LibreOfficeReviews of libreoffice.org

Much of Libre Office is very poorly designed in comparison to Open Office easier use and accessibility. Printing is quite complicated and not easy to change for type of output required eg portrait/landscape....It maybe more sophisticated technically but a lot of word obvious word processing requirements are hidden in oddly named drop-down menus.....which are not the norm in other applications

Switched over to LibreOffice a few days ago, after like ten years of hiatus. It could easily read all the Microsoft office (word and excel) documents I had and until now I haven't had a single issue yet. The UI isn't always easy to use, but for a free software I really don't mind spending the extra time. Also, no steep learning curve which I appreciate.

I used LibreOffice for about 3 years and loved it, except for the clunky way of inserting hyperlinks when I was used to just pasting them in. Then LO was updated to Version 25.2, which lost the pastel colours I had chosen for my toolbars and behind the document, and with no apparent way of regaining them. It looks so bland without them. I posted a query on their 'Community' but I was never able to find it again (I should have copied the url). So I uninstalled LibreOffice 25.2 and reinstalled the version I had before, which involved painstakingly rebuilding the selection of toolbar icons that I had previously (fortunately I had screenshots of them). But now I couldn't for the life of me get single line spacing to work, every line I typed was something like 1.5 spacing no matter how much I went into various settings. Like the colours,I found precious little comprehensible information online. UPDATE: I abandoned LibreOffice and tried the few others that are available but I found fault with all of them, so I reinstalled LO on 17 March. Now it works perfectly again. I am particularly pleased that having purged every LO file and registry key from my pc, it has remembered my previous customisations.

Appreciate the idea and think this software should be installed. However, it gets closed too frequently and from what I know I am not the only user in the world who suffers from it.

j'ai perdu 2h de ma vie pour juste au final que le fichier ce conrompe

After using Writer and Calc for a good few years, I can say I'm pretty happy with both. Everything works as expected, aside from some formatting issues here and there, but it's no big deal. I guess these apps will never "understand" what a date is (and what isn't) with 100% certainty. :) The only thing that bothers me is that both apps sometimes go partially off-screen (latest version on Windows 11, single monitor), just enough to make the title bar invisible. In fact, these are the only two apps that require using Shift + right-click -> Move to get them back on the screen. It's really hard to complain with a price tag of $0, though. Everything works great most of the time - that's what matters. Still, I hope to see some polishing in the future.

I’ve been using LibreOffice for over 5 years now, and honestly, I couldn’t be happier. After ditching Microsoft Office, I’ve saved over $100 annually, which is no small thing when you’re trying to cut unnecessary costs. What's really, I think, surprised me most is how well LibreOffice handles everything I need, from writing documents to creating spreadsheets. It’s got all the essential features, and I haven’t run into any issues with compatibility when opening Microsoft files, which was a big concern at first. The community support and frequent updates make it feel like I’m always getting something new without having to pay for it. I also love that it’s open-source—feels good knowing a community is behind it instead of a big corporation. If you're just sick n tired of paying for Microsoft Office or just want to try something different, I’d highly recommend LibreOffice. It’s free, works just as well, and I haven’t looked back since switching.

As someone who has long relied on open-source software for both personal and professional needs, I had high hopes for LibreOffice. With its reputation as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, I expected a seamless experience that would allow me to work efficiently without the need to invest in expensive proprietary software. Unfortunately, after several months of use, I find myself frustrated and disappointed. LibreOffice has proven to be anything but reliable, and its shortcomings have severely hindered my productivity. 1. Unpolished User Interface One of the first things I noticed upon installing LibreOffice was its dated and clunky user interface. The design feels like a throwback to the early 2000s, with clumsy menus and cluttered toolbars. While I understand that aesthetics aren’t the primary focus of productivity software, the user interface plays a crucial role in how efficiently users can navigate and perform tasks. LibreOffice's interface is unintuitive, with important functions buried under layers of poorly organized menus. Simple tasks, such as adjusting formatting or inserting objects, require far too many steps compared to other office suites. The lack of polish in the design makes the overall experience feel amateurish, and in today’s software landscape, that is simply unacceptable. 2. Frequent Crashes and Performance Issues Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of LibreOffice is its instability. I’ve experienced multiple crashes while working on critical documents, often losing progress in the process. These crashes occur unpredictably, whether I’m working on a simple text document in Writer or a more complex spreadsheet in Calc. I’ve tried using LibreOffice on multiple systems, including both Windows and Linux environments, but the performance issues persist across platforms. Additionally, LibreOffice is incredibly slow when handling large files. Opening a spreadsheet with more than a few hundred rows results in the application freezing for several minutes, and any further attempts to edit or format the document lead to unbearable lag. I find this to be a major drawback for anyone working with data analysis or large-scale documentation. The software’s inability to handle more demanding tasks without grinding to a halt severely limits its practical use in any professional environment. 3. Poor Compatibility with Microsoft Office Formats One of LibreOffice’s key selling points is its ability to open and edit Microsoft Office file formats, such as DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX. However, in practice, this feature is far from reliable. During my time using LibreOffice, I’ve encountered countless formatting issues when importing or exporting Microsoft Office files. Complex documents often appear distorted, with incorrect fonts, broken layouts, and misplaced images. These issues are especially problematic when collaborating with others who use Microsoft Office, as the need to constantly fix formatting errors adds unnecessary delays and headaches to the workflow. LibreOffice also struggles with Excel files that contain macros or advanced formulas. Many of these features simply don’t work or are misinterpreted by Calc, rendering spreadsheets unusable. For those who rely on intricate formulas, pivot tables, or macros for their work, LibreOffice is not a viable solution. The lack of true compatibility with industry-standard office formats is a serious flaw, particularly when so many professionals rely on these file types for daily tasks. 4. Clumsy Collaboration Features In today’s workplace, collaboration tools are essential for effective team workflows. Unfortunately, LibreOffice falls woefully short in this area. While Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365 offer real-time collaboration, LibreOffice lags far behind, lacking any meaningful cloud-based integration. Collaborating on a document with multiple team members is cumbersome, as changes need to be manually tracked and merged, leading to version control nightmares. Furthermore, the document tracking and change review features are underdeveloped. I’ve encountered numerous glitches where tracked changes are incorrectly displayed or not saved properly, making it impossible to trust the software when working on shared documents. LibreOffice’s lack of real-time collaboration and poor handling of version control severely limits its usefulness in a team environment, especially for those who work remotely or in large organizations.