Hands working on a Writer sheet at a learner's desk with a Calc grid and template drawer nearby

Getting started guide

One sheet at a time, the task gets done.

Install, set up, and learn LibreOffice in order — from the first launch to a first document you can find again tomorrow.

LibreOffice 26.8 setup guide

LibreOffice 26.8.2 arrived: should you move now?

Name: Break LibreOffice Guides
Address: 27 Grafton Street, Dublin, D02, IE
Telephone: +353 1 611 5607

This page helps new users install, set up, and learn LibreOffice using the official Getting Started Guide 25.2 and current release information for LibreOffice 26.8. It explains the download, the first launch, and the settings that make the suite feel familiar. Read it in order and you will have a working office setup without guesswork.

As of 12 November 2026, LibreOffice 26.8 is the latest stable release. Release notes name 26.8.2, dated 29 October 2026, as the latest branch update. That date matters more than the version number: it tells you whether your files, templates and extensions have had time to be tested against the new branch.

Start with one of these

Writer Calc Base Getting started

The chips above are real routes, not filters for show. Pick the app you will actually open today — Writer for a letter, Calc for a budget — and work that sheet first. The rest of this page keeps the same order as the guide itself.

Read the styles and templates guide

Work in order

The guide, filed sheet by sheet

Each sheet below can be read on its own, but together they follow the Getting Started Guide 25.2 from download to daily use. Keep the installer until the suite opens cleanly, and save your first files in OpenDocument formats.

Download and branch

What the Getting Started Guide 25.2 covers

The official manual series includes a 25.2 Getting Started Guide for new users. It walks through installation, opening the Start Centre, and creating a first document. Chapter 13 covers customising LibreOffice, including extensions. That chapter is a good place to return to after your first week of use, once you know which toolbars you reach for every day.

Download from the main LibreOffice site

LibreOffice 26.8 is available as the current free and private office suite download. The main download page names 26.8 as the latest stable release as of 12 November 2026. Choose the version for your operating system and language, and download it only from the main LibreOffice site. Keep the installer file until the install finishes and the suite opens cleanly — if anything goes wrong, you want the same file to try again, not a second download from somewhere else.

Check the branch before you move

Release notes identify 26.8.2, dated 29 October 2026, as the latest branch update. The branch is positioned as the recommended branch for technology enthusiasts. Everyday users who depend on a stable workflow may prefer to watch the first updates before moving. Your own files and extensions should guide that timing: if a template or extension you rely on has not been checked against 26.8 yet, waiting for the next update costs you nothing.

A person reading a printed LibreOffice guide at a desk

Read the guide beside the suite, not instead of it. Open the app, then find the step.

Before you install

Pick your system and language on the download page, so the installer matches the machine you are on.
Back up your profile if you already use LibreOffice — templates, settings and extensions live there.
Note your extensions and check them against the new branch before you move.

Hands formatting a Writer document on paper

A hand entering values into a Calc grid sheet

Writer for words, Calc for numbers. Practise both in the first week.

First launch

Installation is quieter than most people expect

The installer offers a standard setup that suits most office work. Accept the default location unless your organisation manages software centrally. Let the install finish, then open LibreOffice from the Start Centre. The first launch may ask about user profile or document recovery, which you can answer for your own machine. If you are restoring a profile backup, do that before you create new templates, so the restored files are not overwritten.

The Start Centre is your front door

The Start Centre shows Writer, Calc, Impress, and other apps as tiles or menu items. It also gives access to recent documents and templates. That is a practical place to practise opening the right app for the task. Recent documents help you find the file you edited yesterday without a search — use them for a week and you will learn which app you reach for most.

Create a first document in each app

Open Writer and type a short paragraph, then save it as ODT. Open Calc, enter a few numbers, and add a SUM formula. Open Impress and add one slide with a heading. Saving in OpenDocument formats keeps your test files in the format LibreOffice handles most directly. These three small files are worth keeping: they prove the suite works, and they give you a clean file to practise styles and formulas on.

Set it once

Set language, ruler, and view options early

Three settings shape every document you make next. Do them on day one and you will not have to fix them in a hurry later.

Language and dictionary: Check that your language and dictionary match your work, so autocorrect helps instead of hindering. A wrong dictionary will flag every correct word and pass the wrong ones.
Measurement unit: Set the measurement unit you use in print, such as centimetres or inches. Margins, tables and images all follow this ruler, so it is easier to set it now than to convert later.
View and page breaks: Choose a view that shows page breaks, because hidden breaks cause printing surprises. If you can see where a page ends on screen, you can fix it before the printer does it for you.

Help and compatibility sheets filed in a desk drawer

Help, extensions and compatibility sit deeper in the drawer. You will come back to them in week two.

Customise without breaking your setup

Chapter 13 of the Getting Started Guide covers customising LibreOffice and extensions. Start with toolbars and keyboard shortcuts you use daily. Add one extension at a time and test it. A small customisation that you use weekly beats a long list you never open.

Extensions come from the official repository

The guide explains how to install extensions from the official repository. Use the Extension Manager inside LibreOffice rather than opening files from unknown sources. Check that an extension fits your LibreOffice branch before you install it. Remove any extension that slows startup or behaves oddly — a slow start is often the first sign an extension no longer fits the branch.

Help is built into the learning path

Press F1 when built-in help is installed to open help for the current app. Online help is organised by Writer, Calc, Impress, and other areas. Use help while you learn, not only when something fails. The help pages updated through 2026 use current menu names, so the help you open today matches the menus you see.

Keep your profile backed up

Your user profile holds templates, custom settings, and extensions. Back it up before a major version move. A backup turns a failed update into a restore rather than a rebuild. Store the backup somewhere separate from the LibreOffice folder, and name it with the date so you know which version it belongs to.

Read the help and extensions guide Read the Microsoft Office compatibility guide

First week

A first week plan that works

Day one

Install, set language, and create test files in Writer and Calc. Save them as ODT and keep them.
Day two

Learn styles in Writer and formulas in Calc. Apply one style to your test paragraph and one SUM formula to your numbers.
Day three

Install one template and one extension with a clear purpose. Test both, then decide if they stay.

By the end of the week you will know which guide to read next — that is the point of the plan. You are not trying to learn the whole suite, only to know where the next answer lives.

Questions

What is the current stable LibreOffice version?

As of 12 November 2026, LibreOffice 26.8 is the latest stable release, and release notes name 26.8.2 dated 29 October 2026 as the latest branch update.

Should everyday users move to 26.8 right away?

Technology enthusiasts are the stated audience for that branch. Everyday users can check extension compatibility and backup their profile first, then move when their work allows a test. If a deadline is close, stay on your current version until the work is done.

Break LibreOffice Guides is at 42 Grafton Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Email info@break.ie or call +353 1 611 5607, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, if a step on this page does not match what you see on screen.