LibreOffice

ApplicationThe Document Foundation

Also called libre office, tdf libreoffice

The Document FoundationProductivity

A free office suite forked from OpenOffice.org in 2010. The Windows launcher is soffice.exe. It is not Apache OpenOffice and not Microsoft 365.

What you need to know

LibreOffice is the active OpenOffice.org fork. Apache OpenOffice is the older line.

The Document Foundation ships LibreOffice from a 2010 fork. soffice.exe is the Windows launcher. Installing Apache OpenOffice is a different, slower project, not an upgrade path that stays in sync.

What is it?: A free office suite from TDF
Same as OpenOffice?: No. LibreOffice is the active fork
Same as Microsoft 365?: No. Different vendor and files

Feex says

If someone said "just install OpenOffice", I would send them to libreoffice.org instead. Apache OpenOffice is the older line. This fork is the one that still ships frequent Windows 64-bit builds.

What is LibreOffice?

LibreOffice is The Document Foundation's office suite. soffice.exe starts Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math, and Base. Apache OpenOffice is a different project with a different release pace.

If you have never used it

If you want a free desktop office suite that still gets regular Windows builds, this is LibreOffice, not Apache OpenOffice and not Microsoft 365. Download it from libreoffice.org/download. Writer, Calc, and Impress are modules inside one suite. The launcher is soffice.exe. OpenOffice is the older, slower-moving line the project forked from.

What is it used for?

Writer, Calc, Impress

Documents, sheets, and slides with OpenDocument defaults and Microsoft format import. This is a suite, not a single Word clone.

OOXML round-trip

LibreOffice documents .docx / .xlsx / .pptx export that Apache OpenOffice's comparison page does not match.

Offline work without a 365 account

No Microsoft tenant required. It is still not a substitute for a workplace that mandates desktop Word.

Who is it for?

People who want a current free suite instead of OpenOffice 4.1
Users avoiding a Microsoft 365 subscription for home documents
Anyone who should not install Apache OpenOffice thinking it is this fork

Current status

Actively developed. The Document Foundation ships a Latest branch and a previous mature branch. This article is the Windows suite.

How old is it?

LibreOffice forked from OpenOffice.org in 2010 after Oracle's OpenOffice period. The Document Foundation ships current year.month releases. Apache OpenOffice remains on a 4.1 line. They are not interchangeable downloads.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Latest branch

Previous mature branch

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current 64-bit Windows release The Document Foundation lists for the build you download
RAM	TDF lists modest RAM for the suite. Large Calc books want more

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
soffice.exe	Launcher. Writer, Calc, and Impress run through this suite
soffice.bin	Worker process behind the launcher

Startup components

LibreOffice starts when you open a document. Quickstarter is an optional setting, not a Windows service.

File locations

Common LibreOffice locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\LibreOffice\program\soffice.exe

File formats

ODTODSODPDOCXXLSXPPTXPDF

Common problems

People download OpenOffice by habit

openoffice.org is Apache OpenOffice. The current fork is libreoffice.org. The installers are not the same.

A work .docx looks off

Complex Word fields can shift. That is format fidelity, not a broken Windows font. Try desktop Word if the file is mandated.

Getting unstuck

Confirm the publisher is The Document Foundation

About LibreOffice names TDF. Apache OpenOffice names the Apache Software Foundation. Those About boxes are the sibling-swap test.

Install the 64-bit Windows build from libreoffice.org/download

A "Free Office" search ad is the wrong file. TDF's download page is the source.

Use Safe Mode from the LibreOffice Help menu if profiles break

That resets a LibreOffice user profile. It is not Microsoft Office Safe Mode and not Windows Safe Mode.

Alternatives

Microsoft 365, ONLYOFFICE, and Apache OpenOffice overlap. OpenOffice is the older sibling. 365 is the paid Microsoft suite.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.libreoffice.org/download/download/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	documentation.libreoffice.org/ Vendor support
Official site	www.libreoffice.org/ Start here, not a random exe host
TDF comparison	www.libreoffice.org/libreoffice-vs-openoffice/ Why this project is not Apache OpenOffice

Related hardware

A current 64-bit Windows PC with a few GB of RAM runs everyday Writer files. Huge Calc books want more RAM, same idea as Excel.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

LibreOffice official site · Vendor product page
LibreOffice help · Vendor support
LibreOffice vs OpenOffice · TDF comparison of the two lines
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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