Open Office supports document review features like commenting and track-changes, but it has no native cloud storage or email program. MS Office’s tight integration with OneDrive and Outlook allows you to easily share and work on files with others without leaving the respective program. Where Open Office diverges from Microsoft’s productivity suite is in collaboration. You can also export files to PDF from all three programs. But those instances usually only require minor tweaks to correct. Occasionally, it will hiccup as when it removed all the embedded images from a Word doc I had open. It does so flawlessly most of the time, even with complexly formatted documents like resumes and multi-column newsletters. Open Office has excellent compatibility with Office formats and can export to PDF from all three apps.īy default, Open Office uses the Open Document standard for native files, but you can change it to save to Microsoft formats, and it can read and write existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. That’s good news if you’re still sore over Microsoft’s decade-old UI makeover, but it can take some readjusting if you’re now accustomed to tabbing around your document and spreadsheet programs. The component programs make no concessions to the trendy ribbon interface, using only old-school menus and toolbars.

If you still remember how Microsoft Office looked circa 2003, Open Office’s interface will seem eerily familiar. This review is part of our roundup of best Microsoft Office alternatives. Go there for details on competing products and buying advice. It’s free to use on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. Open Office works with most Microsoft formats including DOCX, XLS, PPT, and XML.

The open source suite includes word processing (Write), spreadsheets (Calc), presentation (Impress), and database management (Base) programs, along with drawing and math apps that don’t have a direct Microsoft corollary. Open Office was the first legitimate free contender to Microsoft Office, though it has ceded that spotlight in recent years to alternatives like Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and its own spinoff product Libre Office.

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