After more than 20 years using Microsoft Office, I have switched to LibreOffice. Now I realize everything I’ve missed

After more than two decades of unwavering loyalty to Microsoft Word, a couple of years ago I made the leap to LibreOffice. This change was not something I had planned, but rather a spontaneous decision born of frustration and fatigue.

It happened one day after formatting my PC, at which point I decided to take the step and install LibreOffice. Below these lines I tell you what my experience has been like in case you are also considering something similar.

20 years of Word and Excel are exhausting

For practically my entire life with computers, Microsoft Word has been my inseparable companion. I have installed it religiously on every new version of Windows, from XP times to current versions. I have witnessed its evolutionits interface changes, its sometimes controversial ribbon, and how little by little it was integrating with the cloud.

I also spent some time using the web version of Office, one of the methods to have it for freewhich although I found it useful for simple tasks when I was away from home, always seemed like a decaffeinated version of its older brother. It’s fine to get by, but when you need all the features, there is no color.

LibreOffice, download, install and that’s it

Everything changed a few weeks ago. My PC was beginning to show symptoms of fatigue, slowness, and some random errors that made me suspect that it was time for a format. I started using it on Windows 10 before its end of support, since I had Windows 10 and 11 on different computers to stay up to date with everything that happens in Microsoft systems.

So I proceeded with the formatting, installed Windows 10 again and quickly installed everything I had before and without bloatware. And that’s when I stopped to think: Do I really want to go back to Office, go through the hoops of having a Microsoft account linked, keeping track of the subscription and a thousand other moves just because I like Word?

I was honestly tired, so that It was my turning point. to opt for LibreOffice once and for all. And I know that I don’t discover anything new to those who have been using it for a long time, but this change tasted so good to me that I wanted to share it through this article. Other colleagues too They have taken this leap and explained it.

LibreOffice was not unknown to me. I had tried it occasionally in the past and it had always seemed like a decent alternative, but inertia and the comfort of sticking with the familiar had kept me in the Microsoft ecosystem.

This time, however, I decided to give it a serious chance.. I downloaded the latest version and installed it. The process was surprisingly easy compared to what I was used to before: download, install and go. No product keys, no linked accounts, no subscriptions. A refreshing sensation.

My main work tool is the word processor, so LibreOffice Writer was my first stop. The interface, although different from Word, was quite intuitive to me. Yes, there are notable differences, but after a couple of days of continuous use, my workflow was almost as efficient as before.

It should be noted that It is a very complete tool. All the functions that I usually use in my work were there: track changes, paragraph styles, spell check, page numbering, indexes… Even some options that in Word are hidden in submenus were more accessible here.

It is true that the transition was not perfect. Some old DOCX documents opened with minor differences, but nothing I couldn’t fix in a few minutes. Writer saves by default in ODT format, but can export directly to PDF or save in DOC or DOCX format if you need to share documents to other users who use Office.

I’m not a spreadsheet expert, but I need something reliable to organize information, create simple graphs, and occasionally apply a formula. Therefore, Calc has pleasantly surprised me. The transition from Excel was even easier than from Word. The basic formulas work practically the same, the creation of graphs is intuitive and, for my level of use, I have not missed anything at all.

What I value most about LibreOffice is the feeling of freedom it gives me. It’s incredibly reassuring to use free, comprehensive, open source software like what you offer, which doesn’t rely on renewable subscriptions or constant connections to cloud services.

During these years of intensive use I have not experienced any crashes or loss of information. Furthermore, another notable aspect is its lightness. LibreOffice starts noticeably faster than Office and consumes much less system resourceswhich is always appreciated.

Regarding the interface, I must admit that At first I found it a bit cumbersome.. Unlike the Office ribbon, LibreOffice presents a jumble of features that can be overwhelming for a newcomer. However, as the days go by and you become familiar with its layout, you begin to appreciate having all those possibilities in view. Now that I’ve gotten used to it, I find it even more efficient to have direct access to so many features without having to navigate through multiple tabs like in Office.

LibreOffice is not perfect. It has its quirks, and during this time I’ve dealt with things like opening DOC and DOCX documents almost always ending up in a bad modification of the document structure, although this is something that it has already been solved. However, for daily professional use it more than meets the requirements.

The transition requires a bit of a learning curve and some patience, but the freedom you gain is worth every minute invested. After 20 years with Microsoft Office, I can say that LibreOffice is not only a viable alternative, but it will become my default tool from now on.

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