Sputter deposited MgO thin films with the B1 crystal structure and (002) film texture are used as seed layers to improve the texture and magnetic properties of the CoCrPt/Cr magnetic thin films on glass substrates for longitudinal recording. The desired (002) textured Cr underlayers are usually obtained by sputtering Cr onto heated substrates. However, it is found that the MgO seed layers can induce the (002) film texture in the Cr underlayers without using a heated substrate and hence, the overlying CoCrPt films are formed with the (112¯0) texture. Vibrating‐sample magnetometry measurements show greatly improved in‐plane coercivities that are suitable for future high density recording media can be easily obtained. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.