Getting Started Guide 25.2

Preface

Who is this user guide for?

The LibreOffice Getting Started Guide is designed to assist individuals seeking to acquire knowledge of LibreOffice, particularly those individuals who are new to office software, or familiar with alternative office suites. LibreOffice is an open-source office productivity suite that offers a wide range of capabilities, including word processing, spreadsheet creation, presentation design, graphic creation, database management, and formula editing.

What is in this user guide?

This user guide introduces the main modules of LibreOffice, which are as follows:

Writer (word processing)

Calc (spreadsheets)

Impress (presentations)

Draw (vector graphics)

Base (database)

Math (equation editor)

Additionally, it covers common features across all modules, such as setup and customization, styles and templates, macro recording, and printing. For further details, refer to the user guides for each individual LibreOffice module.

What is LibreOffice?

LibreOffice is a freely available, fully-featured, open-source office productivity suite compatible with other major office suites and is available on various platforms. The native file format used is the Open Document Format (ODF). However, LibreOffice can also open and save documents in numerous other formats, including those used by various versions of Microsoft Office. For further information, please refer to Appendix B, Open Source, Open Standards, OpenDocument.

Writer (word processor)

Writer is a comprehensive tool designed to create various documents, including letters, books, reports, newsletters, brochures, and more. It enables the seamless integration of graphics and objects from other LibreOffice modules, enhancing the visual appeal and functionality of documents. Writer offers extensive export capabilities, allowing users to save files in HTML, XHTML, XML, PDF, and EPUB formats. Additionally, Writer provides the flexibility to save files in various other formats, including multiple versions of Microsoft Word documents. Also, Writer seamlessly integrates with the email application being used, providing efficient communication and document sharing.

Calc (spreadsheet)

Calc offers a comprehensive suite of advanced analysis, charting, and decision-making capabilities that can also be found in other high-end spreadsheets. It includes over 500 functions for financial, statistical, and mathematical computations, among others. The Scenario Manager facilitates “what if” analysis, enabling users to simulate various scenarios. Calc generates both 2D and 3D charts, which can be integrated into other LibreOffice documents. Also, Microsoft Excel workbooks can be opened and modified within Calc, and then saved in Excel format. Calc also provides the ability to export spreadsheets in diverse formats, including Comma Separated Value (CSV), Adobe PDF, and HTML formats.

Impress (presentations)

Impress offers a comprehensive suite of multimedia presentation tools, including special effects, animations, and drawing capabilities. Impress integrates with the advanced graphics capabilities of the Draw and Math modules. Enhancements can be further achieved by incorporating Fontwork special effects text, as well as sound and video clips. Impress provides functionality to open, edit, and save Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and can save presentations in a diverse range of graphics formats.

Draw (vector graphics)

Draw is a vector drawing tool capable of producing a wide range of visual representations, including simple diagrams, flowcharts, and 3D artwork. Its Smart Connectors feature provides the definition of connection points. Draw can generate drawings for integration into any of the LibreOffice modules, and clip art can be created and added to the Gallery. Additionally, Draw supports the import of graphics from various common formats and the export of graphics in multiple formats, including PNG, GIF, JPEG, BMP, TIFF, SVG, HTML, PDF, and WebP.

Base (database)

Base provides tools for managing relational databases, simplifying the day-to-day tasks involved. Base enables the creation and modification of various database components, including forms, reports, queries, tables, views, and relationships, allowing the management of relational databases that is comparable to other widely used database applications. Base introduces several innovative features, such as the capability to analyze and edit relationships from a diagrammatic perspective. Base integrates two relational database engines: HSQLDB and Firebird. Additionally, Base supports PostgreSQL, dBASE, Microsoft Access, MySQL, Oracle, and any ODBC or JDBC compliant database. Base also provides support for a subset of ANSI-92 SQL.

Math (formula editor)

Mathematics is a formula or equation editor. Math can create intricate equations that incorporate symbols or characters beyond those available in standard font sets. While Math is primarily used to create formulas within other documents, such as Writer and Impress files, it can also function as a standalone application. Formulas can be saved in the standard Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) format for inclusion in web pages and other documents not created with LibreOffice.

Advantages of LibreOffice

The following explains some of the advantages of LibreOffice has over other office suites:

No licensing fees

LibreOffice is free for anyone to use and distribute at no cost. Many features that are available as extra cost add-ins in other office suites (like PDF export) are free with LibreOffice. There are no hidden charges now or in the future.

Open source

Distribute, copy, and modify the software as required, in accordance with the LibreOffice Open Source licenses.

Cross-platform

LibreOffice runs on several hardware architectures and under multiple operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Extensive language support

The LibreOffice user interface, including spelling, hyphenation, and thesaurus dictionaries, is available in over 100 languages and dialects. LibreOffice also provides support for both Complex Text Layout (CTL) and Right to Left (RTL) layout languages (such as Urdu, Hebrew, and Arabic).

Consistent user interface

All the modules have a similar “look and feel”, making them easy to use and master.

Integration

The individual modules of LibreOffice are well integrated with the other LibreOffice modules.

All modules share a common spelling checker and other tools, which are used consistently across the suite. For example, the drawing tools available in Writer are also found in Calc with similar, but enhanced versions are available in Impress and Draw.

There is no need to know which application was used to create a particular file. For example, open a Draw file from Writer and this will open Draw automatically.

Granularity

Usually, if an option is changed, it affects all modules. However, LibreOffice options can be set at a module level or even at document level.

File compatibility

In addition to its native Open Document Formats ODF), LibreOffice includes support for opening and saving files in many common formats including Microsoft Office, HTML, XML, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and PDF. See Appendix B, Open Source, Open Standards, OpenDocument for a list of file compatibilities.

No vendor lock-in

LibreOffice uses OpenDocument, an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file format developed as an industry standard by OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards). These files can easily be unzipped and read by any text editor, and their framework is open and published.

All LibreOffice users have a voice

Enhancements, software fixes, and release dates are community-driven. Join the community and affect the course of LibreOffice.

Read more about LibreOffice and The Document Foundation on their websites at https://www.libreoffice.org/ and https://www.documentfoundation.org/.

Minimum requirements for using LibreOffice

LibreOffice 25.2 requires one of the following operating systems:

• Linux x64 (deb) and Linux x64 (rpm). Snap, Flatpak, Appimage and other packages are available as well from your distribution channel.

• Mac OS X (Aarch64/Apple Silicon)

• macOS x86_64 (10.14 (Mojave or higher)

• Windows x86_64 (Windows 8 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/.

Java software

Some LibreOffice features (wizards and the HSQLDB database engine) require that the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or, for macOS, the Java Development Kit (JDK) is installed on a computer.

If Java is not going to be used, nearly all of the LibreOffice features can still be used. However, Java is available at no cost. More information and download links to the appropriate edition for your operating system can be found at: https://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp.

For macOS, the Oracle Java Development Kit (JDK) and the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) have to be installed. Download links can be found at: https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/.

If LibreOffice features that require Java are to be used, it is important that the correct 32-bit or 64-bit edition matches the installed version of LibreOffice. For more information on advanced options, see Chapter 12, Configuring LibreOffice.

How to get LibreOffice

Versions of LibreOffice for Windows, Linux, and macOS are freely available and can be downloaded from https://www.libreoffice.org/download. Linux users will also find LibreOffice included free in many of the latest distributions.

Other versions of LibreOffice are listed on the download page such as Portable, an app in the Microsoft Store and Apple Mac App Store at low and affordable prices. The profits from the sales of LibreOffice are invested in supporting the development of the LibreOffice project.

Installing LibreOffice

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

Setting up and customizing LibreOffice

After installation, to change the default settings (options) in LibreOffice to suit working requirements and preferences, go to Tools > Options on the Menu bar (LibreOffice > Preferences in macOS). For more information, see Chapter 12, Configuring LibreOffice.

• Tip

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

Extensions

More functionalities can be added to LibreOffice by means of extensions. Several extensions have been integrated into the software, along with additional extensions obtained from the official extension repository, https://extensions.libreoffice.org/ or from other sources. See Chapter 13, Customizing LibreOffice, for more information on installing extensions.

Where to get more help

This Getting Started Guide, other LibreOffice module user guides, Help system, and user support systems assume that users are familiar with computers and basic functions such as starting a program, opening and saving files.

Help system

LibreOffice comes with an extensive Help system and this can be used as 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 by default.

To display 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 also includes links to other LibreOffice information and support resources. The options marked by a ‡ sign in the list below are only accessible if the computer is connected to the Internet.

What's This?

For quick tips when a toolbar is visible, place the cursor over any of the tool icons 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 (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General) on the Menu bar. Extended Tips provide a brief description about tools and commands.

User Guides

The following link opens the default browser at the Documentation page of the LibreOffice website https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/english-documentation/. Also, the web page https://books.libreoffice.org for access to LibreOffice User Guides.

These web pages give access to the LibreOffice User Guides and other useful information that can be opened in the default browser. Also, the 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. Before writing a new question on the Ask website, search for the same content as the question may have already been asked and answered.

Send Feedback

Opens the default browser at the Feedback page of the LibreOffice website https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/feedback/. From this 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 performs several diagnostics in an eventual misbehavior of the LibreOffice installation. The software can also be reset 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 the software version. The dialog provides an opportunity to download and install any updates to LibreOffice.

About LibreOffice

Opens a dialog and displays information about the LibreOffice version and operating system being used. This information is often requested if the community is asked for help or assistance with the software (on 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. 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 the Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems, each of which has several versions and can be customized by users (fonts, colors, themes, window managers). The illustrations in this guide were taken from a variety of computers and operating systems. Therefore, some illustrations will not look exactly like what is seen on a computer display.

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.

To change to using LibreOffice dialogs:

1. On Linux and Windows operating systems, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General on the Menu bar to open the dialog for general options.

2. On a Mac operating system, go to LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General on the Menu bar to open the dialog for general options.

3. Select Use LibreOffice dialogs in Open/Save dialogs to display the LibreOffice dialogs on a computer display, as shown in Figure 1.

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. This icon set 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; see 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

Icons

The LibreOffice community has developed icons for various icon sets, including Breeze, Colibre, Elementary, and Sifr. Each user can also select a preferred set of fonts to use. The icons used to depict the numerous tools available within LibreOffice may differ from the icons depicted in this guide. The icons in this user guide have been sourced from a LibreOffice installation configured to display the Colibre icon set.

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

1. On the Linux and Windows operating systems, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View on the Menu bar to open the dialog for view options.

2. On a Mac operating system, go to LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > View on the Menu bar to open the dialog for view options.

3. In Icon Style, select a font from the options available in the drop-down list as shown in Figure 2.

4. In Icon Size, select the required size from the drop-down lists for Toolbar, Notebookbar and Sidebar, as shown in Figure 2.

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

Using LibreOffice on macOS

LibreOffice 25.2 requires macOS 10.15 or newer to run.

Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. Table 2 below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this user guide. For a more detailed list, see the application help.

Table 2: Example of macOS keyboard shortcuts

Windows or Linux	macOS equivalent	Effect
Tools > Options on Menu bar	LibreOffice > Preferences on Menu bar	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

Who wrote this user guide?

This user guide was written by volunteers from the LibreOffice community. Profits from sales of the printed edition will be 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 also 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 where LibreOffice can be installed.

Is LibreOffice available in different languages?

LibreOffice has been translated (localized for more than 80%, both UI and Help) into over 46 languages, so the language required 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 extensions website at: https://extensions.libreoffice.org/.

Are there templates for presentations, spreadsheets, text documents and drawings?

In addition to the bundled templates that comes with your installation, many templates are available for download in the LibreOffice templates website at https://templates.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? Is it written in Java?

LibreOffice is not written in Java; it is 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 the LibreOffice features that require 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 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 web page: 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 25.2?

The LibreOffice Release Notes are available at the following https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/25.2. Also at this link, the release notes for earlier versions of LibreOffice are located giving more information on the features that are included in LibreOffice.

Contents

• Copyright

• Contributors

• Feedback

• Publication date and software version

• Who is this user guide for?

• What is in this user guide?

• What is LibreOffice?

• Writer (word processor)

• Calc (spreadsheet)

• Impress (presentations)

• Draw (vector graphics)

• Base (database)

• Math (formula editor)

• Advantages of LibreOffice

• Minimum requirements for using LibreOffice

• Java software

• How to get LibreOffice

• Installing LibreOffice

• Setting up and customizing LibreOffice

• Extensions

• Where to get more help

• Help system

• Other free online support

• Paid support and training

• What you see may be different

• Illustrations

• Icons

• Using LibreOffice on macOS

• Who wrote this user guide?

• Frequently asked questions

• What is new in LibreOffice 25.2?