Chapter 2 · 2.2
Compatibility with Word, Excel and PowerPoint: what can go wrong
An ordinary letter, quote or list usually works without problems in LibreOffice and Euro-Office. Things sometimes go wrong with the special elements. Here you can see what to check and how to prevent problems.
What usually works well
- Text, formatting, styles, tables, images, headers and footers.
- Formulas with common functions, such as SUM, IF and VLOOKUP.
- Slides with text, images and simple transitions.
What to look out for
| Element | What can happen? | What do you do? |
|---|---|---|
| Fonts | A line breaks differently, a page shifts | See Fonts: why your document looks different |
| Macros (VBA) | Buttons and automatic actions do nothing | See Macros from Word and Excel (VBA): what still works? |
| Shapes, text boxes and WordArt | They sit in a slightly different place or look different | Check the pages with shapes and realign them if necessary |
| Form fields and drop-down lists in Word | They work differently or not at all | Test filling them in. For a fillable form, a PDF form is often more practical (see Creating a fillable PDF form) |
| Table of contents, cross-references and fields | Page numbers are no longer correct | Update the table of contents once (see Creating an automatic table of contents) |
| Pivot tables, conditional formatting, newer chart types | Different formatting or a different layout | Check them after opening |
| Add-ins | Only work in Microsoft Office | Ask the supplier for an alternative integration |
A small calculation difference
The LibreOffice help gives this example: if A1 and A2 both contain the value TRUE, then =SUM(A1,A2) returns 2 in Calc and 0 in Excel. Differences like this are rare, but for important spreadsheets, compare the results side by side once.
How to test your own documents
- Choose the documents that are the most important or the most complex: templates, letterheads, files with macros or forms.
- Open them in LibreOffice or Euro-Office, change something, save and open them again.
- Send one to someone with Word or Excel and ask whether it looks right.
- Note for each document: works, works after an adjustment, or does not work.
A detailed approach with a test set can be found in Testing macros, templates and compatibility. Frequently asked questions about Word and Excel files in Euro-Office can be found in Frequently asked questions about working with documents.
Please note: always keep the original of important files before you save them in another program. In your WebOké Nextcloud you can also restore an older version, see Version history: restoring an older version.