One of the tools that cannot be missing from our computer is a complete office automation package. Of all of them the best known is Microsoft Office, a standard within the industry, whose main problem is that it is not free and in order to use it we must pay for its license. Among the free and open source alternatives, LibreOffice is positioned as the best options. If you are thinking of trying it, we will tell you how you can install it and keep it updated in Windows.
LibreOffice is an office automation application that has a total of six applications, each one intended for a particular use. It has a word processor, spreadsheets, slide shows, database, a program for design and another for mathematical calculations. In addition, each of them are compatible with any office format including Microsoft’s own Office.
Download and install LibreOffice
If we have decided to use LibreOffice, the first thing we have to do is download it. To do this, just click on this link and we will access your website. Here it will only be necessary to indicate our operating system, so we can choose the option of Windows 10 32-bit or 64-bit according to our operating system. Once chosen, click on « Download «. We will download a file with an .msi extension of just over 300 megabytes that we must execute.
Next, we just have to follow the steps that the wizard will indicate. We can choose between a “Typical” or “Custom” installation, although the second option just lets us choose languages, dictionaries and the alternative installation path, so we can directly use the “Typical” one.
Finally, before starting the installation, we can choose if we want to create a shortcut on the desktop, as well as load it automatically every time the system boots. The latter is something that we do not usually recommend so as not to reduce the system startup load and make the system start up slower. Finally, click on ” Install ” and wait for the process to finish
Different ways to update it
Once we have LibreOffice installed we have different ways of keeping it updated, so that we can always have the latest version available. Keep in mind that, being an open source and very popular application, it receives permanent updates from the community. This guarantees that we always have the latest features and news, as well as the correction of possible errors.
In order to always have the latest version, we can update it automatically or manually. Likewise, it is also possible to update the different extensions that we have installed.
Update automatically
The easiest method to always keep LibreOffice updated to its latest version is to have automatic updates enabled . For this, it will only be necessary that we have an active Internet connection.
The first thing we are going to do is open LibreOffice by clicking on the desktop shortcut and clicking on the “Tools” tab. This will open a small panel where we will select “Options”.
In the next window, within the tree-shaped options on the left, we go to Online Updates. On the right side we make sure to have the “Automatically check for updates” box checked. We can configure how often we want the program to look for updates, being able to “Daily”, “Weekly” or “Monthly”. Just below it will appear when the result of the last search was made. We also have a Search Now button.
Just below, within the Download destination option, we can check the box «Download updates automatically». This way, the moment an update is detected, it will be downloaded immediately. In case it is not checked, a pop-up window will appear informing us that there is a new version available for download. We can also change the destination path of the download.
Once finished, click on “Apply” and then on “OK” to confirm the changes we make.
Update manually
It may be the case that we are happy with our version of LibreOffice and prefer to search by ourselves and manually if there is an update available. Although it is advisable to leave the updates in automatic mode, it is also easy to be able to search for the updates manually, as long as we remember to do so.
To do this, from the LibreOffice main menu, click on “Tools” and then on “Options” and “Online updates”. This time we are going to deactivate the “Automatically check for updates” box. In this way, searches will only be carried out if we click on the ” Search now ” button. This will cause a new window to appear and where it will look for updates and it will appear to us if there are any available that we can download. Otherwise, it will inform us that it is updated to the latest version.
Install and update extensions
LibreOffice allows the installation of extensions with options features that can be installed from the main suite, so that we obtain additional functions on something in particular. To avoid possible errors when using the extensions, it is important to keep them up to date.
To do this we are going to open LibreOffice and click on the «Tools» menu. Later we select the option « Extension manager «. This will show us a new panel where we can configure which extensions are shown. Those included with LibreOffice, those installed by users, and those installed by the current user can be displayed. At the bottom we have the option to “Get more extensions online” from where we can download and add them using the “Add” button. Also the option to activate or deactivate it or eliminate it with the «Remove» button.
To ensure that we always have the latest version available for each extension, we must click on the “Check for updates” button. This will open a new window where it will show us the updates that are available at the top and a description of it at the bottom. We just have to click on the Install button and once finished on the “Close” button once the updates have been completed.
