LibreOffice Writer: Features, File Formats and How to Use It

LibreOffice Writer is the free word processor built into LibreOffice, the open-source office suite maintained by the non-profit Document Foundation. It handles everything from a one-page letter to a 400-page book with chapters, footnotes and an automatic table of contents, and it opens and saves Microsoft Word files, so you can trade documents with Word users without buying a licence. This guide explains what Writer is, which file formats it uses, the features that matter most, how to download and set it up safely, and how it compares with Microsoft Word, Google Docs and its close relative OpenOffice Writer.

What is LibreOffice Writer?

LibreOffice Writer is a word processor — a program for creating, editing and formatting text documents such as letters, reports, essays, CVs and books. It is one of several applications bundled inside LibreOffice, alongside Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (diagrams), Base (databases) and Math (equations). You install the whole suite in one download; Writer is simply the part you open when you want to work with words rather than numbers or slides.

Writer looks and behaves much like the word processors most people already know. There is a blank page, a toolbar of formatting buttons, menus across the top and a status bar at the bottom. What sets it apart is that it is completely free and that its native file format is an open, published standard rather than a format owned by a single company. The program began in 2010, when a group of developers forked the code of the older OpenOffice.org project to create an independent, community-run suite. Since then it has become the most widely used open-source office package on Windows, macOS and Linux, and it is available in more than 120 languages.

Who makes LibreOffice Writer, and is it really free?

LibreOffice Writer is made by The Document Foundation, a registered non-profit based in Berlin, Germany, with contributions from a worldwide community of volunteer and paid developers. The software is released under the Mozilla Public License version 2.0. That makes it both free of charge and “free and open source” — meaning anyone can read, modify and redistribute the underlying code. There is no purchase, no subscription, no advertising and no requirement to create an account or sign in to use it.

The project is funded by donations and by companies that build commercial services around the same code, not by selling the software itself. For you as a user, the practical result is straightforward: you download it, install it and use every feature with no trial period, no locked “premium” tools and no upselling. If you want to compare the suite with its predecessor, our guide to LibreOffice vs OpenOffice explains how the two projects diverged and why LibreOffice now sees far more frequent updates.

Fresh vs Still: which version should you install?

The Document Foundation publishes LibreOffice in two parallel branches at any one time. The Fresh branch carries the newest features and is aimed at home users and enthusiasts who want the latest improvements. The Still branch is an older release that has had more months of bug-fixing, which makes it the safer pick for businesses and anyone who values stability over new features. As of October 2026 the Fresh branch is LibreOffice 26.8 (first released on 26 August 2026, with the 26.8.1 maintenance update following in October) and the Still branch is version 26.2. Both share the same Writer application and the same file formats; the difference is only how new the code is. If in doubt, choose Still for work machines and Fresh if you like staying current.

What file formats does LibreOffice Writer support?

LibreOffice Writer opens and saves a wide range of document formats, which is one of its biggest practical strengths. You are never locked into a single format, and you can usually open whatever a colleague sends you.

ODT — the default format

Writer’s own format is OpenDocument Text, saved with the .odt extension. OpenDocument is an open, internationally standardised format (ISO/IEC 26300) that is not owned by any one company, so files you save today will still be readable by free software for years to come. ODT is the recommended choice when you are working mainly within LibreOffice or sharing with others who use it. If you want the full detail, see our explainer on the ODT file format and how it differs from Word’s format.

Opening and saving Microsoft Word documents

Writer reads and writes Microsoft Word files in both the modern .docx format and the older .doc format, so you can open an attachment from a Word user, edit it and send it back in the same format. To do that, use File > Save As and pick “Word 2007–365 (.docx)” from the file-type list. Compatibility is good for ordinary documents, but it is not perfect: very complex layouts, heavily tracked changes, advanced Word-specific fields or intricate tables can shift slightly when a file passes back and forth between the two programs. For anything where exact layout matters, it is worth opening the final file in the other program to check it before sending. Our guide to the DOCX file format covers what is inside these files and why small differences appear.

PDF, EPUB and other exports

Writer can export directly to PDF with one click — there is a dedicated toolbar button and a File > Export As > Export as PDF option that lets you set security, compression and bookmarks. It also exports to EPUB (for e-readers), HTML (for the web), RTF and plain text, and it can save earlier Word formats for older systems. Because PDF export is built in, you never need a separate “PDF printer” or paid add-on. If you specifically need to turn an OpenDocument file into a PDF, our step-by-step guide on how to convert ODT to PDF walks through the options.

Key features of LibreOffice Writer

LibreOffice Writer is a full-featured word processor, not a cut-down free tool. The features most people rely on include:

• Styles and templates — reusable formatting for headings, body text and whole documents, so a long report stays consistent and can be restyled in seconds.
• Track changes and comments — record edits and leave margin notes for collaborative reviewing, then accept or reject each change.
• Mail merge — produce personalised letters, labels or emails from a spreadsheet or address list.
• Table of contents and indexes — generated automatically from your headings and updated as the document grows.
• Master documents — combine many separate files into one large work such as a thesis or manual.
• Tables, images and charts — insert and format tables, pictures, frames and drawings directly on the page.
• Spell check and autocorrect — multilingual spell checking, automatic correction and AutoText for phrases you type often.
• Digital signatures and PDF export — sign documents and produce finished PDFs without extra software.
• Macros — automate repetitive jobs using the built-in Basic scripting language.

These tools place Writer firmly in the same bracket as paid word processors for everyday writing, study and office work.

System requirements and how to download LibreOffice Writer

You do not download Writer on its own — you download the full LibreOffice suite, and Writer is installed with it. The program is modest in its demands and runs comfortably on hardware that is several years old.

• Windows: Windows 10 or 11 (or Windows Server 2012 through 2022), a Pentium-compatible processor, 256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended) and up to 1.5 GB of free disk space.
• macOS: macOS 11 or newer on Intel or Apple Silicon, 512 MB of RAM and up to 800 MB of disk space.
• Linux: Linux kernel 4.18 or higher and glibc 2.27 or higher, 256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended) and up to around 1.55 GB of disk space.

Java is needed only for certain features, such as the Base database and a few wizards, so most Writer users can ignore it. The Windows installer is roughly 357 MB to download. To install, download the package for your system from the official site, open it and follow the prompts; administrator rights are required. On a Mac, the steps differ slightly and there are separate Apple Silicon and Intel builds — our guide to installing LibreOffice on a Mac covers the detail, including getting past macOS security prompts.

Downloading safely

Always download LibreOffice from the official project page at libreoffice.org. The software is genuinely free, so any site charging for it, or bundling it with extra “optional” programs, is best avoided — those repackaged installers are where unwanted add-ons and risk creep in. The official download is clean and carries no bundled software. You can verify the checksum shown on the download page if you want to be certain the file arrived intact.

How to use LibreOffice Writer: a quick start

Getting going in Writer takes only a few minutes if you have used any word processor before. A sensible first session looks like this:

• Create a document: open LibreOffice and choose Writer Document, or open the Writer application directly, to start with a blank page.
• Type and format: use the toolbar for bold, italics, alignment and lists, exactly as you would elsewhere. Apply heading styles from the style box at the top left rather than just making text bigger — this is what lets you generate a table of contents later.
• Save in the right format: press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on a Mac) and keep .odt if the document stays in LibreOffice, or choose .docx if you need to share it with Word users.
• Insert extras: use the Insert menu to add images, tables, page numbers, headers, footers and special characters.
• Export a PDF: when the document is finished, click the PDF button or use File > Export As to produce a share-ready PDF.

From there, the Tools and Format menus hold the deeper features — mail merge, track changes, word count, language settings and macros — as you need them.

How does LibreOffice Writer compare to Word and Google Docs?

LibreOffice Writer competes directly with both paid desktop word processors and free cloud tools, and the right choice depends on what you value. Writer’s strengths are that it is free, fully offline, privacy-friendly (nothing is sent to a server) and built on an open format. Microsoft Word leads on polished collaboration and flawless handling of its own file formats, while Google Docs wins on real-time cloud editing. The table below sets out how the main alternatives differ. Writer’s close relative, OpenOffice Writer, is also free but is updated far less often.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few habits cause most of the frustration new users run into:

• Forgetting to save as .docx for Word users. If you leave a document as .odt and email it to someone who only has Word, older versions of Word may not open it cleanly. Use Save As and pick the Word format when you know the recipient uses Word.
• Expecting pixel-perfect Word compatibility. Complex layouts can shift slightly between Writer and Word. Always preview the final file in the destination program before sending anything where exact formatting matters.
• Formatting by hand instead of using styles. Manually bolding and resizing every heading makes long documents hard to maintain. Applying heading styles takes the same effort and unlocks the automatic table of contents and consistent formatting.
• Downloading from the wrong site. Unofficial download pages may wrap the installer in extra software. Stick to the official project site.
• Dismissing the “Keep Current Format” prompt without reading it. When you save a Word file, Writer asks whether to keep that format or switch to ODT — choose deliberately rather than clicking through.

Who is LibreOffice Writer for?

LibreOffice Writer suits anyone who needs a capable word processor without a subscription: students writing essays and dissertations, home users dealing with letters and forms, small businesses and non-profits watching costs, and anyone who prefers their documents to stay on their own computer rather than in the cloud. It is also a natural choice for older or lower-powered machines, and for people who want their files in an open format they will always be able to open. It is a weaker fit if your workflow depends on real-time co-authoring with many people at once, or on exchanging very intricate Word templates where every element must match exactly — in those cases Microsoft Word or Google Docs may serve you better. For most everyday writing, though, Writer does the job at no cost.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is LibreOffice Writer completely free?

Yes. LibreOffice Writer is free to download and use for personal, educational and commercial purposes, with no subscription, no advertising and no account required. It is released under the Mozilla Public License v2.0, which also makes it open source.

Can LibreOffice Writer open and save Microsoft Word files?

Yes. Writer opens and saves both .docx and older .doc files. Use File > Save As and choose the Word format to send a document back to a Word user. Very complex layouts may shift slightly, so check the final file if exact formatting is important.

What is the difference between the LibreOffice Fresh and Still versions?

Both include the same Writer application. Fresh carries the newest features and suits home users who want the latest tools, while Still is an older, more thoroughly tested release that is the safer choice for business and anyone who prioritises stability.

What file format does LibreOffice Writer use by default?

Its default format is OpenDocument Text, saved with the .odt extension. OpenDocument is an open international standard not owned by any single company, which helps keep your files readable far into the future.

Does LibreOffice Writer need an internet connection?

No. Writer is a desktop program that runs entirely offline once installed. You only need the internet to download the installer and to fetch updates, which makes it a good option when you want your documents to stay on your own device.