’s chair with a shorter or taller one, so they get a funny surprise when they sit down.
38. Empty backpack prank – Swap out everything in a friend’s backpack with a bunch of random items like rubber bands or plastic cups.
39. Fake homework – Print out a fake homework assignment with confusing or impossible tasks, then 'forget' to mention it's a prank.
40. Switching locker combinations – Text a friend telling them that their locker combination changed and watch them try to figure it out.
41. Fake class announcement – Text a friend that class was canceled and enjoy the mix of relief and confusion when they show up to an empty classroom.
Tech-savvy tricks
42. Auto-play YouTube video – Set their browser homepage to an embarrassing video.
43. Fake app icons – Rearrange a friend’s phone icons to make them think apps are missing.
44. Slow WiFi mode – Change the WiFi name to “Slow Connection” to cause confusion.
45. Ghost typing – Connect a wireless keyboard to a friend’s laptop and type random messages.
46. Spotify chaos – Hijack a friend’s Spotify queue with unexpected songs.
47. Inverted screen – Press Ctrl + Alt + Down Arrow (Windows) or Option + Command + 8 (Mac) to flip the display.
48. Frozen cursor – Use your computer's settings to freeze the mouse cursor in place and watch your coworker struggle to move it.
49. Fake desktop – Set your coworker’s desktop background as a screenshot of their actual desktop, then move their icons around, leaving them to wonder why nothing is responding.
50. Fake system update – Create a fake system update screen that appears on your friend’s computer or phone, making them think it’s frozen.
51. Volume control mayhem – Change the volume settings on your friend’s computer or phone to surprise them with unexpected sounds at random intervals.
The golden rule of pranking
Keep it fun and harmless! The best pranks leave everyone laughing, including the victim. Avoid anything that could damage property, hurt feelings, or cause unnecessary stress.
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