Draw Guide 26.2

Preface

Creating vector graphics in LibreOffice

Who is this user guide for?

Anyone who wants to quickly acquire knowledge on LibreOffice Draw and is new to drawing software, or maybe familiar with another office suite, will find this user guide very useful.

LibreOffice is an open-source office productivity software suite containing capabilities for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, and formula editing. LibreOffice Draw is the vector graphics drawing application for LibreOffice where a wide variety of graphical images can be easily and quickly created. Drawings can be exported in several file formats, for example, PDF, HTML, and numerous graphic formats.

What is in this user guide?

This user guide introduces the Draw main features, which is the LibreOffice vector graphics module. This user guide is for users who require knowledge on Draw and are new to drawing or graphics software, but may be familiar with other office software suites. Using Draw, a wide variety of graphical images are easily and quickly created. Drawings created in Draw can be exported in several file formats, for example, PDF, HTML, and several graphic formats.

This user guide introduces the Draw main features. It is primarily a vector graphics drawing tool, but can also be used to edit raster graphics (pixels), for example photographs. A few examples of drawing functions are as follows:

• Layer management, snap functions and grid-point system

• Dimensions and measurement display

• Connectors for making organization charts

Draw also includes 3D functions for creating 3D drawings (with texture and lighting effects), drawing and page-style integration, and creation of Bézier curves.

Minimum requirements for LibreOffice

LibreOffice 26.2 requires one of the following operating systems:

• Linux x64 (deb) and Linux x64 (rpm)

• Mac OS X (Aarch64/Apple Silicon)

• macOS x86_64 (10.14 Mojave or higher)

• Windows x86_64 (Windows 7 or newer required)

For a detailed list of requirements and operating systems supported, see the LibreOffice website, https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/system-requirements/.

How to get LibreOffice

Computers and laptops

Versions of LibreOffice for Windows, Linux, and macOS are freely available and can be downloaded from the LibreOffice website at https://www.libreoffice.org/download.

For Linux users LibreOffice is included free with many of the latest distributions, for example Ubuntu. Linux versions of LibreOffice may differ in some features from the descriptions used in this user guide.

LibreOffice is also available for Windows in the Microsoft Store and for macOS in the Apple App Store at a low and attractive price. These versions are free software (as in open source), but the small charge covers the cost of placing LibreOffice in the app stores. The profits from this sale of LibreOffice are invested to support the development of the LibreOffice project.

Tablets, iPads and Chromebooks

To use LibreOffice on tablets, iPads, or Chromebooks, a LibreOffice based app has to be downloaded and installed. The app is called Collabora Office, which uses the same technology as LibreOffice and is very similar in operation to LibreOffice. For more information, go to the Collabora Office website at https://www.collaboraoffice.com.

Installing LibreOffice

Information on installing LibreOffice on supported operating systems can be found at this web page: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/install-howto/. If LibreOffice is acquired through official app stores, follow the installation instructions provided by the store.

Setting up and customizing LibreOffice

After installation, change the default settings (options) in LibreOffice to suit working requirements and preferences. Go to Tools > Options on the Menu bar (mac OS LibreOffice > Preferences) and change the settings as required.

Settings are described in LibreOffice Help and the Getting Started Guide. These two sources provide information on how to customize menus, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts in Draw, add new menus and toolbars, and assign macros to events.

• Tip

Some settings are intended for power users and programmers. If it is difficult to understand what an option does, LibreOffice recommended leaving an option on its default setting unless instructions in this user guide recommend changing the setting.

Extensions and add-ons

Functionality can be added to LibreOffice with extensions and add-ons. Several extensions are installed with the program and other extensions from the official extensions repository, https://extensions.libreoffice.org/ or various other sources. See the Getting Started Guide for more information on installing extensions and add-ons.

Where to get more help

This user guide, the Help system, and user support systems assumes users are familiar with computers and basic functions such as starting applications, opening and saving files.

Help system

LibreOffice comes with an extensive Help system and is the first line of support. Windows and Linux users can choose to download and install the offline Help for use when not connected to the Internet. Offline Help is installed with the MacOS version of LibreOffice.

To display the LibreOffice Help, press F1 or go to Help > LibreOffice Help on the Menu bar. If the offline help is not installed on a computer, but connected to the Internet, a dialog opens giving the option to Read Help Online. Select this option and the default web browser opens at the LibreOffice online help pages in the LibreOffice website.

The Help menu includes links to other LibreOffice information and support facilities. The Help menu also includes links to other LibreOffice information and support resources.

What's This?

For quick tips when a toolbar is visible, place the cursor over a tool icon to see a small tooltip box with a brief explanation of the tool function. For a more detailed explanation, select Help > What's This?

Also Extended Tips can be activated by going to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General > Help (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General > Help) on the Menu bar and selecting the option Extended Tips. Extended tips provide a brief description about tools and commands. To display an extended tip, use the keyboard Shift+F1, then move the cursor onto a tool or command.

User Guides

Opens the default browser at the Documentation page of the LibreOffice website https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/english-documentation/. This web page gives access to the LibreOffice User Guides and other useful information that can be opened in the default browser. Also, the LibreOffice User Guides are available in PDF format as a free download, or to buy as printed copies.

Show Tip of the Day

Opens a small window with a random tip on how to use LibreOffice.

Search Commands

Opens a window where typing a few letters, or the name of a Menu bar command, for example, quickly finds where the command is located. Clicking on a command in the resulting list may open a relevant dialog or have other effects.

Get Help Online

Opens the default browser at the Ask LibreOffice forum of questions and answers from the LibreOffice community, https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions/.

Send Feedback

Opens the default browser at the Feedback page of the LibreOffice website https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/feedback/. From this web page, bugs can be reported, new features suggested and communicated with other users in the LibreOffice community.

Restart in Safe Mode

Opens a dialog window giving options to restart LibreOffice and reset the software to its default settings. Restarting in safe mode also provides an opportunity to restore LibreOffice from a backup.

Get Involved

Opens the default browser at the Get Involved page of the LibreOffice website, https://www.libreoffice.org/community/get-involved/. Choose a topic of interest to help improve the program.

Donate to LibreOffice

Opens the default browser at the Donation page of the LibreOffice website, https://donate.libreoffice.org/ providing an opportunity to make a donation to support LibreOffice.

License Information

Outlines the licenses under which LibreOffice is made available.

Check for Updates

Opens a dialog and checks the LibreOffice website for updates to version of the software. The dialog provides an opportunity to download and install any updates to LibreOffice.

About LibreOffice

Opens a dialog and displays information about the version of LibreOffice and the operating system being used. This information is often requested if the community is asked for help or assistance with the software (in macOS, this option is found under LibreOffice on the Menu bar}.

Other free online support

The LibreOffice community not only develops software, but provides free, volunteer-based support. See Table 1 and the web page https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/.  For comprehensive online support from the community, look at mailing lists and the Ask LibreOffice website, https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions/. Other user websites also offer free tips and tutorials.

Table 1: Free support for LibreOffice users

Free LibreOffice support
FAQs	Answers to frequently asked questions https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Faq.
Mailing lists	Free community support is provided by a network of experienced users https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/.
Questions & Answers and Knowledge Base	Free community assistance is provided in a Question & Answer formatted web service. Search similar topics or open a new one in https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions. The service is available in several other languages; just replace /en/ with de, es, fr, ja, ko, nl, pt, tr, and many others in the web address above.
Native language support	The LibreOffice website in various languages https://www.libreoffice.org/community/nlc/. Mailing lists for native languages https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Local_Mailing_Lists. Information about social networking https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Website/Web_Sites_services.
Accessibility options	Information about available accessibility options. https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/accessibility/.
OpenOffice Forum	Another forum that provides support for LibreOffice, among other open source office suites https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/.

Paid support and training

Support and training is available through service contracts from a vendor or consulting firm specializing in LibreOffice. For information about certified professional support, see The Document Foundation website: https://www.documentfoundation.org/gethelp/support/.

For schools, educational and research institutions, and large organizations, see https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/.

What you see may be different

Illustrations

LibreOffice runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems. Each operating system can be customized by users (fonts, colors, themes, window managers). The illustrations in this user guide were taken from a variety of computers and operating systems. Therefore, some illustrations may not look exactly the same as displayed on a computer monitor.

Also, some of the dialogs may differ because of the settings selected in LibreOffice. Either use dialogs from the computer system (default) or dialogs provided by LibreOffice.

Change to LibreOffice dialogs as follows:

1. Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General) on the Menu bar to open the dialog page for general options (Figure 1).

2. Select the option Use LibreOffice dialogs in Open/Save dialogs to display the LibreOffice dialogs on a computer display.

3. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog.

Icons

The LibreOffice community has created icons for several icon sets, for example Breeze, Colibre, and Sifr. LibreOffice users can select a preferred set of fonts to use. Icons used to illustrate tools available in LibreOffice may differ from ones used in this user guide. User guide icons have been taken from a LibreOffice installation using the Colibre set of icons.

• Note

Icons used to illustrate tools available in LibreOffice may differ from ones used in this user guide. The icons used in this user guide have been taken from a LibreOffice installation using the Colibre set of icons.

Icons

The LibreOffice community has created icons for several icon sets, for example Breeze, Colibre, and Sifr. LibreOffice users can select a preferred icon style and icon size to use.

Change the icon set used in a LibreOffice installation as follows:

1. On Linux and Windows operating systems, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Appearance (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > Appearance) on the Menu bar to open the dialog page to change the toolbar icon style (Figure 2).

2. In Icons, open the drop-down list and select a font from the options available.

3. In Icons, select the required size from the drop-down lists for Toolbar, Notebookbar and Sidebar.

4. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog.

• Notes

Some Linux operating systems, for example Ubuntu, include LibreOffice as part of the installation and may not include the required icon set. Icon sets can be downloaded from the software repository for the Linux operating system being used.
Some of the previously included icon sets are now available only as extensions. Go to https://extensions.libreoffice.org/?Tags%5B%5D=49 or search for specific ones. For example, the People Gallery is available from https://extensions.libreoffice.org/en/extensions/show/people-gallery.

Using LibreOffice on macOS

Some keystrokes and menu items are different on computers operating macOS from computers using Windows and Linux operating systems. Table 2 gives some common substitutions used in this user guide. For more information on keyboard shortcuts, see LibreOffice Help and Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts in this user guide.

Table 2: Example of macOS keyboard shortcuts

Windows or Linux	macOS equivalent	Effect
Tools > Options	LibreOffice > Preferences	Access to setup options
Right-click	Ctrl+click and/or right-click depending on computer setup	Opens a context menu
Ctrl or Control	⌘ and/or Cmd or Command, depending on keyboard	Used with other keys
Alt	⌥ and/or Alt or Option depending on keyboard	Used with other keys
F11	⌘+T	Open the Styles deck in the Sidebar

Who wrote this user guide?

This user guide was written by volunteers from the LibreOffice community. Profits from sales of the printed edition are used to benefit the community.

Frequently asked questions

How is LibreOffice licensed?

LibreOffice is distributed under the Open Source Initiative (OSI) approved Mozilla Public License (MPL), see https://www.libreoffice.org/about-us/licenses/. It is based on code from Apache OpenOffice made available under the Apache License, 2.0 but includes software that differs from version to version under a variety of other Open Source licenses. New code is available under LGPL 3.0 and MPL 2.0.

Can LibreOffice be distributed to anyone?

Yes.

Can LibreOffice be sold?

Yes.

Can LibreOffice be used in a business?

Yes.

How many computers can LibreOffice be installed on?

As many as required.

Is LibreOffice available in different languages?

LibreOffice has been translated (localized for more than 80%, both UI and Help) into over 46 languages, so a required language is probably supported. Localization is well under way for another 30+ languages (50-80%) and for another 50+ languages help is more than welcome. In addition, over 70 spelling, hyphenation, and thesaurus dictionaries are available for languages and dialects that do not have a localized program interface. The dictionaries are available from the LibreOffice website at: https://www.libreoffice.org/.

How can LibreOffice be freely available?

LibreOffice is developed and maintained by volunteers and has the backing of several organizations. LibreOffice also relies upon donations from its users. To make a donation, go to the following web page: https://www.libreoffice.org/donate/.

Can the programming code from LibreOffice be used when developing a software application?

Yes, but follow the parameters set in the MPL and/or LGPL. Read the licenses: https://www.mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.

Why is Java required to run LibreOffice and is it written in Java?

LibreOffice is not written in Java, but written in the C++ language. Java is one of several languages that can be used to extend the software. The Java JDK/JRE is only required for some features. The most notable one is the HSQLDB relational database engine.

Java is available at no cost. More information and download links to the appropriate edition for an operating system can be found at: https://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp.

• Note

If LibreOffice features requiring Java are to be used, it is important that the correct 32‑bit or 64‑bit edition matches the installed version of LibreOffice. If Java is not to be used, nearly all of the LibreOffice features can still be used.

How can users contribute to LibreOffice?

Users can help with the development and user support of LibreOffice in many ways, and there is no need to be a programmer. To start, check out this webpage: https://www.libreoffice.org/community/get-involved/. An interactive web page that guides users in contributing with their best skills available at https://whatcanidoforlibreoffice.org.

Can the PDF copy of this user guide be distributed, or printed and copies sold?

Yes, as long as requirements are met for one of the licenses in the copyright statement at the beginning of this user guide. There is no need to request special permission. LibreOffice requests that users share with the LibreOffice project some of the profits made from sales of user guides, in consideration of all the work that LibreOffice volunteers have put into producing user guides.

What is new in LibreOffice 26.2?

LibreOffice 26.2 Release Notes are available at the following link https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/26.2. Also available at this link are the release notes for earlier versions of LibreOffice giving more information on the features included in LibreOffice.

Contents

• Copyright

• Contributors

• Feedback

• Publication date and software version

• Who is this user guide for?

• What is in this user guide?

• Minimum requirements for LibreOffice

• How to get LibreOffice

• Computers and laptops

• Tablets, iPads and Chromebooks

• Installing LibreOffice

• Setting up and customizing LibreOffice

• Extensions and add-ons

• Where to get more help

• Help system

• Other free online support

• Paid support and training

• What you see may be different

• Illustrations

• Icons

• Icons

• Using LibreOffice on macOS

• Who wrote this user guide?

• Frequently asked questions

• What is new in LibreOffice 26.2?