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Google Docs / Office 365 → OnlyOffice + LibreOffice

Two tools for two jobs. LibreOffice for desktop editing — free, powerful, reads every Office format. OnlyOffice for browser-based collaboration — the best open-source alternative to Google Docs. Neither requires a subscription.

About 30 minutes Weekend project
1

Install LibreOffice

10 minutes

Download LibreOffice from libreoffice.org. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The installer includes Writer (documents), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), and Draw. LibreOffice opens .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files natively — you do not need to convert anything. It saves in both Microsoft formats and the open ODF standard.

What you should see

LibreOffice Start Center showing recent documents and options for Writer, Calc, and Impress. Open an existing .docx file — it should render correctly.

2

Test file compatibility

10 minutes

Open your most complex documents in LibreOffice — documents with tables, charts, images, and custom formatting. Most files render correctly. Occasional differences appear with advanced Excel macros, PowerPoint animations, or complex Word formatting. For these edge cases, OnlyOffice has better Microsoft format fidelity. Test a few files from each category to understand where the limits are for your specific workflow.

What you should see

Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations open with formatting intact. Note any files that look different — these are the ones to test in OnlyOffice.

3

Export your Google Docs files

15 minutes

If you use Google Docs, go to takeout.google.com. Click "Deselect all", then check only "Drive". Choose "Send download link via email" and ".zip" format. Google will convert your Google Docs to .docx, Sheets to .xlsx, and Slides to .pptx. Download and unzip the export. These files open directly in LibreOffice. If you use Microsoft 365, your files are already in .docx/.xlsx/.pptx format — just download them from OneDrive.

What you should see

A folder of .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files. Open several in LibreOffice to confirm formatting is preserved.

4

Set up OnlyOffice for collaboration

10 minutes

If you need real-time collaboration (multiple people editing the same document), install OnlyOffice Desktop Editors from onlyoffice.com — free for personal use. OnlyOffice has the best Microsoft Office format compatibility of any open-source editor. It renders .docx files almost identically to Word. For team use, OnlyOffice also offers a cloud workspace or self-hosted server with real-time co-editing, comments, and version history — the closest open-source equivalent to Google Docs.

What you should see

OnlyOffice opens and displays documents with formatting matching Microsoft Office. If using the cloud workspace, you can share a document link and edit simultaneously.

5

Choose your default workflow

5 minutes

Set LibreOffice as your default application for .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files — right-click a file, choose "Open with", select LibreOffice, and check "Always use this app". Use LibreOffice for daily editing. Use OnlyOffice when you need to collaborate in real-time or when a document has complex Microsoft-specific formatting. Germany's Schleswig-Holstein state migrated 44,000 government employees to this exact LibreOffice + OnlyOffice stack — it works at scale.

What you should see

Double-clicking a .docx file opens LibreOffice. Your workflow is: LibreOffice for solo editing, OnlyOffice for collaboration, no subscription required for either.

Troubleshooting

Document formatting looks different from Microsoft Office
LibreOffice handles most formatting well, but complex layouts with text boxes, embedded charts, or custom fonts may shift slightly. For these documents, try opening them in OnlyOffice instead — it has the best Microsoft format fidelity. You can also install the Microsoft fonts package (search "Microsoft core fonts" for your operating system) to match font rendering exactly.
Excel macros do not work
LibreOffice supports its own macro language but has limited compatibility with Excel VBA macros. Simple macros often work. Complex macros may need rewriting. For spreadsheets that depend heavily on macros, this is a genuine limitation — keep Microsoft Excel for those specific files and use LibreOffice for everything else.
Colleagues send me Microsoft Office files that look wrong
Ask colleagues to save as .docx (not .doc) — the modern format has much better cross-application compatibility. If a specific file renders poorly in LibreOffice, open it in OnlyOffice. You can keep both installed and use whichever handles a particular file better.
I need real-time collaboration like Google Docs
OnlyOffice offers real-time co-editing through its cloud workspace or self-hosted server. The experience is similar to Google Docs — multiple cursors, live changes, comments. The free desktop app does not support real-time collaboration. For occasional shared editing, you can also use CryptPad (cryptpad.fr) — end-to-end encrypted collaborative documents, no account required.

What to do next