How to Install LibreOffice

You've decided to install the free and open-source LibreOffice, and now you have a choice to make: which release? The LibreOffice website's download page gives you two options: the latest release and a slightly older release that is still updated. They were once called "Fresh" and "Still", but the download page no longer uses those names. Choose the version that best suits your needs and download it from the official download page.

Latest or older release?

Before you download, consider whether you need the very latest features and stability improvements, or if a slightly older but very reliable release would suit you better. The latest release has the newest features. The older release lacks some of them but has been tested for longer and still receives bug-fix updates, so offices that value stability often choose it.

Windows

For Windows, the download page offers x86-64 and ARM64 installers for both releases. Double-click the downloaded .msi file and click Next. Choose Typical for a standard installation, or Custom to pick the folder, languages and components such as dictionaries. Click Next, then Install, and approve the Windows prompt.

When it finishes, LibreOffice opens OpenDocument files (.odt, .ods, .odp). The installer does not make it the default for Microsoft Office files unless you choose that during setup. To set it afterwards in Windows 11:

1. Click Start, type "Default apps" and open the Default apps settings page.
2. In the search box for file types, type .docx and select the result.
3. Choose LibreOffice Writer and click Set default. Repeat for .xlsx (LibreOffice Calc) and .pptx (LibreOffice Impress).

macOS

After downloading the macOS installer, it's a simple process to install LibreOffice:

1. Double-click the .dmg file; an installation window appears.
2. Drag the LibreOffice icon onto the Applications icon in the same window. Enter an administrator password if asked.
3. Delete the downloaded.dmg

The first time you open LibreOffice, macOS may warn that the app was downloaded from the internet. Click Open to continue.

To add a language pack or offline help, start LibreOffice once, then download the matching .dmg from the LibreOffice download page. Open it and run the installer inside; language packs are not dragged to Applications. Then pick the language under LibreOffice > Preferences > Languages and Locales > General > User interface.

Linux

Linux users have even more options: Many distributions include a package for LibreOffice, allowing you to install it easily from the command line. For instance, on Ubuntu or Debian-based distributions, use sudo apt install libreoffice. Other Linuxes are also supported, such as:

• Arch: sudo pacman -S libreoffice-still
• Gentoo: sudo emerge libreoffice
• Fedora: sudo dnf install libreoffice
• openSUSE: sudo zypper install libreoffice

LibreOffice is also available as a Flatpak (on Flathub) and a Snap, and the download page offers .deb and .rpm packages inside a .tar.gz archive.

After installing

If you're accustomed to editing Office files, remember that LibreOffice defaults to their own OpenDocument formats, but you can easily set it to always use a different format. To do so, choose Tools > Options > Load/Save > General (LibreOffice > Preferences on macOS). Under Default file format and ODF settings, set Document type to Text document and pick a Word .docx format under Always save as; repeat for Spreadsheet and Presentation if needed. Help opens in a web browser unless you install the offline help pack from the download page.

With LibreOffice installed and set to your preferences, the substitute for an office productivity suite can begin. Importantly, you will quickly find that the menus are intuitive and the defaults which matter will require no change.