libreoffice(1)

📦
version 26.8.1.1 · 2 versions
, in arch rolling, fedora 44, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

👑 libreoffice(1) — the manual, but make it make sense 💅

okay bestie, sit down, we're learning libreoffice from the manual page itself (it lives in the User Commands section of your man pages, iykyk). this is the whole thing, nothing skipped, just… with ✨vibes✨ now.

🌈 SYNOPSIS

no cap, this is the whole invocation shape. copy it exactly, don't freestyle:

libreoffice [--accept=accept-string] [--base] [--calc] [--cat file]
[--convert-to output_file_extension[:output_filter_name] [--outdir
output_dir] file]...  [--display display] [--draw] [--global]
[--headless] [--help|-h|-?] [--impress] [--invisible]
[--infilter="<filter>"] [--math] [--minimized] [-n file]...
[--nodefault] [--nolockcheck] [--nologo] [--norestore] [-o file]... [-p
file...]  [--print-to-file [--printer-name printer_name] [--outdir
output_dir] file]...  [--pt printername file...]  [--script-cat file]
[--show Impress file]... [--unaccept=accept-string]
[--terminate_after_init] [--view file]... [--web] [--writer]  [file...]
lobase
localc
lodraw
lofromtemplate
loimpress
lomath
loweb
lowriter

🦋 DESCRIPTION

LibreOffice (or just LO if you're close like that) is a multi-platform office productivity suite. it came from OpenOffice.org 3.3 Beta on September 28, 2010 — so it's giving legacy, but it's thriving, fr fr.

libreoffice is actually a shell script. its whole job is setting up the environment and handing your command line arguments over to the soffice.bin binary. like a little assistant doing the errands. 🫶

alternatively, these helper scripts start their own respective module:

sbase, scalc, sdraw, simpress, smath, sofficerc, swriter

✨ OPTIONS ✨

one bullet per flag, every single one, no skipping the "boring" ones because bestie there are no boring ones:

  • --accept=accept-string — gives you a UNO-URL connect-string that creates a UNO acceptor, so other programs can connect in and access the API. ⚠️ heads up: API access means arbitrary commands can be executed, so this is not a "teehee whatever" flag. the syntax of a UNO-URL connect-string is: uno:connection-type,params;protocol-name,params;ObjectName
  • --base — starts the wizard for a new Base document. 🧚
  • --calc — starts with a new Calc document. spreadsheet main character energy.
  • --cat file... — dumps the text content of the following files to the console (this implies --headless). can't be used with --convert-to. 🐈
  • --convert-to output_file_extension[:output_filter_name] [--outdir output_dir] file... — batch converts files. if --outdir isn't specified, the current working directory is used as the output directory for the converted files. it implies --headless.

examples, exactly as written:

--convert-to pdf *.doc

converts all .doc files to PDFs.

--convert-to pdf:writer_pdf_Export --outdir /home/user *.doc

converts all .doc files to PDFs using the settings in the Writer PDF export dialog, and saves them in /home/user.

  • --display display — specifies the X server to use; see X(7).
  • --draw — starts with a new Draw document. 🎨
  • --global — starts with a new Global document.
  • --headless — starts in "headless mode", which lets you use the application without a user interface.

this special mode is the one you want when the application is being controlled by external clients via the API.

it implies --invisible and strictly ignores any GUI environment. and just so you know: --quickstart does not work with this parameter.

  • --help|-h|-? — lists LibreOffice command line parameters. the classic cry for help, but make it official.
  • --impress — starts with a new Impress document. 🎤
  • --invisible — starts in invisible mode.

neither the start-up logo nor the initial program window will be visible. LO can be controlled and documents and dialogs can be opened via the API.

⚠️ when started with this parameter, it can only be quit using the taskmanager (Windows) or the kill command (UNIX based systems). so like… know what you're doing, bestie.

--quickstart does not work with this parameter.

  • --infilter="<filter>" — force an input filter type if possible. for example --infilter="Calc Office Open XML" only. (yes, that example really does just end there, that's the whole thing, we don't make the rules 💀)
  • --math — starts with a new Math document. ➗
  • --minimized — keeps the splash screen minimized.
  • -n template... — creates a new document from the given templates.
  • --nodefault — starts LO without creating a new document. the next time you start LO, the welcome screen is shown.

it's used together with --nologo by quick starters. also note that --quickstart has no longer been supported since OpenOffice.org 2.0.0. old news but important news.

  • --nolockcheck — disables the check for remote instances using the installation.
  • --nologo — disables the splash screen at program start. no logo, just vibes.
  • --norestore — disables restart and file recovery after a system crash. ngl this one is a lifesaver: it's possible that LO will try to restore a file it keeps crashing on, and if that happens, --norestore is the only way to start LO. 😭
  • --nosplash — disables the splash screen at program start.
  • -o file... — opens the given files for editing, even templates.

without -o, a template file would create a new document derived from that template instead.

  • -p file... — prints the given files to the default printer and ends. the splash screen does not appear.

if the file name contains spaces, it must be enclosed in quotation marks.

  • --print-to-file [--printer-name printer_name] [--outdir output_dir] file... — batch prints files to file. if --printer-name isn't specified, the default printer is used. if --outdir isn't specified, the current working directory is used as the output directory for the converted files.

examples, verbatim:

--print-to-file *.doc

prints all .doc files to the current working directory using the default printer.

--print-to-file --printer-name nasty_lowres_printer --outdir /home/user *.doc

prints all .doc files to the /home/user directory using the nasty_lowres_printer. iconic name honestly.

  • --pt printername file... — prints the given files to the printer printername and ends. the splash screen does not appear.

if a file name contains spaces, it must be enclosed in quotation marks.

  • --quickstart, --quickstart=no — starts LO with its quick starter. --quickstart disables the quick starter.

does not work with --invisible or --headless.

  • --script-cat file — dumps the text content of any scripts embedded in the files to console (this implies --headless). cannot be used with --convert-to.
  • --show Impress file... — opens the given Impress files, starts the presentation, and quits after they have finished. showtime, periodt. 🎬
  • --unaccept=accept-string — closes an acceptor that was created with the --accept option.

use --unaccept=all to close all open acceptors.

  • --terminate_after_init — starts LO and terminates after it registers some UNO services. doesn't show the splash during startup.
  • --view file... — opens the given files read-only, creating a temporary copy of them at $TMPDIR. 👀
  • --web — starts with a new HTML document.
  • --writer — starts with a new Writer document. ✍️

🩹 TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS

for more details on how to report bugs in LibreOffice, see http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport. (yes, go tell them, they wanna know 💜)

👀 SEE ALSO

http://www.documentfoundation.org/

🫶 AUTHOR

this manual page was created by Rene Engelhard <rene@debian.org> for the Debian GNU/Linux Distribution, because the original package does not have one. it was updated for Novell by Petr Mladek <petr.mladek@novell.com> and adapted for LibreOffice by Philipp Weissenbacher <philipp.weissenbacher@gmail.com>.

and that's the whole page, bestie — LibreOffice, dated 2010-12-18, and this is the libreoffice(1) manual. go forth and convert some files. slay. 💖✨

📦 where this page comes from