LibreOffice still thinks it can steal you away from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace

The seventh version of LibreOffice (formerly OpenOffice) has received its latest update, which comes with even more features and styling enhancements to attract users away from the likes of Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.

LibreOffice 7.5 is also the first version of the free office software to support rotation and zooming on touchscreen devices, which is great news for users of the best touchscreen laptops. 

Version 7.5 is available to download for Windows users (Intel/AMD and ARM processors), macOS users (Intel and M-series silicon), and for users of Linux operating systems.

What’s new in LibreOffice 7.5?

The developers behind LibreOffice 7.5 have rolled out “major improvements” to dark mode, however some have taken to the comments section of a community page to express dissatisfaction that it cannot be disabled.

The app icons have also been refreshed with new, more colorful designs, which may be a nod to key rivals Microsoft, which recently revamped its branding from Office 365 to Microsoft 365, and Apple, which has brought its macOS icons more in line with their iOS counterparts in recent years.

Start Centre filtering by document type has also been added to make it easier to find a file in a sea of others. 

Workers and individuals looking to migrate from Microsoft Office will also be pleased with some updates that have improved interoperability (both ways), though it’s unlikely that this will ever be perfect because LibreOffice criticized Microsoft for using its own, proprietary file format that was deprecated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) back in 2008.

In terms of global appeal, LibreOffice seems to have nailed that, too. This is thanks in part to its hundreds of developers, who have made version 7.5 available in 120 different languages – that’s enough to reach 5.4 billion native speakers and 2.3 billion second-language speakers. 

Full details of the updated features can be found on the LibreOffice website. Moving forward, as individuals seek decentralization and ecosystem lock-ins, and companies look to reduce their operating costs, LibreOffice is an increasingly more attractive proposition.

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