Using LibreOffice

LibreOffice is the free, open-source office suite pre-installed in Ubuntu 26.04. It is feature-rich and highly compatible with Microsoft Office. This article covers how to use each LibreOffice component along with practical tips.

LibreOffice Overview

LibreOffice includes the following core components:

Installation & Updates

Ubuntu 26.04 comes with LibreOffice pre-installed. If you need to install additional language support:

sudo apt install libreoffice libreoffice-l10n-en-us libreoffice-help-en-us

Writer — Word Processing

Writer is the word processing component of LibreOffice, suitable for creating all types of documents.

Basic Operations

• New document: Ctrl + N
• Open file: Ctrl + O, supports .odt, .docx, .doc, .rtf, and more
• Save file: Ctrl + S
• Save as: Ctrl + Shift + S
• Export PDF: Menu “File > Export as PDF”

Formatting Features

• Style management: Use the “Styles” sidebar (F11) to manage heading, body text, and list formats consistently
• Page numbers, headers & footers: Add them via the “Insert” menu
• Table of contents: After applying heading styles, auto-generate a table of contents via “Insert > Table of Contents and Index”
• Tables: Create tables via “Table > Insert Table”
• Images: Drag and drop or use “Insert > Image”

Writer Keyboard Shortcuts

Calc — Spreadsheets

Calc provides full-featured spreadsheet capabilities, supporting data analysis and chart creation.

Basic Operations

• Edit a cell: Double-click a cell or press F2 to enter edit mode
• Auto-fill: Select a cell and drag the fill handle in the lower-right corner
• Sort: Select the data range and use “Data > Sort”
• Filter: Use “Data > AutoFilter”

Common Functions

=SUM(A1:A10)          Sum
=AVERAGE(A1:A10)      Average
=COUNT(A1:A10)        Count
=IF(A1>60,"Pass","Fail")  Conditional
=VLOOKUP(value,range,col,0) Vertical lookup
=SUMIF(criteria_range,criteria,sum_range) Conditional sum
=TEXT(A1,"yyyy-mm-dd") Date formatting
=CONCATENATE(A1,B1)   Text concatenation

Creating Charts

1. Select the data range
2. Click “Insert > Chart”
3. Choose a chart type (bar, line, pie, etc.)
4. Customize the title, labels, and style
5. Double-click the chart to enter edit mode

Pivot Tables

1. Select the data range
2. Click “Insert > Pivot Table”
3. Drag fields to the row, column, and data areas
4. Set the summary method (sum, count, average, etc.)

Calc Tips

• Freeze rows/columns: Select the row/column, then use “View > Freeze Rows and Columns”
• Conditional formatting: Use “Format > Conditional Formatting” to color cells based on values
• Data validation: Use “Data > Validity” to restrict cell input
• Formula auditing: Use “Tools > Formula Auditing” to trace references and dependents

Impress — Presentations

Impress is the presentation component of LibreOffice for creating professional slideshows.

Basic Operations

• New slide: Right-click in the slide panel > “New Slide”
• Choose layout: Select a slide layout in the right-side properties panel
• Master slide: Edit unified styles for all slides via “View > Master Slide”

Adding Content

• Text box: Click a text area in the layout or use “Insert > Text Box”
• Image: Drag and drop or use “Insert > Image”
• Shapes: Use the various shapes in the drawing toolbar
• Table: Insert a table directly into a slide
• Audio/Video: Embed multimedia via “Insert > Audio or Video”

Animation & Transitions

• Object animation: Select an object and add entrance, exit, or emphasis animations in the “Animation” sidebar
• Slide transitions: Choose transition effects and duration in the “Slide Transition” panel

Slideshow Playback

Microsoft Office Compatibility

Opening MS Office Files

LibreOffice can directly open .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, and other Microsoft Office format files. In most cases, formatting is preserved well.

Saving in MS Office Format

If you need to exchange files with MS Office users:

1. Use “File > Save As”
2. Select the corresponding MS Office format from the format dropdown:
   • Writer: “Microsoft Word 2007-365 (.docx)”
   • Calc: “Microsoft Excel 2007-365 (.xlsx)”
   • Impress: “Microsoft PowerPoint 2007-365 (.pptx)”

Setting the Default Save Format

If you frequently need to save in MS Office format:

1. Open “Tools > Options > Load/Save > General”
2. Under “Default File Format and ODF Settings”:
   • Set Document type to “Text document” and format to “Microsoft Word 2007-365”
   • Do the same for spreadsheets and presentations

Font Compatibility

Fonts commonly used in MS Office documents (such as Calibri, Times New Roman, Arial) may not be available on Ubuntu, causing layout shifts. Solutions:

# Install Microsoft core fonts
sudo apt install ttf-mscorefonts-installer
 
# Install Noto fonts for broad coverage
sudo apt install fonts-noto fonts-noto-cjk

Known Compatibility Notes

• Complex VBA macros may not be fully compatible; LibreOffice uses its own macro language, LibreOffice Basic
• Some advanced layout effects (e.g., WordArt, SmartArt) may not display fully
• Embedded OLE objects may need adjustment
• It is recommended to check formatting when receiving important files and make adjustments as needed

LibreOffice Performance Optimization

Skia Rendering

LibreOffice 25.8 already uses the Skia graphics engine for rendering by default (replacing the old “Use hardware acceleration” option; the separate “Memory” options page from earlier versions has also been removed). Keeping the defaults generally gives the best performance.

To check or adjust, go to the “Graphics Output” area under “Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View”:

• Check “Use Skia for all rendering”
• On supported hardware, leave “Force Skia software rendering” unchecked to enable GPU acceleration; if you see display glitches, switch to Skia software rendering

Recommended Extensions

Install additional features via “Tools > Extension Manager”:

• LanguageTool: Grammar and spell checking with multi-language support
• TexMaths: Insert LaTeX formulas in documents
• Export as Images: Export presentations as image sequences

Summary

LibreOffice is the most full-featured free office suite available on Ubuntu 26.04. By installing compatible fonts and setting the correct file formats, you can collaborate effectively with Microsoft Office users. For the vast majority of everyday office tasks, LibreOffice is more than capable.