LibreOffice is a complete, free, open-source office suite for Windows, macOS and Linux. It includes Writer for documents, Calc for spreadsheets, Impress for presentations, plus Draw, Base and Math. It reads and writes Microsoft's .docx, .xlsx and .pptx formats, so you can work with files from colleagues who use Office. There is no subscription, no account and no advertising.
Why Choose LibreOffice Over Microsoft Office?
Microsoft 365 is a recurring bill per user, per year, forever. LibreOffice is free permanently — install it on as many machines as you like, at home or across an office, with no licence to count and no renewal date.
It handles Microsoft formats directly, which is the question everyone actually asks. A .docx from a client opens in Writer, an .xlsx opens in Calc, and you can save back into those formats so the person on the other end never knows. Straightforward documents and spreadsheets round-trip cleanly.
Be realistic about the edges: a heavily designed Word document with complex layout, or an Excel workbook built on advanced macros and pivot features, can shift on conversion. If your job depends on Excel macros specifically, test before committing. For letters, reports, invoices, budgets and presentations, it is a straight replacement. Also compare LibreOffice vs Apache OpenOffice, which is the other name people meet.
LibreOffice Features
- Six applications — Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math, so one free office suite covers documents, spreadsheets, slides, diagrams and databases
- Reads and writes .docx, .xlsx and .pptx, plus the open ODF formats and legacy .doc and .xls files
- Exports PDF directly from every application, with no add-in required
- Works entirely offline — no account, no cloud requirement and nothing uploaded
- No subscription and no per-seat licence, which is what makes it practical for a school, NGO or small office
- Runs on older hardware and on Linux, where Microsoft Office has no native version at all
- Actively maintained by The Document Foundation, a non-profit, with regular releases
How to Install LibreOffice on Windows
- Ask for the official link. Use the request button on this page and we send you the current libreoffice.org address — the only safe LibreOffice download.
- Choose the recommended build. The site offers a stable release and a newer feature release. Take the stable one for a work machine; take the newer one only if you want the latest features and can tolerate the occasional rough edge.
- Run the installer and accept the defaults. Nothing extra is bundled.
- Set your default save format. Tools → Options → Load/Save → General. If you exchange files with Microsoft Office users, set documents to save as .docx and spreadsheets as .xlsx so you never have to remember at save time.
- Open your real files. Test with a document and a spreadsheet you actually use, not a blank page — that tells you in two minutes whether it fits your work.
Downloading LibreOffice in India
LibreOffice is the same worldwide and ships with Indian language support built in — no separate India edition, no regional licence, nothing to pay. A LibreOffice download in India pulls the identical package from libreoffice.org.
For schools, small offices and startups, this is the single largest software cost that can be removed outright. There is no per-seat licence to count and no renewal, so a free office suite for Windows here means free permanently rather than free for a trial period.
Is LibreOffice really free?
Open Source. Source code is public; free to use, study and modify. You can download and use it without paying, and without creating an account with us.
How to download LibreOffice safely
Use the request button on this page and we will email you the current link for www.libreoffice.org — the publisher's own website — so you receive the authentic, digitally signed build. We do not host, mirror, patch or repackage this software in any way.
Avoid third-party "download manager" sites offering LibreOffice. They commonly wrap the genuine installer in their own bundler, which is how adware and browser hijackers get onto a machine that the user believed was clean.
Alternatives to LibreOffice
Other free office & productivity software worth comparing before you decide:
Apache OpenOffice
The original open-source office suite.
View details
ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors
The office suite with the closest Microsoft Office compatibility.
View details
WPS Office
Polished, lightweight office suite with a strong mobile version.
View details
Obsidian
Linked note-taking over plain Markdown files you own.
View detailsSee all LibreOffice alternatives compared →
Compare LibreOffice head-to-head
- LibreOffice vs Apache OpenOffice
- LibreOffice vs ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors
- LibreOffice vs WPS Office
- LibreOffice vs Obsidian
Frequently asked questions
Is LibreOffice really free for commercial use?
Yes. LibreOffice is open source under the MPL, free for personal, educational and commercial use alike. You can install it across a business with no licence count and no payment.
Can LibreOffice open Word and Excel files?
Yes. It opens and saves .docx, .xlsx and .pptx, along with the older .doc and .xls formats. Ordinary documents and spreadsheets transfer cleanly in both directions.
Is LibreOffice the same as OpenOffice?
No, though they share an ancestor. LibreOffice was forked from OpenOffice in 2010 and has been developed far more actively since. For a new installation today, LibreOffice is the better-maintained choice.
Does LibreOffice work without internet?
Completely. It is desktop software that installs and runs offline. There is no account, no cloud requirement and no telemetry needed to use it.
Will my Excel macros work in LibreOffice?
Not reliably. Calc has its own Basic macro language and can import many VBA macros, but complex Excel automation often needs rework. If your workflow depends heavily on macros, test with your real workbooks before switching.
Tell us what went wrong — a person reads every message and replies. Corrections to this page are treated as priority fixes.
People also search for
The terms visitors use to find this page. Each one lands here because it describes the same program.
Searches from India
LibreOffice is identical worldwide — these are search phrasings, not different downloads. Every one of them gets the same official build from www.libreoffice.org.