LibreOffice intro
LibreOffice is one of the most powerful office suites. This page gives an overview of it.
Page contents
Video overview
LibreOffice has features and capabilities that Microsoft Office does not. The video briefly discusses some of these and gives an overview of the different applications that are part of the suite.
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The rest of the page has links and further descriptions about the applications and features.
Important links
These are links to different parts of the LibreOffice Website and the Document Foundation Website for downloading different versions of LibreOffice. The phones and tablet section discusses an office suite that is based on LibreOffice, called Collabora Office.
This is the download page for LibreOffice's Website. It has the latest two versions. The downloads are for Windows, MacOS (Intel and Silicon), and Linux (DEB or RPM).
This is a Windows version that can be downloaded to an external drive or a USB stick and taken from computer to computer. It does not need to be installed.
This is a portable version for various Linux operating systems. It can be set up to take from computer to computer on an external drive or USB drive.
This page has links to Apple mobile and Android stores. The apps are for viewing documents and for Collabora Office, a portable suite based on LibreOffice.
This is a link to an app that can be installed on an Apple device or Android device that allows users to control an Impress presentation on a laptop or desktop.
Users who have older computers that do not run the latest versions Windows, mac OS, or Linux can download an older version of LibreOffice here.
Snap version
Besides the RPM and DEB versions of LibreOffice that are listed in the current version, the two latest versions are also packaged as Snaps. This is a type of app for Linux systems that do not require dependencies.
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If the Linux system has Snap d and the Snap Store installed, the LibreOffice Snap can be installed from the store.
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Alternatively type the following in the terminal app, if the Linux system has Snap d installed:
sudo snap install libreoffice
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Click here to see LibreOffice snap install instructions
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Flatpak version
An alternative to the Canonical-backed Snap Store is Flatpak. This is similar to Snap, but the apps don't need to be distributed through the Canonical controlled software repository. The most popular Flatpak repository is Flathub.
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The latest version of LibreOffice is available through Flathub, which is available on several distros.
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Alternatively type the following in the terminal app, if the Linux system has Flathub installed:
flatpak run org.libreoffice.LibreOffice
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Click here to see Flatpak install instructions
Applications
There are six applications that can be accessed individually, or they can be accessed through a central management application called StartCenter, that lists recent documents and links to the applications themselves.
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Descriptions and links to pages with more details about the apps are listed below. Click here to learn more about the StartCenter.
Writer
LibreOffice Writer is a text editor and desktop publisher that can open just about any word processing document, from the 1980s to current file format.
Click here to go to the Writer overview page.
Calc
Calc offers users a professional-level spreadsheet application, where they can crunch numbers and use more than 500 functions. They also can create different charts with the data.
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Click here to visit the Calc overview page.
Impress
Different preset slide designs that can be modified and a variety of drawing tools make Impress a powerful tool for creating various types of presentations.
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Click here to visit the Impress overview page.
Draw
Draw is a vector drawing application that is similar to Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape, but with less features and capabilities.It can open Illustrator documents.
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Click here to visit the Draw overview page.
Base
The application provides a graphical user interface for relational databases, similar to Microsoft Access. It also can connect to Java-based databases, running on servers.
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Click here to visit the Base overview page.
Math
Math is a formula editor that allows users to focus on writing equations and other formulas that can be inserted into documents, such as reports and spreadsheets.​
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Click here to visit the Math overview page.
Installing
LibreOffice can be downloaded from its Website. The page has the two latest versions. They can be installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux distros. There are other ways to obtain LibreOffice.
Windows
Click here to learn more
The Windows versions of the software can only be obtained through the Website. Windows users, who are still running XP, can download 5.4 or earlier. The latest version of the LibreOffice is available for 7, 8, 10, and 11.
There is also a portable version that can be downloaded to a USB drive or another type of external drive and taken from computer-to-computer.
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Mac OS
Click here to learn more
The DMG file can be downloaded from the Website, and it can be installed on 10.12 and later. There is also a version for Intel-based Macs and another version for Apple Silicon Macs.
Linux distros
Click here to learn more
Another way to obtain the office suite is through an operating system's package manager. Most Linux distributions come with LibreOffice preinstalled. If they do not, they will typically have the applications in their package manager, a software program used to install and uninstall other software applications. However, the latest version of LibreOffice may not be available through one of these.
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​The latest versions may need to be installed by using the Terminal in Linux, a program that allows users to use the Linux distro's command line. This Web page shows how to install it.
Related Links
LibreOffice General
StartCenter
User interfaces
Recent documents
Open documents
Save documents
Wizards
Templates
Customize
Options
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LibreOffice Writer
Font, Font size, and Styles​
Printing
PDF creation
Tables
Images
Lists
Artwork
Hyperlink
Search and Replace
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LibreOffice Calc
Printing
Charts
Functions
Rows and Columns
Cells
Pivot Table
Sorting
Find and Replace
Filter
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LibreOffice Impress
Slideshow
Images
Artwork
Table
Audio and Video
Bullets and Numbering
Hyperlinks
Forms
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