For years, users have been looking for free or low-cost alternatives to Microsoft Office 9 of the Best Free and Low-Cost Alternatives to Microsoft Office 9 of the Best Free and Low-Cost Alternatives to Microsoft Office Microsoft Office has dominated the market for Text documents, spreadsheets, and slideshows for years, and for good reason, it's one of the best. However, there is a downside and that is the price... Read More
It got to the point where LibreOffice is now considered a viable competitor to Microsoft Office in many ways. Is LibreOffice worthy of the Office Crown? Is LibreOffice worthy of the office crown? LibreOffice is the king of free office suites. It's unlikely to replace Microsoft Office in a business environment, but it's a great alternative for casual users. This is what's new in LibreOffice 5.1. Learn more:features, ease of use, interface, flexibility, file format support, and more. Office 365 is great An introduction to Office 365:Should you buy the new Office business model? An introduction to Office 365:Should you buy the new Office business model? Office 365 is a subscription-based suite that offers access to the latest Office desktop suite, Office Online, cloud storage, and premium mobile apps. Does Office 365 provide enough value to be worth the money? Read More
Download now: LibreOffice (Free)
But launching LibreOffice for the first time can feel strange, So here are some tips to help you get to know him, what you can do, and what you need to change to make him more comfortable.
If LibreOffice takes a while to load and feels sluggish during use, there may be an easy solution you can use to give it a boost:let it use more RAM! (This is useful if your system has a large amount of RAM. A Quick and Dirty Guide to RAM:What You Need to Know A Quick and Dirty Guide to RAM:What You Need to Know RAM is a crucial component of every computer, but it can be confusing to understand if you're not a tech guru. In this post, we break it down into easy-to-understand terms. Read More)
Note that Java is primarily used for LibreOffice Base, which is used for database operations (LibreOffice's analogue for Microsoft Access). If you don't use LibreOffice Base, you probably don't need Java.
As with most applications, the best way to speed up your workflow and increase your productivity is to memorize all the important keyboard shortcuts. In general, keyboard shortcuts are faster than using a mouse.
Here are some key shortcuts to know:
If you want to become a LibreOffice master, check out these other important keyboard shortcuts to learn 25 LibreOffice Keyboard Shortcuts That Will Speed Up Your Workflow 25 LibreOffice Keyboard Shortcuts That Will Speed Up Your Workflow LibreOffice is a viable alternative to Microsoft Office If you want to get the most out of this, you need to learn these essential keyboard shortcuts. Read more.
By default, LibreOffice saves files using the OpenDocument file formats (ODT for text documents, ODS for spreadsheets, ODP for presentations, etc.) and while this may be fine if you're working alone, it can be a hassle if collaborating with Microsoft Office users.
Consider changing it so that LibreOffice saves new documents using the popular Microsoft format instead:
The default icon set used throughout LibreOffice has a flashy edge and can be quite distracting when trying to focus on work. We recommend changing it to something more subtle and pleasant.
Personally, I don't deal with files that are longer than a page or two, but if you work with complex documents from many sites (such as research papers or annual reports), you absolutely must use the browser.
How to open the browser:
The browser tracks the entire outline of your document and provides you with a quick way to jump between sections, headings, tables, bookmarks, hyperlinks, images, and other elements.
Styles allow you to define custom "looks" for text, images, and other elements in a document. With a custom style, you can define it once and then apply it with one click each time you need it, instead of repeatedly selecting fonts, margins, etc.
There are five main types of styles in LibreOffice Writer:
Here's how to create your own styles:
You will now see a popup window with more than a dozen different tabs and many options to play with. The details are beyond the scope of this article, but most should be self-explanatory. Feel free to experiment.
The Styles feature is great for defining a common look for paragraphs and other elements within a document, but if you want to define a common layout and look Between documents, then you need to use templates.
To change the default document template:
And that is. In the future, you can create other templates in the same way, such as a specific note-taking layout for weekly meetings, and create new documents using those templates. Just skip the steps to save the default templates.
If most of your word processing experience is in Microsoft Office, then you are probably unfamiliar with docking and undocking. In fact, for the most part, you don't have much flexibility:the ribbon is whatever you like it or not.
But in LibreOffice, you can dock most windows on toolbars and undock most toolbars on free-floating windows, and this is crucial for customizing your workspace and getting comfortable with the program.
You can also reposition the toolbars to your liking by clicking and dragging the dotted part of the toolbar:
You can “stack” toolbars by dragging them one below the other, or you can simply arrange them horizontally keeping them all on the same line.
Consider getting rid of any toolbars you don't use:
If you don't think LibreOffice has enough useful features out of the box, you can always add more functionality via extensions, just like with your browser. A lot of people don't realize that LibreOffice can do this!
LibreOffice comes with a handful of extensions that are included with the base installation, but you can also find dozens more online at the LibreOffice Extension Center.
In the Extension Manager, you can use the Add button to install any extension file you download (which will come in the OXT file format).
As you can see, LibreOffice has come a long way since it split from OpenOffice in 2010. Not only does it have all the fundamental features of a word processor, but it's advanced enough to be comfortable for power users.
I don't like LibreOffice? Then we would recommend trying FreeOffice 2016. Do you need an alternative to Microsoft Word and Office? Try FreeOffice 2016 Need an alternative to Microsoft Word and Office? Try FreeOffice 2016 Microsoft Office is the most advanced office suite on the planet. But why shell out money when you can use a free alternative that still offers everything you need? FreeOffice 2016 might be suitable for... Read More If you need that level of compatibility with Microsoft, then your best bet is to stick with LibreOffice.
What do you mainly use LibreOffice for? Know of any other tips or tricks that we may have missed? Would you recommend it over Microsoft Office? Let us know in the comments below!
