How To Install Libre Office On Linux
Though many different Linux distributions include the Libre Office tool by default, that isn’t always the case. On some Linux distributions, developers often choose not to include the Libre Office tool because it takes up a lot of space, uses too many resources and etc. That’s why in this tutorial, we’ll go over all the ways to install Libre Office on Linux. To get started, choose your operating system from the list below and enter the commands.
SPOILER ALERT: Scroll down and watch the video tutorial at the end of this article.
Install Libre Office on Ubuntu/Linux Mint etc
On most versions of Ubuntu, Libre Office is already installed. That said, on light-weight versions of the distribution, Libre Office isn’t included, and instead ships with a lightweight alternative. If you’re in need of the power and features that Libre Office brings, the easiest way to install the software is by grabbing it straight from the software repositories.
sudo apt-get install libreoffice
Want a more up-to-date version of Libre Office, rather than the one included in the main software repositories? Consider adding the official PPA.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-5-4
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-dist upgrade
Running these commands will force Ubuntu to update the version of Libre Office already installed to the latest version.
Install Libre Office On Debian
Most installations of Debian include Libre Office out of the box. That said if you’re looking for a way to install, or re-install it, here’s how to go about it:
sudo aptitude update sudo aptitude install libreoffice
Are you using Debian Jesse? If so, before you can install the latest version of Libre Office, you’ll need to first add the backports. Go here, and follow the instructions. Then, install Libre Office via:
sudo apt-get install -t jessie-backports libreoffice
Install Libre Office On Arch Linux
Arch Linux users have the ability to install either the stable version of Libre Office or the absolute latest version available for public use. Grab it via the Pacman package manager:
Latest version
sudo pacman -S libreoffice-fresh
Stable version
sudo pacman -S libreoffice-still
Install Libre Office On Fedora
Many spins of Fedora already include the Libre Office software out of the box. However, if you’ve uninstalled it in the past, or for some reason don’t have it installed, here’s how to get it:
sudo dnf install libreoffice
Install Libre Office on OpenSUSE
Suse, like others on this list, already distribute Libre Office. That said if for some reason re-installation is necessary, head over to the Suse software website, find your version of Suse and click the button. It’ll open via the YaST installation tool and get everything going.
Snap Installation
Thanks to Canonical, it is getting much easier to distribute the latest versions of popular Linux software tools to many different distributions. If you’re using a version of Linux that doesn’t have great software support but has support for Snap, installing the latest version of Libre Office this way be a great idea.
The only real downside to this installation is that it appears as if only the “fresh” version of Libre Office (currently version 5.4.4.2) is up and available. This means if you need the stable version (5.3), you’ll have to go without.
Note: Libre Office Fresh is quite stable, and not nearly as buggy as the developers lead on.
sudo snap install libreoffice
Flatpak Installation
Snaps are a great way to distribute software to various Linux distributions, especially ones with small teams who don’t have time to package every little thing. Sadly, not every Linux distribution has direct support for the technology. Luckily, thanks to the Gnome foundation, there is another alternative, and it’s called Flatpak. It’s a universal packaging format supported by almost all Linux distributions out there, and there happens to be a packaged version of Libre Office ready!
In order to get Libre Office working via Flatpak you will first need to add the Flathub repository to their Flatpak software sources.
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
After subscribing to the remote Flathub repository, you can grab the latest flatpakref version of Libre Office. There are two ways to install this file.
Option 1: Gnome Software
Opening this link will tell your browser to download the latest Flatpak. Once it’s on your Linux PC in the ~/Downloads folder, open up the file manager and double-click on it. It’ll open with Gnome Software (or KDE Discover and etc).
Click the “Install” button, and enter your user password to get the Libre Office on Linux via Flatpak.
Option 2: Flatpak Command Line
The Flatpak package tool has a pretty robust command-line tool. To install the latest Libre Office Flatpak package via the command, simply open up a terminal window and paste this line of code:
flatpak install --from https://flathub.org/repo/appstream/org.libreoffice.LibreOffice.flatpakref
Keep in mind that as you install this software, the Flatpak tool will ask that you install various libraries and runtimes. Say yes to all of them, or the package will not install. When the command finishes, Libre Office should show up under “Office” in your application menu.
