A major new release of the hugely popular open-source office software LibreOffice is now available to download.
LibreOffice 5.4 serves as the final major release in the LibreOffice 5.x series (meaning LibreOffice 6.x will be next). The update is said to add “significant new features in every module” and (as always) improved Microsoft Office file compatibility.
Key New Features in LibreOffice 5.4
Among the new general LibreOffice 5.4 features is a standard color palette based on the RYB color model; higher quality PDF imports; and the ability to sign ODF documents with OpenPGP keys on Linux.
LibreOffice Writer picks up some new features too, including import of AutoText from Microsoft Word DOTM templates; an option to createcustom watermarks for your documents, and context menu items for working with sections, footnotes, endnotes and styles.
Calc gains support for pivot charts and better comment management, while Impress lets you specify fractional angles.
You can see the full release notes for more details on these and other new features.
LibreOffice creates smaller .docx files than Microsoft Office
Being able to open Microsoft Office documents in LibreOffice is a big selling point, but the Document Foundation doesn’t want you to overlook the benefits of creating Office documents in their suite.
They say that OODML (.docx) files created with LibreOffice can be up to 90% smaller than the exact same file created in Microsoft Office.
Install LibreOffice 5.4 on Ubuntu
You can download LibreOffice 5.4 for Windows, macOS and Linux from the official website.
If you’re on Ubuntu you won’t get this new update automatically via Software Updater. Instead you’ll need to add a PPA that packages this release for Ubuntu.
One is not, as of writing, available but should become available in the next few days. If you’re super impatient you can add the LibreOffice pre-release PPA, but these versions may contain bugs, break your system, etc.
LibreOffice 5.4 is also available to install as a Flatpak.