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Starting LibreOffice and Components

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Starting LibreOffice and Components

LibreOffice start screen - Components

This video shows how to start LibreOffice and its components. Some people use the term "modules" synonymously with "components." There are several ways to start LibreOffice and its Components. This description refers to the Windows 11 operating systems. Other operating systems offer similar options.

Link to the video

This video shows how LibreOffice or a Component can be started.
Link to the video: Starting LibreOffice and Components

Starting LibreOffice and select a Component or document in the LibreOffice start screen

The possibilities to start LibreOffice are shown below. If you started LibreOffice with a double click on the program icon, the LibreOffice start screen appears. On the left side you can start one of the LibreOffice Components with one click. LibreOffice contains the Components:

  • Writer - Word processing
  • Calc - Spreadsheet
  • Impress - Presentations
  • Draw - Drawings
  • Math - Formula editor
  • Base - Databases

Or you can click on one of the documents in the overview of the most recently used documents.

Starting LibreOffice and Components from the desktop

Even during the installation of LibreOffice, you can specify that a LibreOffice program icon should be placed on the desktop. But you can also bring LibreOffice and its Components to the desktop by first searching for them in the directory. C:\Program Files\LibreOffice\program

Filenames / Dateinamen

The file names there are:

  • LibreOffice = soffice.exe
  • Writer = swriter.exe
  • Calc = scalc.exe
  • Impress = simpress.exe
  • Draw = sdraw.exe
  • Math = smath.exe
  • Base = sbase.exe

Right-click on the LibreOffice file or a Component file and select in the Kontextmenu Show more Options ▸ Send to ▸ Desktop (create shortcut)]]. The corresponding icon is created on the desktop. In this way you can bring the program and all needed Components to the desktop. From now on you can start the program or Component with a double click on the icon on the desktop.

Start LibreOffice and Components using Start menu

Click on the Windows Start icon in the lower left corner of the taskbar. Then start typing in the input bar of, for example, "LibreOffice" (or "Writer" or "Calc", etc.). The program icon will appear. Left-clicking opens the program. Right-clicking opens a context menu.

Start menu selection / Startmenü Auswahl

Starting LibreOffice and Components from the taskbar

You can set the icons from LibreOffice and its modules to the taskbar by first searching it in the directory C:\Program Files\LibreOffice\program
The file names can be found above. Right-click on the LibreOffice file or a Component file and select Pin to taskbar. In this way you can bring the program and all needed Components to the taskbar. From now on you can with a click start the program or Component by clicking on the icon in the task bar.

Taskbar / Taskleiste

Start LibreOffice and Components by execution command

Right-click on the Windows Start icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Then select Run. The "Run" dialog appears. If you e.g. to open Calc, enter the full path including the file name: C:\Program Files\LibreOffice\program\scalc.exe

"Run" and dialog

Starting this way has the advantage that different parameters can be transferred. See: https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/guide/start_parameters.html?DbPAR=SHARED#bm_id3156410 In the entry line for the search, enter: Parameters Then click there on the left parameters -- command line. Example parameters: " --nologo", disables the start screen at program start. Example Calc start without start screen: C:\Program Files\LibreOffice\program\scalc.exe --nologo

File association

The ODF files e.g. generated by LibreOffice are normally also assigned to the LibreOffice program. However, especially after major updates from Windows, it has happened that the file associations were incorrect (mostly an association with M$ Office). In these cases, the file allocation for each Component may have to be done once. The process for a file assignment to Libreoffice can be found here: Open File with LibreOffice

Note:
File associations changed by Windows updates are not caused by LibreOffce.

Start a Component by double-clicking on a file symbol

The files assigned to the LibreOffice program are displayed in the file explorer with the corresponding icons. Double-click one of these files, e.g. an ODT file, it is displayed in the Writer Component and can be edited.

Further information

Offline help per Component

https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/main0000.html?DbPAR=WRITER
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/scalc/main0000.html?DbPAR=CALC
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/simpress/main0000.html?DbPAR=IMPRESS
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/sdraw/main0000.html?DbPAR=DRAW
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/shared/explorer/database/main.html?DbPAR=BASE
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/smath/main0000.html?DbPAR=MATH
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/schart/main0000.html?DbPAR=CHART
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/sbasic/shared/main0601.html?DbPAR=BASIC

Documentation / Manuals

Here you will find the Documentation / Manuals: Documentation / Manuals

Any questions?

For questions on this topic go to: Ask.LibreOffice

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