All the ‘tips of the day’ LibreOffice
November 29, 2021
On this page, I have collected all the “Tips of the Day” that LibreOffice displays once a day when the program starts.
A few notes:
- the lines are taken from the latest version of the program and will be updated as new versions of LibreOffice are released
- in some tips the text or link is missing – I checked the source code files – there the text is the same
- some numbers are missing – apparently, this is due to the fact that “Tips of the Day” is constantly updated. For example, in the previous version of the program there were more than 300, and in the last at the time of writing, a little more than 200
If you have your own interesting tips on using LibreOffice, then share them in the comments!
| # | Tips |
|---|---|
| Tip # 1 | LibreOffice offers a variety of user interface options to make you feel at home |
| Tip # 2 | Need to allow changes to parts of a read-only document in Writer? Insert frames or sections that can authorize changes. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/section_edit.html |
| Tip # 3 | To print the notes of your slides go to File ▸ Print ▸ Impress tab and select Notes under Document ▸ Type. |
| Tip # 4 | To start temporarily with a fresh user profile, or to restore a non-working LibreOffice, use Help ▸ Restart in Safe Mode. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/01/profile_safe_mode.html |
| Tip # 5 | Writing a book? LibreOffice master document lets you manage large documents as a container for individual LibreOffice Writer files. |
| Tip # 6 | You can create editable Hybrid PDFs with LibreOffice. https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/HowTo/CreateAHybridPDF |
| Tip # 7 | Explore the ten different functions in the status bar (at the bottom of the document window). Place the cursor over each field for an explanation. If not visible, use View ▸ Status Bar. |
| Tip # 8 | Want to sum a cell through several sheets? Refer to the range of sheets e.g. =SUM(Sheet1.A1:Sheet3.A1). |
| Tip # 9 | You can create fillable form documents (even PDFs) with LibreOffice. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-create-interactive-pdfs-with-libreoffice |
| Tip # 10 | Cannot see all the text in a cell? Expand the input line in the formula bar and you can scroll. |
| Tip # 11 | Optimize your table layout with Table ▸ Size ▸ Distribute Rows / Columns Evenly. |
| Tip # 12 | Find all expressions in brackets per Edit ▸ Find and Replace ▸ Find ▸ \([^)]+\) (check “Regular expressions”) |
| Tip # 13 | Select a different icon set from Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ View ▸ User Interface ▸ Icon style. |
| Tip # 14 | You can display a number as a fraction (0.125 = 1/8): Format ▸ Cells, Number ▸ Fraction. |
| Tip # 15 | To remove a hyperlink but keep its text, right-click on the hyperlink, and use “Remove Hyperlink”. |
| Tip # 16 | To remove several hyperlinks at once, select the text with the hyperlinks, then right-click and use “Remove Hyperlink”. |
| Tip # 17 | To zoom a selection to fit the entire window in Draw, use the / (divide key) on the number pad. |
| Tip # 18 | Click a column field (row) PivotTable and press F12 to group data. Choices adapt to content: Date (month, quarter, year), number (classes) |
| Tip # 19 | You can restart the slide show after a pause specified at Slide Show ▸ Slide Show Settings ▸ Loop and repeat. |
| Tip # 20 | To distribute some text in multi-columns select the text and apply Format ▸ Columns. |
| Tip # 21 | Use View ▸ Value Highlighting to display cell contents in colors: Text/black, Formulas/green, Numbers/blue, Protected cells/grey background. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/03080000.html |
| Tip # 22 | You can create different master pages in a presentation template: View ▸ Master Slide and Slide ▸ New Master (or per toolbar or right click in slide pane). |
| Tip # 23 | Want to sort a pivot table? Click on drop-list’s arrow in the row/col header and select sort method: ascending, descending, or custom. |
| Tip # 24 | Display photos or images with different shapes in Writer. Insert and select shape, then Insert ▸ Image. To adjust image, right-click on selected shape and choose Area. |
| Tip # 25 | Use Page/Slide ▸ Properties ▸ “Fit object to paper format” in Draw/Impress to resize the objects so that they fit on your chosen paper format. |
| Tip # 26 | Fit the entire page in a Draw window, use * on the number pad. |
| Tip # 27 | In a Draw page, use “-” to zoom out; “+” to zoom in. |
| Tip # 28 | Want to show the contents of another document within your document? Use Insert ▸ Section and select Link. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/section_insert.html#par_id3153404 |
| Tip # 29 | To automatically number table rows in Writer, select the relevant column, then apply a List Style. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/01/05130004.html |
| Tip # 30 | LibreOffice allows you to use assistive tools, such as external screen readers, Braille devices or speech recognition input devices. https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/accessibility/ |
| Tip # 31 | Want to sort a series in LibreOffice Calc such as A1, A2, A3, A11, A15, not in alphabetical order but on the number? Enable natural sort in the Options tab. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/12030200.html |
| Tip # 32 | You can change the default function in the status bar: right click on the area. |
| Tip # 33 | Want to add many of the same shapes in Draw/Impress? Double-click a tool in the drawing toolbar to use it for repeated tasks. |
| Tip # 34 | CTRL+Shift+F9 recalculates all formulas in all spreadsheets. |
| Tip # 35 | Want to keep a part of an editable document as read-only? Insert ▸ Section. Add text to the section, then right-click “Edit Section” and check “Protect”. |
| Tip # 36 | Use the Backspace key instead of Delete in Calc. You can choose what to delete. |
| Tip # 37 | Best way to fix bad-looking MS Word table cells via Table ▸ Size ▸ Optimal Row Height / Column Width. |
| Tip # 38 | To repeat a table heading when a table spans over a page, use Table ▸ Table Properties ▸ Text Flow ▸ Repeat heading. |
| Tip # 39 | To quickly insert or delete rows, select the desired number of rows (or columns) and press CTRL+ to add or CTRL- to delete. |
| Tip # 40 | To repeat rows/columns on every pages use Format ▸ Print Ranges ▸ Edit. |
| Tip # 41 | Insert images and photos into shapes in Draw and Impress. Right-click on a shape, choose Area ▸ Image ▸ Add/Import, and use Options to adjust appearance. |
| Tip # 42 | Need to insert the date in a spreadsheet cell? Type CTRL+; or Shift+CTRL+; to insert the time. |
| Tip # 43 | Insert your metadata in your document with Insert ▸ Fields ▸ More Fields… ▸ Document or DocInformation. |
| Tip # 44 | Get help from the community via the Ask portal. https://ask.libreoffice.org/ |
| Tip # 45 | Use Shift+Space to select the current row and CTRL+Space to select the current column. |
| Tip # 46 | You can move an object to another layer by holding it until its edges flash, then drag it to the tab of the layer you want to move it to. |
| Tip # 47 | Data ▸ Validity allows you to create drop-down lists where the user selects a value instead of typing. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/guide/validity.html |
| Tip # 48 | Hold down CTRL and turn the mouse wheel to change the zoom factor. |
| Tip # 49 | LibreOffice has great extensions to increase your productivity—check them out. https://extensions.libreoffice.org/ |
| Tip # 50 | Want to count words for just one particular paragraph style? Use Edit ▸ Find and Replace, click Paragraph Styles, select the style in Find, and click Find All. Read the result in the status bar. |
| Tip # 51 | Generate fully customized PDF documents with the exact format, image compression, comments, access rights, password, etc., via File ▸ Export as PDF. |
| Tip # 52 | Writer includes LibreLogo: simple Logo-like programming environment with turtle vector graphics, DTP and graphic design. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/librelogo/LibreLogo.html |
| Tip # 53 | Construct your own 2D shapes in Draw. Select two or more objects, and explore possibilities with Shape ▸ Combine, Shape ▸ Merge, Shape ▸ Subtract, and Shape ▸ Intersect. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/sdraw/guide/combine_etc.html |
| Tip # 54 | Do you plan to change your computer and want to recover your customizations? See: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/UserProfile |
| Tip # 55 | You can toggle between the field names and the actual value with View ▸ Fields Names (or CTRL+F9). |
| Tip # 56 | Show or hide comments in Writer by clicking the comment toggle button in the ruler. |
| Tip # 57 | To enable macro recording, check Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ Advanced ▸ Enable macro recording. |
| Tip # 58 | Want to insert a placeholder for an image in a Writer template? Use Insert ▸ Fields ▸ More fields, click Functions tab, choose PlaceHolder for Type and Image for Format. |
| Tip # 59 | LibreOffice supports four macro security levels (from low to very high) and trusted sources. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/optionen/01030300.html |
| Tip # 60 | Did you know that you can attach comments to portions of text? Just use the shortcut CTRL+ALT+C. |
| Tip # 61 | Need to move one or more paragraphs? No need to cut and paste: Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+ALT+Arrow (Up/Down) |
| Tip # 62 | Change the basic fonts for the predefined template or current document per Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Writer ▸ Basic Fonts. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/optionen/01040300.html |
| Tip # 63 | Want to find words containing more than 10 characters? Edit ▸ Find and Replace ▸ Search ▸ [a-z]{10,} ▸ Other Options ▸ check Regular expressions. |
| Tip # 64 | Open a CSV file as a new sheet in the current spreadsheet via Sheet ▸ Sheet from file. |
| Tip # 65 | Typing in bold, italics, or underlined in Writer you can continue with the default attributes using just the shortcut CTRL+Shift+X (remove direct character formats). |
| Tip # 66 | Use CTRL+ALT+Shift+V to paste the contents of the clipboard as unformatted text. |
| Tip # 67 | Customize footnote appearance with Tools ▸ Footnotes and Endnotes… |
| Tip # 68 | With Slide Show ▸ Custom Slide Show, reorder and pick slides to fit a slideshow to the needs of your viewers. |
| Tip # 69 | Want to change spell checking for some part of the text? Click in the language zone of the status bar or better, apply a style. |
| Tip # 70 | Writer can insert a blank page between two odd (even) pages that follow. Check “Print automatically inserted blank pages” in the print dialog’s LibreOffice Writer tab. |
| Tip # 71 | You do not want to print all columns? Hide or group the ones you do not need. |
| Tip # 72 | To modify an AutoPlay presentation, open it and after it starts, right click and select Edit in the context menu. |
| Tip # 73 | Need to precisely position? ALT+arrow Keys move objects (shapes, pictures, formulas) by one pixel. |
| Tip # 74 | Embedded help is available by pressing F1, if you have installed it. Otherwise check online at: https://help.libreoffice.org/ |
| Tip # 75 | Right-click in the status bar in LibreOffice Calc and select “Selection count” to display the number of selected cells. |
| Tip # 76 | Want to have two or more columns for just a part of a LibreOffice Writer page? Insert ▸ Section, set with Columns tab, and place text in that section. |
| Tip # 77 | Use Data ▸ Statistics for sampling, descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation, and much more in LibreOffice Calc. |
| Tip # 78 | You can copy from one sheet to another without the clipboard. Select the area to copy, CTRL+click the target sheet’s tab and use Sheet ▸ Fill Cells ▸ Fill Sheets. |
| Tip # 79 | You can change the look of LibreOffice via Tools ▸ Options ▸ View ▸ User Interface. |
| Tip # 80 | In LibreOffice Impress, use Insert ▸ Media ▸ Photo Album to create a slideshow from a series of pictures with the “Photo Album” feature. |
| Tip # 81 | You can show formulas instead of results with View ▸ Show Formula (or Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Calc ▸ View ▸ Display ▸ Formulas). |
| Tip # 82 | LibreOffice is developed by a friendly community, made up of hundreds of contributors around the world. Join us with your skills beyond coding. https://www.libreoffice.org/community/get-involved/ |
| Tip # 83 | Left-handed? Enable Tools ▸ Options ▸ Language Settings ▸ Languages ▸ Asian and check Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Writer ▸ View ▸ Ruler ▸ Right-aligned, which displays the scrollbar to the left. |
| Tip # 84 | Want your chapter titles to always begin a page? Edit Heading1 (paragraph style) ▸ Text Flow ▸ Breaks and check Insert ▸ Page ▸ Before. |
| Tip # 85 | Date/time value is just a number of days since a chosen day zero; in the number, integer part represents date, and fractional part is time (elapsed part of a day), with 0.5 representing noon. |
| Tip # 86 | Shift+CTRL+Del deletes from cursor to the end of the current sentence. |
| Tip # 87 | Use column or row labels in formulas. For example, if you have two columns, “Time” and “KM”, use =Time/KM to get minutes per kilometer. |
| Tip # 88 | Annoyed by the “marching ants” around cells in Calc? Press escape to stop them; the copied content will remain available for pasting. |
| Tip # 89 | Want to become a LibreOffice Ambassador? There are certifications for developers, admins, and trainers. https://www.documentfoundation.org/certification/program/ |
| Tip # 90 | Mix portrait and landscape orientations in a Calc spreadsheet by applying different page styles on sheets. |
| Tip # 91 | Click on the special character icon in the toolbar to get quick access to favorite and recent characters to insert. |
| Tip # 92 | Choose “Hierarchical View” in the Styles sidebar to see the relation between styles. |
| Tip # 93 | You can use styles to make the tables in your document consistent. Choose one from the predefined per Styles (F11) or via Table ▸ AutoFormat. |
| Tip # 94 | Configure use of the CTRL key to open hyperlinks? Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ Security ▸ Options ▸ “CTRL+click required to open hyperlinks”. |
| Tip # 95 | You would like to view the calculation of individual elements of a formula, select the respective elements and press F9. |
| Tip # 96 | You can protect cells with Format ▸ Cells ▸ Protection. To prevent insert, delete, rename, move/copy of sheets use Tools ▸ Protect Sheet. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/guide/cell_protect.html |
| Tip # 97 | Write along a curve? Draw the line, double click, type the text, Format ▸ Text Box and Shape ▸ Fontwork. |
| Tip # 98 | Want to display only the highest values in a spreadsheet? Select menu Data ▸ AutoFilter, click the drop-down arrow, and choose “Top10”. |
| Tip # 99 | To remove the page number from your table of contents go to Insert ▸ Table of Contents (or right-click and Edit the previously inserted index). In the Entries tab delete the page number (#) from Structure line. |
| Tip # 100 | With the Navigator you can select & move up/down headings and the text below the heading, in the Navigator and in the document. |
| Tip # 101 | To quickly get a math object in Writer type your formula, mark it, and use Insert ▸ Object ▸ Formula to convert the text. |
| Tip # 102 | With LibreOffice it is very easy to install a new dictionary: they are supplied as extensions. https://extensions.libreoffice.org/?q=&Tags[]=50 |
| Tip # 103 | LibreOffice has a portable version which gives you mobility. Even without administrator rights on your computer you can install LibreOffice Portable to your hard drive too. https://www.libreoffice.org/download/portable-versions/ |
| Tip # 104 | Writer lets you number your footnotes per page, chapter, document: Tools ▸ Footnotes and Endnotes ▸ Footnotes tab ▸ Counting. |
| Tip # 105 | Your Writer document does not reopen with the text cursor at the same editing position it was when you saved it? Add First or Last name in Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ User Data ▸ First/last name. |
| Tip # 106 | Citation management? Use a 3rd party extension. https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Referencing_Systems_in_LibreOffice |
| Tip # 107 | Want to insert a value in the same place on several sheets? Select the sheets: hold down CTRL key and click their tabs before entering. |
| Tip # 108 | Want to hide some text in a document? Select the text. Insert ▸ Section, and select “Hide”. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/hidden_text.html#hd_id3148675 |
| Tip # 109 | You can customize the middle mouse button per Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ View ▸ Middle Mouse button. |
| Tip # 110 | Want to print two portrait pages on a landscape one (reducing A4 to A5)? File ▸ Print and select 2 at “Pages per sheet”. |
| Tip # 111 | For quick access to your document bookmarks, right-click on the page number of the status bar (lower-left corner of document window). |
| Tip # 112 | Select an object in the document background via the Select tool in the Drawing toolbar to surround the object to select. |
| Tip # 113 | Define texts that you often use as AutoText. You will be able to insert them by their name, shortcut or toolbar in any Writer document. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/autotext.html |
| Tip # 114 | Play music throughout a slideshow by assigning the sound to the first slide transition without clicking the “Apply to All Slides” button. |
| Tip # 115 | LibreOffice Calc does not calculate from left to right but respects the order Parentheses – Exponents – Multiplication – Division – Addition – Subtraction. |
| Tip # 116 | Get LibreOffice documentation and free user guide books at: https://documentation.libreoffice.org/ |
| Tip # 117 | Want to remove all <> at once and keep the text inside? Edit ▸ Find and Replace: Search = [<>], Replace = blank and check “Regular expressions” under Other options. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/01/02100001.html |
| Tip # 118 | Need to present a report written with Writer? File ▸ Send ▸ Outline to Presentation automatically creates a slideshow from the outline. |
| Tip # 119 | Want to manage the presentation of hyperlinks in a spreadsheet? Insert them with the HYPERLINK function. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/04060109.html |
| Tip # 120 | Uncheck Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Calc ▸ View ▸ Zoom: “Synchronize sheets” so that each sheet in Calc has its own zoom factor. |
| Tip # 121 | You can set a color for each tab: right-click the tab or use Sheet ▸ Sheet Tab Color. |
| Tip # 122 | Trace cells used in a formula, precedents (Shift+F9) or dependents (Shift+F5) (or use Tools ▸ Detective). For each hit you go one more step in the chain. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/06030000.html |
| Tip # 123 | Insert and number your formulas in one step: type fn then F3. An AutoText is inserted with formula and number aligned in a table. |
| Tip # 124 | You can create an illustration index from object names, not only from captions. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/01/05190000.html |
| Tip # 125 | Use your Android or iPhone to remotely control your Impress presentation. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/simpress/guide/impress_remote.html |
| Tip # 126 | Want to know how many days there are in the current month? Use the DAYSINMONTH(TODAY()) function. |
| Tip # 127 | Your numbers are displayed as ### in your spreadsheet? The column is too narrow to display all digits. |
| Tip # 128 | Enable massive parallel calculations of formula cells via Tools ▸ Options ▸ OpenCL. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/optionen/opencl.html |
| Tip # 129 | Use the Connector tool from the Drawing toolbar in Draw/Impress to create nice flow charts and optionally copy/paste the object into Writer. |
| Tip # 130 | Your donations support our worldwide community. https://www.libreoffice.org/donate/ |
| Tip # 131 | You want to add x months to a date? Use =EDATE(date;months). https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/func_edate.html |
| Tip # 132 | To select a contiguous range of cells containing data and bounded by empty row and columns use CTRL+* (numeric key pad). |
| Tip # 133 | Your date acceptance pattern is inappropriate? Use Tools ▸ Options ▸ Language Settings ▸ Language ▸ Date acceptance patterns to tweak the pattern. |
| Tip # 134 | Want to export formulas to CSV? File ▸ Save As ▸ Type:Text CSV, check “Edit filter settings”, and check “Save cell formulas” in the next dialog. |
| Tip # 135 | The presenter console is a great feature when working with LibreOffice Impress. Have you checked it out? https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/simpress/guide/presenter_console.html |
| Tip # 136 | To delete multiple comments, select cells with comments and use Sheet ▸ Cell Comments ▸ Delete Comment. |
| Tip # 137 | Easily convert your documents to PDF with one click by clicking on the PDF icon in the toolbar. |
| Tip # 138 | Want to select a large range of cells without scrolling? Type the range reference (e.g. A1:A1000) in the name box then Enter. |
| Tip # 139 | Want to know the valid command line parameters? Start soffice with --help or -h or -? https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/guide/start_parameters.html |
| Tip # 140 | Fit your sheet or print ranges to a page with Format ▸ Page ▸ Sheet Tab ▸ Scaling Mode. |
| Tip # 141 | Need to include a list item without a bullet or number? Use “Insert Unnumbered Entry” in the Bullets and Numbering toolbar. |
| Tip # 142 | You can rotate cells table orientation with Table ▸ Properties… ▸ Text Flow ▸ Text orientation. |
| Tip # 143 | In LibreOffice Draw to change the 0/0 point of the rulers, drag the intersection of the two rulers in the top left corner into the workspace. |
| Tip # 144 | Move a column in Calc between two others in one step? Click the header then a cell in the column, keep mouse button and move to the target with ALT key. |
| Tip # 145 | Automatically mark alphabetical index entries using a concordance file. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/indices_index.html |
| Tip # 146 | Use Format ▸ Align (or the context menu) for precise positioning of objects in Draw/Impress: it centers on the page if one object is selected or works on the group respectively. |
| Tip # 147 | Do not use tabs to space items on a Writer document. Depending on what you are trying to do, a borderless table can be a better choice. |
| Tip # 148 | No need to scroll through the list at Tools ▸ Customize ▸ Keyboard to find a shortcut: just type it. |
| Tip # 149 | LibreOffice can automatically add a numbered caption when you insert objects. See Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Writer ▸ AutoCaption. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/optionen/01041100.html |
| Tip # 150 | With LibreOffice you can use your Google Mail account to do a mail merge. Fill in Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Writer ▸ Mail Merge Email. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/form_letters_main.html |
| Tip # 151 | Keep column headers of a sheet visible when scrolling lines via View ▸ Freeze Cells ▸ Freeze First Row. |
| Tip # 152 | You want to start working with Basic macros? Take a look at the examples under Tools ▸ Macros ▸ Edit Macros. |
| Tip # 153 | Apply Heading paragraph styles in Writer with shortcut keys: CTRL+1 applies Heading 1, CTRL+2 applies Heading 2, etc. |
| Tip # 154 | Do not get lost in large documents. Use the Navigator (F5) to find your way through the content. |
| Tip # 155 | Edit ▸ Find and Replace lets you insert special characters directly: right click in input fields or press Shift+CTRL+S. |
| Tip # 156 | Need custom contents for metadata properties? File ▸ Properties ▸ Custom Properties tab lets you create what you want. |
| Tip # 157 | Want to see, but not print, an object in Draw? Draw it on a layer for which the “Printable” flag is not set (right click on the tab and “Modify Layer”). |
| Tip # 158 | To insert the current date in your document, use Insert ▸ Field ▸ Date. |
| Tip # 159 | Got many images in your Writer document? Speed up the display by disabling View ▸ Images and charts. |
| Tip # 160 | Use Sheet ▸ Fill Cells ▸ Random Number to generate a random series based on various distributions. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/ru/text/scalc/01/02140700.html |
| Tip # 161 | Rename your slides in Impress to help you define “Go to page” interactions and to have a summary more explicit than Slide1, Slide2… |
| Tip # 162 | Chapter numbering dialog lets you set text to be displayed before the chapter number. For example, type “Chapter ” to display “Chapter 1” |
| Tip # 163 | Transpose a Writer table? Copy and paste in Calc, transpose with copy/paste special then copy/paste special ▸ Formatted text in Writer. |
| Tip # 164 | To get the “Vertical Text” tool in the Drawing toolbar, check Tools ▸ Options ▸ Language Settings ▸ Languages ▸ Default languages ▸ Asian (and make the button visible with right-click). |
| Tip # 165 | To quickly zoom in on range selection, right click on the zoom part of the status bar and choose Optimal. |
| Tip # 166 | You can sign existing PDF files and also verify those signatures. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/guide/digital_signatures.html |
| Tip # 167 | Often create one document from another? Consider using a template. |
| Tip # 168 | Use Format ▸ Conditional Formatting ▸ Manage in Calc to find out which cells have been defined with conditional formatting. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/05120000.html |
| Tip # 169 | Tools ▸ Detective ▸ Mark Invalid Data highlights all cells in the sheet that contain values outside the validation rules. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/06030800.html |
| Tip # 170 | Use font embedding for greater interoperability with other office suites at File ▸ Properties ▸ Font. |
| Tip # 171 | To convert a formula into static values you do not need to copy/paste; use Data ▸ Calculate ▸ Formula to Value. |
| Tip # 172 | You can reformat all comments in a document by clicking the down arrow in a comment and choose “Format all Comments”. |
| Tip # 173 | Want the same layout for the screen display and printing? Check Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Calc ▸ General ▸ Use printer metrics for text formatting. |
| Tip # 174 | Writer helps you to make backups: with File ▸ Save a Copy you create a new document continuing to work on the original. |
| Tip # 175 | When you have created a Style based on another, you can enter a percentage value or a point value (e.g. 110% or −2pt or +5pt). |
| Tip # 176 | To copy a comment without losing the content of the target cell you should use Paste Special and uncheck everything except “Comments” in dialog. Use Operations “Add” to not override existing content. |
| Tip # 177 | Batch convert your MS Office documents to OpenDocument format by the Document Converter wizard in menu File ▸ Wizards ▸ Document converter. |
| Tip # 178 | When editing a cell in place, you can right click and Insert fields: Date, Sheet name, Document title, etc. |
| Tip # 179 | Need to move a Writer table? Table ▸ Select ▸ Table and Insert ▸ Frame ▸ Frame and move where you want. |
| Tip # 180 | With Tools ▸ AutoText ▸ AutoText ▸ Import you can select a Word document or a template containing the AutoText entries that you want to import. |
| Tip # 181 | Do not insert manual breaks to separate two paragraphs. Rather change Indents & Spacing ▸ Spacing ▸ Below paragraph at the style/paragraph properties. |
| Tip # 182 | Keep the zeros before a number by using the “leading zeroes” cell format option or format the cell as text before entering the number. |
| Tip # 183 | Want to return to default after applying a list style? Click Bullets or Numbering On/Off tool on the Formatting toolbar. |
| Tip # 184 | Delete all of your printing areas in one step: select all sheets, then Format ▸ Print Ranges ▸ Clear. |
| Tip # 185 | Add background images to spreadsheets via Insert ▸ Image or drag a background from the Gallery, then Format ▸ Arrange ▸ To Background. |
| Tip # 186 | Having trouble pasting text from PDF files or webpages into documents? Try to paste as unformatted text (CTRL+ALT+Shift+V). |
| Tip # 187 | In Calc use TRIMMEAN() to return the mean of a data set excluding the highest and lowest values. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/04060182.html?DbPAR=CALC#bm_id3152966 |
| Tip # 188 | The 4th optional parameter of VLOOKUP Calc function indicates whether the first column of data is sorted. If not, enter FALSE or zero. |
| Tip # 189 | Toolbars are contextual—they open depending on the context. If you do not want that, uncheck them from View ▸ Toolbars. |
| Tip # 190 | You can create a master document from the current Writer document by using File ▸ Send ▸ Create Master Document. |
| Tip # 191 | Want to center cells on a printed page in Calc? Format ▸ Page, Page ▸ Layout settings ▸ Table alignment. |
| Tip # 192 | Frames can be linked so that the text can flow from one to the other as in desktop publishing. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/text_frame.html |
| Tip # 193 | You can create a chart based on a Writer table by clicking in the table and choosing Insert ▸ Chart. |
| Tip # 194 | Select options in Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Writer ▸ Formatting Aids ▸ Display to specify which non-printing characters are displayed. |
| Tip # 195 | Want to jump to a particular page by its number? Click the left-most statusbar entry or use Edit ▸ Go To Page… or press CTRL+G. |
| Tip # 196 | LibreOffice supports over 150 languages. https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Language_support_of_LibreOffice |
| Tip # 197 | Uncheck Slide Show ▸ Settings ▸ Presentation always on top if you need another program displays its window to the front of your presentation. |
| Tip # 198 | Want to find the words in bold in a Writer document? Edit ▸ Find and Replace ▸ Other options ▸ Attributes ▸ Font weight. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/finding.html |
| Tip # 199 | You can sort paragraphs or table rows alphabetically or numerically per Tools ▸ Sort. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/01/06100000.html |
| Tip # 200 | To insert a paragraph before (after) a section, press ALT+Enter at the beginning (end) of the section. |
| Tip # 201 | LibreOffice has a template center to create good looking documents—check it out. https://extensions.libreoffice.org/?q=&Tags[]=118 |
| Tip # 202 | Calculate loan repayments with Calc: eg. PMT(2%/12;36;2500) interest rate per payment period 2%/12, 36 months, loan amount 2500. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/04060119.html?DbPAR=CALC#bm_id3149577 |
| Tip # 203 | Cannot find what you want with the VLOOKUP function in Calc? With INDEX and MATCH you can do anything! https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/01/04060109.html |
| Tip # 204 | Want to show hidden column A? Click a cell in column B, press the left mouse button, move the mouse to the left, release. Then switch it on via Format ▸ Columns ▸ Show. |
| Tip # 205 | To change the number of a page in Writer, go to the properties of the first paragraph and at the Text Flow tab check Break ▸ Insert and enter the number. |
| Tip # 206 | Run LibreOffice in any browser via rollApp. https://www.rollapp.com/app/lowriter |
| Tip # 207 | Strange error code in Calc, Err: followed by a number? This page gives the explanation: https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/05/02140000.html |
| Tip # 208 | Include a paragraph that is not a title in the table of contents by changing Outline & Numbering in the paragraph settings to an outline level. |
| Tip # 209 | Apart from table of contents, LibreOffice can create Alphabetical, Illustrations, Tables, Objects, Bibliography, User-Defined indexes. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/indices_toc.html |
| Tip # 210 | Unable to modify or delete a custom cell style? Check all sheets, none should be protected. |
| Tip # 211 | You need to fill a series? Select the cell range and Sheet ▸ Fill Cells ▸ Fill Series and choose between Linear, Growth, Date and AutoFill. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/guide/calc_series.html |
| Tip # 212 | Want to know if a cell is referred in formulas of other cells? Tools ▸ Detective ▸ Trace Dependents (Shift+F5). |
| Tip # 213 | In the replace input field of auto correct options you can use the wildcards .* |
| Tip # 214 | Want to duplicate the above line? Press CTRL+D or use Sheet ▸ Fill Cells ▸ Fill Down. |
| Tip # 215 | To search in several spreadsheets, select them before you start the search. |
| Tip # 216 | Drag & drop cells from Calc into the normal view of a slide creates a table; into the outline view, each cell creates a line in the outline. |
| Tip # 217 | LibreOffice helps you not to enter two or more spaces in Writer. Check Tools ▸ AutoCorrect ▸ AutoCorrect Options ▸ Options ▸ Ignore double spaces. |
| Tip # 218 | Want the cursor to go into the cell to the right, after entering a value in Calc? Use the Tab key instead of Enter. |
| Tip # 219 | To display the scrollbar to the left, enable Tools ▸ Options ▸ Language Settings ▸ Languages ▸ Complex text and check Sheet ▸ Right-To-Left. |
| Tip # 220 | Drag a formatted object to the Styles and Formatting window. A dialog box opens, just enter the name of the new style. |
| Tip # 221 | New versions of LibreOffice provide new features, bug fixes, and security patches. Keep your software updated! |
| Tip # 222 | Developing new XSLT and XML filters? https://fridrich.blogspot.com/2013/08/extending-swiss-army-knife-overview.html |
| Tip # 223 | Press Shift+F1 to see any available extended tooltips in dialog boxes, when "Extended tips" is not enabled in Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ General. https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/05/00000120.html |
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I was very pleased to find all of the tips available for printing. I often find these hints very helpful
I'm in my eighties and still enjoy my computer. My grand daughter upgraded my Linux system at the end of 2022.
Thank you so much for your site and expertise!
Bev