Make LIBREOFFICE more compatible with MICROSOFT OFFICE & 365
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Nick explores ways to enhance LibreOffice's compatibility with Microsoft Office formats, making it more user-friendly for those accustomed to the ribbon interface. He covers changing the interface to a tabbed ribbon, customizing icons and themes, and adjusting settings for better document compatibility. Nick also discusses installing Microsoft fonts for accurate formatting, tweaking options for form compatibility, and setting default file formats. Additionally, he introduces useful LibreOffice extensions and highlights the importance of choosing the right device for a seamless Linux experience, sponsored by Tuxedo Computers.
Takeaways
- 🖥️ LibreOffice can be made more compatible with Microsoft Office by adjusting its interface and settings.
- 🔗 Switching to a tabbed interface in LibreOffice mimics the ribbon interface of Microsoft Office, enhancing user experience.
- 🎨 Customizing icon themes and sizes can improve the visual appeal and usability of LibreOffice, aligning it closer to Microsoft Office's aesthetics.
- 🔠 Installing Microsoft fonts on Linux systems ensures better formatting compatibility with documents created in Microsoft Office.
- ⚙️ Tweaking LibreOffice's options for compatibility features can reduce formatting discrepancies when exchanging documents with Microsoft Office users.
- 📝 In Writer, enabling form compatibility and adjusting paragraph spacing settings can improve document consistency with Microsoft Word.
- 💾 Changing the default save format to Microsoft Office formats can simplify document sharing with users who primarily use Microsoft applications.
- 📑 Importing custom styles and templates from Microsoft Office into LibreOffice can help maintain a consistent workflow for users transitioning between the two suites.
- 📂 Extensions can add functionality to LibreOffice, such as advanced find and replace, or compatibility checkers, making it more versatile.
- 🌐 LibreOffice is a feature-rich open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, but there are other options like OnlyOffice, WPS Office, and FreeOffice that also claim compatibility.
- 🔗 For a Linux-compatible device, Tuxedo Computers offers a range of laptops and desktops pre-installed with Linux, ensuring out-of-the-box compatibility.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video by Nick?
-The main focus of the video is to explore various ways to make LibreOffice more compatible with Microsoft Office formats and to work more like Microsoft Office.
What is the first modification Nick suggests to make LibreOffice's interface more like Microsoft Office?
-Nick suggests changing the user interface to a tabbed or ribbon interface, similar to what Microsoft Office uses, by going to the 'View' menu and selecting 'Tabbed'.
How can users customize the appearance of icons in LibreOffice?
-Users can customize the appearance of icons by changing the theme from the 'View' menu in the tabbed interface. Options include Breeze, Colebra, Sukapur, Elementary, and C4, with the ability to adjust icon size as well.
What is the sponsor of the video and what does it offer?
-The sponsor of the video is Safing, which offers Portmaster, an open-source tool for monitoring and securing internet connections, with features like ad-blocking, tracker-blocking, and the ability to use a DNS provider of choice.
How can users ensure that the documents they create in LibreOffice have Microsoft Office-compatible fonts?
-Users can ensure Microsoft Office-compatible fonts by installing Microsoft fonts on their system, which may require enabling non-free software repositories and installing a package like 'ttf-ms-core-fonts'.
What steps does Nick recommend to make LibreOffice documents more compatible with Microsoft Office formats?
-Nick recommends enabling all compatibility features in the 'Load and Save' tab of LibreOffice options, setting Microsoft Office formats as the default save format, and using extensions like Papito Cleaner to check for compatibility issues.
How can users import custom styles and templates from Microsoft Office into LibreOffice?
-Users can import custom styles and templates by going to 'File', then 'Templates', clicking 'Manage', and selecting 'Import' to choose the desired templates or styles.
What is an alternative office suite mentioned in the video that is more compatible with Microsoft formats?
-OnlyOffice is mentioned as an alternative office suite that is open source and generally more compatible with Microsoft Office formats.
What is the recommended format for maximum compatibility when sharing documents?
-For maximum compatibility when sharing documents, especially for reading or signing purposes, the recommended format is PDF.
How can users support the channel and get access to additional content like podcasts?
-Users can support the channel by clicking the 'Super Thanks' button on YouTube, using the PayPal link in the video description, or subscribing to Patreon or YouTube memberships, which also grant access to weekly podcasts.
Outlines
🖥️ Enhancing LibreOffice Compatibility with Microsoft Office
Nick introduces viewers to various methods for making LibreOffice more compatible with Microsoft Office formats and functionalities. He discusses the default interface differences and how to enable a tabbed or ribbon interface similar to Microsoft Office. Nick also mentions a sponsor, Safing, which offers an open-source tool for monitoring and securing internet connections, with features like ad-blocking and DNS customization. The video promises to cover more than just the interface, including icon themes and keyboard shortcuts.
🔧 Customizing LibreOffice for a Familiar Experience
This section delves into customizing LibreOffice's interface to mimic Microsoft Office's look and feel. Nick explains how to change the theme and icon sizes for better visibility and usability. He also covers how to reorder icons and customize keyboard shortcuts. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of using Microsoft fonts for accurate document formatting when switching between the two office suites. It provides instructions for installing Microsoft fonts on Linux and setting them as default in LibreOffice to ensure document compatibility.
🖨️ Boosting LibreOffice's Usability and Compatibility
Nick continues by discussing how to make LibreOffice more usable and compatible with Microsoft Office. He suggests enabling all compatibility features, setting default fonts, and configuring document formats to Microsoft Office standards. The paragraph also touches on the importance of saving documents in Microsoft Office formats to facilitate sharing with users who primarily use Microsoft Office. Additionally, Nick mentions importing custom styles and templates from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice and introduces LibreOffice extensions that can further enhance compatibility and functionality.
🌐 Exploring Alternatives and Closing Thoughts
In the final paragraph, Nick acknowledges that despite the customizations and tweaks, LibreOffice may not be 100% compatible with all Microsoft Office documents, especially complex ones. He suggests using PDFs for universal compatibility when sharing documents that require only reading or signing. Nick also briefly mentions other office suite alternatives like OnlyOffice, WPS Office, and FreeOffice, noting their compatibility claims and open-source status. The paragraph concludes with a recommendation for Tuxedo Computers, a Linux-compatible hardware provider, and a call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and support the channel.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡LibreOffice
💡Microsoft Office
💡Ribbon Interface
💡Compatibility
💡Extensions
💡Font Compatibility
💡File Formats
💡Interface Customization
💡Security
💡Open Source
💡Themes
Highlights
LibreOffice can be made more compatible with Microsoft Office formats and work more like it.
Switching to a tabbed interface in LibreOffice mimics the ribbon interface of Microsoft Office.
LibreOffice allows customization of the user interface, including toolbars and icons.
Themes can be changed to improve icon visibility and user experience in LibreOffice.
Customizing keyboard shortcuts can enhance productivity in LibreOffice.
Installing Microsoft fonts in LibreOffice on Linux ensures document formatting compatibility.
LibreOffice can be configured to use Microsoft fonts by default for consistent formatting.
Enabling all compatibility features in LibreOffice improves document compatibility with Microsoft Office.
Forms created in LibreOffice Writer can be made fully compatible with Microsoft Word.
LibreOffice documents can be saved in Microsoft Office formats by default for easier sharing.
Custom styles and templates from Microsoft Office can be imported into LibreOffice.
LibreOffice extensions can add features like advanced find and replace, or media controls.
Extensions like Papito Cleaner can check for compatibility issues in documents.
LibreOffice Calc can have differences when compared to Microsoft Excel, especially with complex spreadsheets.
For documents intended for reading or signing, PDF format ensures compatibility.
Alternatives to Microsoft Office like OnlyOffice and WPS Office are mentioned for their compatibility.
Tuxedo Computers are recommended for Linux users seeking hardware compatibility out of the box.
Transcripts
hey everyone this is Nick and if you're
using Linux as your desktop or if you
just like free software chances are
you're using Library office as your
office suite and chances are you also
wished it worked more like Microsoft
Office or it was more compatible with
Microsoft Office formats hey Microsoft's
formats are open it's not their fault if
they Implement them in a way that
basically makes them incompatible with
the way their own standard is written
still today is your lucky day because
we're going to look at a ton of ways we
can make LibreOffice more compatible
with Microsoft Office and work more like
it and though it's not just moving to
the tabbed interface there's a lot more
that we can do so let's get started
right after I tell you how today's
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so remember how I said it wasn't going
to be just moving to the tabbed
interface in library office well we're
still going to look at how to do that
because by default Library office is
more Office 2003 than modern Microsoft
Office and while it's fine for some
people most people are now used to the
ribbon interface now fortunately this is
super easy to do in LibreOffice just
open any of the applications of The
Suite here is LibreOffice writer click
on The View menu then user interface by
default it's the standard menu bar and
toolbar combo but if you click on tabbed
you'll see that you can now use a ribbon
interface just like what Microsoft
Office uses there are other options as
well like a single toolbar for smaller
screens a sidebar more like what IBM
Lotus did back in the day a compact
tabbed variant that will be reminiscent
of Microsoft Office online and grouped
bars which puts the menu bar underneath
groups of icons now for our purposes
here select tab and click apply to all
this will make the ribbon interface the
default for all LibreOffice programs of
the suite so you don't have to repeat
this action for each app why this isn't
the default yet I don't really know
because I'm pretty sure that most people
are now used and are learning an office
suite with a ribbon interface which was
introduced with Office 2007 so 15 years
ago but hey at least you've got the
option next we'll look at the icons
depending on your system and your theme
and whether you use doc mode or not it's
possible that your icons can be black on
a black background and illegible we can
change that as well from the tabbed
interface click the main menu in the top
right corner and select options then
click the view menu and in the theme
drop down menu you will have plenty of
options Breeze is the default but if you
want something that looks more like
Microsoft Office select colebra or
sukapur
if you want something more like gnome
select the elementary theme and if you
want something symbolic the C4 theme is
for you you can also change the icon
size in the notebook bar drop down if
everything feels too small the SVG
variants of these icon themes will be
useful for example if you use fractional
scaling as the icons will scale better
and they are dark variants if you use
dark mode to make icons more legible on
a black background so just try them out
click apply to see how they look and
pick the one you prefer they will apply
to all programs in the suite and finally
if you really want to push it you can
also reorder any of the icons from any
of the tabs of the ribbon click the main
menu again and then customize then click
the notebook bar tab here you will see
the target drop down menu that lets you
select which tab you want to change you
can earn track icons you don't want to
see or reorder them by drag and drop if
you want you can spend some time
reordering the icons to be exactly in
the same order as as Microsoft Office I
personally would not do it because it
feels like a big waste of time but if
there are two or three actions that
don't really feel well placed and you
want to keep your muscle memory you can
always change them and you can also
change keyboard shortcuts in the
keyboard tab okay now that this is out
of the way let's make LibreOffice more
usable first are the fonts if you're
using Library office on Windows chances
are you already have the Microsoft fonts
installed if you're on Linux though
they're probably not there and you'll
probably want to use these phones just
to make sure that the documents you
create are the ones you edit respect the
formatting by default Linux and
LibreOffice use almost compatible fonts
which are almost exactly the same but
not perfectly Pixel Perfect so you will
need the Microsoft phones to ensure that
the formatting isn't lost or moved
around to install Microsoft fonts you'll
generally have a package in your distros
repositories provided you enable the
non-free software repos the package is
generally called ttf- Ms core phones or
ttf- Ms core phones Dash installer on
Ubuntu or Ubuntu based distros for
example you can open a terminal and run
sudo apt install ttf Dash Ms core fonts
Dash installer if you're using an
arch-based distro you can find it in
your graphical package manager through
the Aur and for Fedora I left a link in
the description of the video once you
have the fonts installed Library office
should detect them automatically if
that's not the case quit all LibreOffice
apps and reopen them
now you can open Office documents
without messing up the formatting and if
you want to use these phones by default
you can configure that as well click the
main menu then options then go to the
name of the app you're using here it's
Library office writer and select the
basic fonts tab here you can change the
defaults to the font you prefer like
calibri or Times New Roman or comic and
now let's apply a few tweaks to make
sure that documents you create or edit
are as compatible with Microsoft Office
as possible first you will want to
enable all compatibility features to do
that open the main menu then options in
the load and save tab click on Microsoft
Office and make sure all the checkboxes
are ticked generally they all are apart
from the smartart one which you should
also check
next in writer if you want to ensure
that forms you create are fully Word
compatible open the options menu again
then delivery office writer Tab and the
compatibility tab
click the reorganize form menu to have
it Microsoft compatible checkbox and
also tick the word compatible trailing
blanks check mark So Library office
automatically adds a space after a
paragraph like Microsoft Word does next
if you interact with Microsoft Office
users a lot you will want to send them
documents using the office formats click
on the general tab of the load save
panel and in always save as select Word
2007 365 docx then in the document type
drop down you can select spreadsheet and
change the always save as field to Excel
2007 365 xlsx and you can repeat that
step for presentations and the pptx
format this means that all your future
documents that you create using Library
office will use the Microsoft Office
formats now personally I prefer the odf
Open document format because they are
technically the standard everyone should
use and technically Microsoft Office is
able to open them but since everyone
mostly uses Microsoft Office formats
it's probably easier to just change the
default for you for what you create you
will also get an annoying pop-up when
saving using these formats you can
disable it by unchecking the warn when
not saving in odf or default format
checkbox in the same settings page we
used previously now if you also had
custom Styles and templates that you
used in Microsoft Office you can also
import them into Library office just
click the file tab in writer and then
templates there click the manage button
in the top right corner and click import
then you can select templates
presentations or Styles click the one
you want then OK and you will get a file
picker to go grab your templates or your
Styles if you're using Windows by
default these are located in your C
drive in users your username app data
roaming Microsoft and then templates or
quick styles for Styles and that's also
where you can grab them if you want to
make a backup of them now let's take a
look at extensions Library office lets
you install extensions to add features
to the suite you can head over to
extensions.librayoffice.org to view a
full list
there are plenty of excellent ones
including alt search which is a more
powerful find and replace tool for
LibreOffice writer you have multi-save
which lets you save files in multiple
formats at once like a PDF and a
Microsoft format for example or one of
the most useful to check for
compatibility called Papito cleaner this
will open a window with a list of all
formatting mistakes in your document
there's also transcriber which lets you
have play and pause buttons from media
files inside of LibreOffice which means
you can transcribe an interview without
switching apps back and forth all the
time for Library office calc you have
librew web which lets you fill the cells
of your spreadsheet with data sourced
from a web page or calendar which opens
a calendar pop-up to let you select a
date range and add it in ISO format
there are a ton of other great
extensions in their extensions portal
and there are also document templates
for cover letters or resumes or
everything else in between so check the
link in the description to see what you
might want to install or add now to
install extensions download them from
the extensions portal and you will get a
DOT oxt file then in LibreOffice click
the extensions tab then the extensions
menu and extension manager click the add
button and go find your oxt file to
import it after that these extensions
will all display their commands in the
extensions tab even with all these
tweaks and changes you need to know that
Library office will not be a hundred
percent fully compatible with all
Microsoft Office documents especially
for complex ones like giant reports with
tons of features or super complex data
sheets there will be discrepancies and
that's pretty normal but still it should
give you a very nice experience for
simple documents like the one you
regularly exchange with other co-workers
if you want to check the exact
differences between Microsoft Office and
LibreOffice there's a super complete
table that points out all of them I left
a link to it in the description below
generally writer is very very compatible
with word you shouldn't get major issues
impress is also very nicely compatible
with PowerPoint but calc will have the
biggest differences with Excel and also
remember these office formats are meant
to be edited if what you want the person
to do is just read or sign send a PDF
now you're sure that it's always always
compatible and that's what it's made for
still LibreOffice is probably one of the
most feature complete and compatible
options to replace Microsoft Office but
there are other options only office is
open source and generally more
compatible with Microsoft formats but it
doesn't have as many features as Library
office
you can also use WPS office or free
office which both boast perfect
Microsoft Office compatibility at least
on paper but they are not open source I
have a video comparing and listing all
these alternatives to Microsoft Office I
left a link to it in the description or
in the card up top I think it's right
there for YouTube viewers so hopefully
this video will help you ensure that
LibreOffice documents you create or edit
are as compatible with Microsoft Office
as possible and also it will help ensure
that you don't send broken stuff to your
co-workers too often and today's sponsor
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tuxedo laptop or desktop so thanks
everyone for watching the video I hope
you enjoyed it if you did you know what
to do just click like click subscribe
click the Bell leave a comment and if
you didn't like the video well you can
also click dislike and tell me why down
there in the comments and if you want to
help support the channel there's a super
thanks button down there on YouTube
there's a PayPal Link in the description
of the video and there are links to my
patreon memberships and YouTube
memberships both get access to a weekly
podcast on Monday where I talk about
Linux Tech open source my personal life
the channel my interest and you also get
to vote on the next topics that I'll
cover on the channel so both links are
in the description and in the meantime
thanks everyone for watching and I guess
you'll see me in the next one bye
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