LibreOffice

Office software (in French)

The Document Foundation

MPL 2.0 and component licences

Installation for your system

Install LibreOffice Official LibreOffice website

Methods, packages and limitations are explained below.

English edition published on 29 October 2026.

Original tutorial published and checked on 26 October 2026.

LibreOffice provides tools for documents, calculations and presentations. Writer, Calc and Impress cover these three tasks; the suite also includes Draw, Base and Math. Modules may be separate packages. On Linux or BSD, first check whether it is already installed, then choose a source that is easy to maintain on your system.

Before replacing your usual tools, keep copies of important documents. LibreOffice opens and saves Microsoft Office files, but macros and some layout elements need checking. Try your own templates, spreadsheets and presentations before a complete migration.

Sources: LibreOffice overview and Microsoft Office file support.

Install LibreOffice on your system

Without a terminal: search for LibreOffice in your desktop's software centre. Check the source and included modules, then install the suite or required applications. Some distributions already include Writer and Calc. A second version can create menu duplicates and complicate updates.

These methods assume a supported system, graphical desktop and working repositories. Review changes before confirming. System packages require administrator privileges; use LibreOffice with your ordinary account.

Reference: LibreOffice installation instructions.

Ubuntu, Debian and Linux Mint

On Ubuntu, Debian (in French) and Linux Mint, the libreoffice package installs the suite:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libreoffice

The first command refreshes package lists. Check interface language and spellchecking after installation. Translation, spelling dictionaries and offline help may be separate packages. If you also need a French interface, the French version of this guide uses libreoffice-l10n-fr; it is not required merely to follow this English tutorial.

If a language package is missing, check software sources and your system release before downloading packages manually.

Sources: Debian LibreOffice package, optional French localisation and the APT manual.

Traditional Fedora and Atomic desktops

On traditional Fedora Workstation or KDE Plasma Desktop, install from Fedora repositories:

sudo dnf install libreoffice

Then check interface language and spellchecking in the application settings. For Silverblue (in French) and other Atomic desktops, use the Flatpak method below for this graphical application.

Source: Fedora LibreOffice package.

Arch Linux

On Arch Linux (in French), this method uses libreoffice-fresh:

sudo pacman -Syu libreoffice-fresh

This command also updates the complete system. Check Arch's upgrade instructions before confirming. If another LibreOffice branch is installed, review any proposed replacement; do not force conflicting packages to coexist. For a French interface, the original tutorial additionally uses libreoffice-fresh-fr.

Sources: LibreOffice Fresh, optional French localisation and the pacman manual.

openSUSE Leap and Tumbleweed

On openSUSE (in French), keep the included version if it meets your needs. To use the Flatpak method here, install Flatpak support if necessary:

sudo zypper install flatpak

Then configure Flathub as below. The setup guide recommends restarting after the first Flatpak installation to complete desktop integration. This does not require replacing a suite already managed by openSUSE repositories.

Source: Flatpak setup on openSUSE.

Flatpak on Linux

Prepare Flatpak using your distribution's instructions. Add Flathub if missing, then install the application identified as org.libreoffice.LibreOffice:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak install flathub org.libreoffice.LibreOffice

Review permissions and proposed components. Start the suite from the application menu or run:

flatpak run org.libreoffice.LibreOffice

If an external or network folder is unavailable, try the file chooser and review permissions. Keep the same per-user or system-wide installation scope for updates and removal.

Sources: LibreOffice on Flathub and using Flatpak.

FreeBSD

On FreeBSD (in French), install the binary package in a root administrative session:

pkg install libreoffice

Leave that session and open the suite in your normal desktop. The handbook distinguishes the default package from localised packages: check your repository for your preferred language. Availability also depends on FreeBSD release and architecture.

Source: FreeBSD desktop applications handbook.

OpenBSD

On OpenBSD (in French), search packages for your release and architecture:

pkg_info -aQ libreoffice

If the suite is available, install it in a root administrative session:

pkg_add libreoffice

For a French interface, check availability of the optional libreoffice-i18n-fr package as well. Do not substitute a package from a different OpenBSD release when one is unavailable. The OpenBSD 8.0 amd64 repository contained the suite and French localisation when checked on 26 October 2026; repeat the check for your own architecture.

Sources: OpenBSD package management and the 8.0 amd64 repository.

Your first documents: three useful checks

Choose the right module. Writer is for text, Calc for spreadsheets and Impress for presentations. Create a simple file, save it in your usual folder, close it and reopen it.
Preserve originals. Open a representative copy of a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file. Check fonts, pages, formulas and embedded objects before saving. VBA macros do not transfer automatically.
Choose a format for the recipient. Keep an OpenDocument working copy, then create an Office-format copy when required. For reading or printing, check a PDF export before sharing.

A document opening without an error is not necessarily identical to the original. For professional use, also check required templates, collaboration and essential extensions.

References: Office formats and macros and PDF export.

Update LibreOffice

Save and close documents, then use the update manager for your chosen source. A version different from the project's website may reflect your distribution's maintenance cycle.

Ubuntu, Debian and Mint: sudo apt update, then sudo apt upgrade for proposed system-wide updates.
Traditional Fedora: the desktop update manager or sudo dnf upgrade for all packages.
Arch: sudo pacman -Syu, updating the whole system.
Flatpak: flatpak update org.libreoffice.LibreOffice.
FreeBSD, as root: pkg upgrade.
OpenBSD, as root: pkg_add -u.

Further references: DNF upgrades and FreeBSD package management.

Remove the suite while keeping documents

Use the software centre or package manager that installed LibreOffice. Distributions may split the suite into components: removing a libreoffice metapackage alone does not necessarily remove Writer, Calc or other modules. Inspect the exact removal list and avoid broad wildcard removals or unchecked automatic cleanup.

For this tutorial's Flatpak method:

flatpak uninstall org.libreoffice.LibreOffice

Keep documents and a backup of important templates. Uninstalling an application and deleting its user profile are separate operations; preferences may remain. Check that another application can open your documents before removing your only office suite.

Also see our software catalogue (in French), VLC tutorial and software checklist before moving to Linux.

Documentation check: sources and package names were checked on 26 October 2026 for the original tutorial. The commands follow the projects' documented methods; no installation tests on these systems are claimed here. The English examples leave optional French language packs separate. LibreOffice component licences.