Compatibility with Microsoft Office

[Wesley Pearce]

Will Microsoft office users be able to edit OpenOffice documents ?

[Zizi64]

There is NOT 100% compatibility between the International Standard ODF formats and the many file format versions of the MSOffice. (Never was and never will.)

The LibreOffice (relatively to the Apache OpenOffice) has a little bit more compatibility with the foreign fileformats.


The newer versions of the MSO can open the ODF fileformats wit - some limitations. And the Libreoffice can export your Standard ODF documents to the half-standardized OOXML (xlsx, docx) formats. The AOO can not export OOXML fileformats today.
The binary fileformats of the MSO (xls, doc) never was standardized.


Use the native and standardized ODF fileformats, and please, suggest others to use them.

[Villeroy]

Will Microsoft office users be able to edit OpenOffice documents ?

The latest MS Office supports OpenOffice documents (*.odt text and *.ods spreadsheets) fairly well.
All versions of MS Office since 1997 still support *.doc and *.xls perfectly well and OpenOffice exports these formats very well (but not perfectly well).
There are other products which are able to produce slightly better MS Office documents than OpenOffice but the one and only product that is designed for these file formats is MS Office itself. There is no product to replace MS Office for editing MS Office documents.

[Edda]

I'm not very computer literate and I need to know if it's possible, when attaching a document to an email, to enable it to arrive so that it can be altered by the recipient, not just " read only."

[thomasjk]

I'm not very computer literate and I need to know if it's possible, when attaching a document to an email, to enable it to arrive so that it can be altered by the recipient, not just " read only."

Edda, did you mean to say "so it can't be altered"? If so then you can use File-->Send-->Email as PDF. Alternatively, you can use File-->Export as PDF then attach that file to an email.

[jrkrideau]

I'm not very computer literate and I need to know if it's possible, when attaching a document to an email, to enable it to arrive so that it can be altered by the recipient, not just " read only."

If you mean this

so that it can be altered by the recipient

and not thomasjk''s suggestion just sent it and suggest that the recipient save the file to disk before opening it.

[keme]

With collaboration on files using Word and Writer, some limitations should be applied to the use of formats and layout measures:
- Avoid "outdents" (negative indent, pulling content out into margin. Also tables and frames protruding into margin areas.)
- Do not use "containers in containers" (A table inside a table cell, frame inside frame) Table inside frame seems to work, if you must...
- Do not expect perfectly identical layout in both applications.
- Use ODF, not OOXML.

In my job I have had to build a template breaking all the rules above. Trying to do that with Word (saving as either doc,docx or odt) made a mess when opening in Writer. Using Writer and saving as doc produced similar garbage when opening with Word. Surprisingly, when I tried to open my odt file (no, I do not save an ott file because my colleagues do not properly understand the concept of "template"), it gives exactly what we were after, in Writer as well as in Word (as long as the stuff worked on in Word does not go back into Writer, of course...).

So, you could argue that Word has better support for reading the storage formats in question, or that Writer creates cleaner files when saving...

[John_Ha]

See [Tutorial] Differences between Writer and MS Word files for a discussion, and for the reasons you should always work in and save files as .odt.

[Lesley_Vos]

I'm not very computer literate and I need to know if it's possible, when attaching a document to an email, to enable it to arrive so that it can be altered by the recipient, not just " read only."

That's why I prefer saving my texts in .doc or .docx formats for recipients to open and edit them. (Just go to File --> Save As..., and choose a format). I am a freelance writer using OpenOffice, but I can't be sure all my clients use it, either. There were some cases when I sent .odt files and clients asked to resend once again because they couldn't open and read those files on their comps...

[RoryOF]

.doc is a safer format from OO when one _must_ send documents to others for collaborative work; there may be problems with formatting when a document is transferred back and forth. If a document is being sent for review (not editing) PDF is best.

[John_Ha]

I am a freelance writer using OpenOffice, but I can't be sure all my clients use it, either. There were some cases when I sent .odt files and clients asked to resend once again because they couldn't open and read those files on their comps...

All versions of MS Word later than about 2007 can open .odt files.

[RoryOF]

All versions of MS Word later than about 2007 can open .odt files.

Indeed, John, but the majority of MS Office users have a mental block and won't even attempt to load any file other than .docx.

[Villeroy]

All versions of MS Word later than about 2007 can open .odt files.

Indeed, John, but the majority of MS Office users have a mental block and won't even attempt to load any file other than .docx.

The same majority works with hidden file name suffix. By the way, does anybody know which icons are displayed for ODF documents on a MS Office PC?

[keme]

...
By the way, does anybody know which icons are displayed for ODF documents on a MS Office PC?

MS Office icons, of course.

When you reset the default application to OpenOffice (assuming both suites are installed), you get the OpenOffice icons.
MS Office updater seems to reset this every now and then, so occasionally have to redo...

[Villeroy]

MS Office icons, of course.

So they can't tell MS Office documents from ODF documents.

When you reset the default application to OpenOffice (assuming both suites are installed), you get the OpenOffice icons.
MS Office updater seems to reset this every now and then, so occasionally have to redo...

Like the Windows 10 updater resets the start menu to commercial mode, turns on the voice assistant (although the sound chip is disabled) and resets the default picture viewer to something inadequate.

[keme]

...

When you reset the default application to OpenOffice (assuming both suites are installed), you get the OpenOffice icons.
MS Office updater seems to reset this every now and then, so occasionally have to redo...

Like the Windows 10 updater resets the start menu to commercial mode, turns on the voice assistant (although the sound chip is disabled) and resets the default picture viewer to something inadequate.

... and default PDF reader to Edge (which is also seriously flawed, not only as a PDF reader...). Yes, that is exactly how it happens. As long as users accept it, companies will do it. Most users accept the request to send anonymous usage data from the builtin apps, and Edge of course sends most everything to Bing by default. The value of big data, etc...

[jrkrideau]

Abandon the EVIL WAYS of MS and come to Linux!

[Lupp]

... As long as users accept it, companies will do it. ...

Users (customers) are mislead to accept next to everything everywhere as long as it isn't a dent on the new car. In fact it is extremely time-consuming to make sure to be sufficiently informed and to judge everything on one's own. In my case, if I did, I surely had no time left to contribute here...

Roughly invisible things like "General Terms and Conditions", form contracts, behaviour of software beyond its obvious (sometimes even purposeful) functionality ... must be regulated very strictly by law in societies and economic environments as complicated as we have them now. Omitting related legislation (and control, of course) again and again is not just annoying but really evil. To tell me I have the freedom to (...fill in please...) is kind of stultification insofar. Surely it will be better after the next election.

[crusader]

Just saw this post and couldn't help but share my 2 pennies worth...

There were some cases when I sent .odt files and clients asked to resend once again because they couldn't open and read those files on their comps...

A perfect opportunity to educate them about LibreOffice/OpenOffice!

Abandon the EVIL WAYS of MS and come to Linux!

And live happily ever after...

My signature speaks for itself.

[keme]

[...]
it is extremely time-consuming to make sure to be sufficiently informed and to judge everything on one's own. In my case, if I did, I surely had no time left to contribute here...
[...]
... not just annoying but really evil. To tell me I have the freedom to (...fill in please...) is kind of stultification insofar. Surely it will be better after the next election.

Exactly.

For the former we have "terms of service? didn't read." (TOSDR)

For the latter, the only solution is to force all our politicians to read some litterature, so they be educated about the tactics of the "powers that be":

First a couple of "Trilogies"

Foundation (Asimov)
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy (Adams)

Then the "counterpart" to 1984

Brave New World (Huxley)

This is also usefult reading for all us voters. It amounts to at most 7000 pages (depending on which edition you choose), which is around the size of the ooxml strict definition from Microsoft ECMA (which may be given as an alternate work for mandatory reading. I know which alternative I would choose...).

[adamk127]

import ms office for openoffice it is problematic. It worked poorly

[keme]

import ms office for openoffice it is problematic. It worked poorly

Then you should try LibreOffice first. That is the office suite which would have come came preinstalled with your operating system when using the default setup.
For single instances you could also be helped with online file conversion tools. Zamzar is one often mentioned.
If you really need to optimize your system for Microsoft Office file compatibility while using Linux, there are two options:

• Subscribe to Office 365 and use the online apps. (I have used them with success from Firefox and Chrome browsers on Linux AntiX. Should be at least as good on Ubuntu.)
• Install WPS Office (aka Kingsoft Office).

With both of those options, you lose a bit in the way of ODF support. However, you can have multiple suites installed in parallel and still use online apps, so with a bit of fiddling you can get "everything".

[ankit3302]

Well, there is not 100% compatibility between MS Office and Open office. But you can edit some of the file formats of Open office to MS office. .doc and .docx are the most widely used file formats which you can edit using MS Office.

[John_Ha]

See [Tutorial] Differences between Writer and MS Word files for more information, and for why you should always work in and save files as .odt.

[Anne Gray]

I have old files done in Microsoft EXCEL (I think a 2010 version). Their file ending is .xlsx. How do I open them in Open Office ? BTW I am using Windows 8.1 on one machine and Windows 7 on another. I have read the forum posts and various guides but can't get anywhere - Open Office gives me a list of formats to choose from when it asks 'what program do you want to open this with?' but none of the obvious answers seem to work. Thanks

[RusselB]

@Anne Gray: Welcome to the Forums.
OpenOffice will open the .xlsx files, but does not have the ability to save in that format.
The message 'what program do you want to open this with?" is not coming from OpenOffice, but from your Windows installation.
If you start Calc, then go to File -> Open, you can navigate to where your .xlsx files are located, and open them.
If you want Calc to open the .xlsx files automatically, see [Tutorial]Setting the default program for MS formats

[RoryOF]

You should be able to start OO from the Program button, then use /File /Open to select an .xlsx file and open it. If it prompts for choice of an ASCII character set, then the file has been stored as delimited text. If the files are of importance, I strongly suggest you remain with Excel. You could try LibreOffice, but until your files open and calculate correctly, _DO NOT_ save over them - use different names, no matter which program you decide to try.

[nathandev]

There are numerous answers and a state of ambiguity as what to do or what not to do?
Can anyone please summarize the whole thing for me?
Thanks in Advance.

[RusselB]

To summarize: OpenOffice is not 100% compatible with Microsoft Office.
The exact level of compatibility varies upon the type and complexity of the task.

[RoryOF]

If you will regularly be interchanging documents of importance, such as business documents, with MS Office users and they are for editing by both parties, then acquire and use MS Office. There can be formatting differences and macros will not necessarily run interchangeably.