Writer Guide 25.2

Preface

Who is this book for?

LibreOffice is a feature-rich, free, and open source office suite. It includes several powerful applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, and formula editing. Writer is the word-processing application. It is compatible with a wide range of document formats including Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), and you can export your work in several formats including PDF.

Anyone who wants to get started quickly with Writer will find this book valuable. You may be new to word processing software, or you may be familiar with another office suite.

What’s in this book?

This book introduces the main features of Writer, the word processor component of LibreOffice, and provides instructions for their use.

Minimum requirements for using LibreOffice

LibreOffice 25.2 requires one of the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows: Windows 7 SP1 or 8/8.1 (both deprecated; support to be removed in Libreffice 25.8); Windows 10 or 11; Windows Server 2012 through 2022. Administrator rights are needed for the installation process.

• GNU/Linux: Kernel version 4.18 or newer and glibc2 v2.27 or newer.

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or newer.

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

• Note regarding Java

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 your computer. If you do not want to use Java, you can still use nearly all of the LibreOffice features.

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, you need to install Oracle’s Java Development Kit (JDK), not just the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Download links can be found at: https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/.

How to get LibreOffice

Versions of LibreOffice Community for Windows, Linux, and macOS are freely available and can be downloaded from https://www.libreoffice.org/download. Linux users will also find a free version of LibreOffice included in most Linux distributions. Windows and macOS users can also buy versions through the Microsoft Store or Apple’s Mac App Store. Portable and other versions of LibreOffice are listed on the download page. Linux, Enterprise, Online, and other versions may differ in appearance and functionality from the descriptions in this book.

Installing LibreOffice

Information on installing and setting up LibreOffice on the various supported operating systems is given here: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/install-howto/. When LibreOffice has been downloaded from an official app store, 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 your working requirements and preferences, go to Tools > Options on the Menu bar (LibreOffice > Preferences on macOS). Settings are described in the Help and in the Getting Started Guide. Some settings of particular interest to users of Writer are covered in Chapter 20, Customizing Writer, in this book.

• Tip

Many settings are intended for power users and programmers. If you do not understand what an option does, we recommend leaving it on the default setting unless instructions in this book recommend changing the setting.

You can customize menus, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts in LibreOffice, add new menus and toolbars, and assign macros to events. See Chapter 20, Customizing Writer, for details.

Extensions and add-ons

You can add functionality to LibreOffice with extensions and add-ons. Several extensions are installed with the program and you can get others from the official extensions repository, https://extensions.libreoffice.org/ and from other sources. See Chapter 20, Customizing Writer, for more information on installing extensions and add-ons.

Where to get more help

This book, the other LibreOffice user guides, the Help system, and user support systems assume that you are familiar with your computer and basic functions such as starting a program, opening and saving files.

Help system

LibreOffice comes with an extensive online Help system. This is your 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 program on macOS.

To display the Help system, press F1 or select Help > LibreOffice Help on the Menu bar. If the offline Help is not installed on your computer, and it is connected to the Internet, your default browser will open the online Help pages on the LibreOffice website.

The Help menu includes links to other LibreOffice information and support resources. Notice that options marked with a ‡ sign are only accessible if the computer is connected to the Internet.

What's This? For quick tips when a toolbar is visible, hold the mouse pointer over any of the icons to see a small box (“tooltip”) with a brief explanation of the icon’s function. For a more detailed explanation, select Help > What's This? and hold the pointer over the icon. You can also activate Extended Tips using Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General (macOS: LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General) on the Menu bar. Extended Tips provide brief descriptions about tools and commands.

User Guides ‡ Opens your default browser at the Documentation page of the LibreOffice website https://documentation.libreoffice.org/en/. There you will find user guides (to read online, download as free PDFs, or buy as printed copies) and other information.

Show Tip of the Day Opens a small window with a random tip on how to use LibreOffice.

Search Commands Opens a window where you can type a few letters or the name of a Menu bar command, to quickly find 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 your default browser at the Ask LibreOffice forum of questions and answers from the LibreOffice community https://ask.libreoffice.org/c/english/5.

Send Feedback ‡ Opens your default browser at the Feedback page of the LibreOffice website https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/feedback/. From there you can report bugs, suggest new features and communicate with others in the LibreOffice community.

Restart in Safe Mode Opens a dialog where you can restart LibreOffice and reset the software to its default settings.

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

Donate to LibreOffice ‡ Opens your default browser at the Donation page of the LibreOffice website https://www.libreoffice.org/donate.

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 your version of the software.

About LibreOffice Opens a dialog and displays information about the version of LibreOffice and the operating system you are using. This information will often be requested if you ask the community 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 this 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/c/english/5. Other websites run by users also offer free tips and tutorials.

Table 1: Free support for LibreOffice users

Free LibreOffice support
FAQs	Answers to frequently asked questionshttps://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Faq
Mailing lists	Free community support provided by a network of experienced usershttps://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/
Questions & Answers and Knowledge Base	Free community assistance is provided in a question and answer format. Search similar topics or ask a new question in https://ask.libreoffice.org/c/english/5 The service is available in several other languages; replace /en/ with de, es, fr, ja, ko, nl, pt, tr, and others in the address above.
Native language support	The LibreOffice website in various languageshttps://www.libreoffice.org/community/nlc/ Mailing lists for native languageshttps://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Local_Mailing_Lists Information about social networkinghttps://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Website/Web_Sites_services
Accessibility options	Information about available accessibility options. https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/accessibility/

Paid support and training

You can also pay for support through service contracts from a vendor or consulting firm specializing in LibreOffice. For information about certified professional support, see The Document Foundation’s website: https://www.documentfoundation.org/professional-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 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 you see on a computer display.

Also, some of the dialogs may be different because of the settings selected in LibreOffice. You can use dialogs from your computer’s operating system or those provided by LibreOffice. The differences affect mainly Open, Save, and Print dialogs. To change which dialogs are used, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General (macOS: LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice > General) and select or deselect the option Use LibreOffice dialogs.

Icons

The LibreOffice community has created icons for several icon sets: Breeze, Colibre, Elementary, Karasa Jaga, Sifr, and Sukapura; some are also available in a dark version. As a user, you can can select your preferred set. The icons in this guide have been taken from a variety of LibreOffice installations that use different sets of icons. The icons for some of the many tools available in LibreOffice may differ from the ones used in this guide.

To change the icon set used, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View. In the Icon Theme section, choose from the drop-down list.

• Note

Some Linux distributions include LibreOffice as part of the installation and may not include all the icon sets mentioned above. You should be able to download other icon sets from the software repository for your Linux distribution.

The Galaxy, Oxygen, and Tango icon sets are no longer included as part of the standard installation package for Windows, macOS, or Linux. You can download and install them as extensions from https://extensions.libreoffice.org/.

• Note

Some of the previously included gallery sets are now available only as extensions. 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 macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this chapter. For a more detailed list, see the application Help.

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

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.

May I distribute LibreOffice to anyone? May I sell it? May I use it in my business?

Yes.

How many computers may I install it on?

As many as you like.

Do I need Java to run LibreOffice?

The Java JDK/JRE is only required for some features, including the HSQLDB relational database engine. See “Minimum requirements for using LibreOffice” above.

How can I contribute to LibreOffice?

You can help with the development and user support of LibreOffice in many ways, and you do not need to be a programmer. To start, check out this web page: https://www.libreoffice.org/community/get-involved/.

May I distribute the PDF of this book, or print and sell copies?

Yes, as long as you meet the requirements of one of the licenses in the copyright statement at the beginning of this book. You do not have to request special permission. We request that you share with the project some of the profits you make from sales of books, in consideration of all the work we have put into producing them. Visit https://www.libreoffice.org/donate/ for instructions on how to donate to LibreOffice.

What’s new in LibreOffice Writer 25.2 Community?

This book has been updated from LibreOffice 24.8 Writer Guide. It covers some of the changes that are visible in the LibreOffice Writer user interface. LibreOffice 25.2 Community also includes many other changes, including improvements in interoperability with Microsoft’s proprietary file formats.

For details, see the Release Notes: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/25.2.

Contents

• Copyright

• Contributors

• Feedback

• Publication date and software version

• Who is this book for?

• What’s in this book?

• Minimum requirements for using LibreOffice

• How to get LibreOffice

• 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

• Using LibreOffice on macOS

• Frequently asked questions

• What’s new in LibreOffice Writer 25.2 Community?