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Convert a LibreOffice or OpenOffice file to PDF

Published 2026-10-02 · How-to

LibreOffice and OpenOffice, the popular free office suites, are perfect for writing documents, building spreadsheets and making presentations, but the files they produce can look different, or fail to open at all, on someone else's computer. Converting a Writer, Calc or Impress file to PDF solves that in one step, giving your work a fixed layout anyone can open. It takes a few seconds whether you export from inside the app or convert a file you received elsewhere. Here is how to convert a LibreOffice or OpenOffice document to PDF, with every option you might need.

Why export to PDF from LibreOffice

PDF is the natural final form for anything created in a free office suite because it freezes the layout your reader will see. A Writer document, Calc sheet or Impress deck can shift fonts, tables and rows when opened in a different program, but a PDF does not. Exporting is also lighter than sending the editable file: it strips nothing important while preventing accidental changes to a contract, a report or a presentation. When you finalize anything, converting to PDF is the reliable way to hand it over.

Export a Writer document with File then Export as PDF

The simplest route is inside the app. Open your Writer document and choose File, then Export as PDF from the menu. A small dialog opens with a few options, and clicking Export saves a PDF version of your whole document in a few seconds. This works the same in LibreOffice and OpenOffice, and it preserves headings, images, page setup and margins so the result matches exactly what you saw on screen. This is the method to use whenever you want the identical layout.

Spreadsheets and presentations convert the same way

The same menu works in every program in the suite. In Calc, choose File then Export as PDF to turn a spreadsheet into a tidy PDF, and pay attention to whether wide sheets need to fit on the printed page so columns are not cut off. In Impress, the same command turns a slideshow into a PDF where each slide becomes a page. Whichever module you use, the export is one dialog, so there is no separate skill to learn for each type of file.

Export options worth using

The export dialog hides several settings that matter. For a Writer document you can include the page range, embed fonts so the file displays identically everywhere, and set which fields or bookmarks to carry over. For a spreadsheet, choosing to fit the sheet to the page width is usually essential, otherwise wide columns spill over. For a presentation, you can usually export the notes or the whole slide. A quick look at these options before you click export gives a cleaner result without extra work.

Convert without the app for a web or shared file

If you received a LibreOffice or OpenOffice file but do not have the suite installed, or you are on a device without it, you can still convert to PDF. Upload the file to an online tool and it returns a PDF ready to download and share, with no install and no account. This also covers the case of a file that already mixes formats, such as a document that contains images you want to keep together, which the images to PDF flow can assemble as well. The layout remains faithful so the reader gets the intended page.

Check the output and keep the file easy to share

After conversion, open the PDF to confirm nothing shifted, a heading is not cut off and every column or slide appears once. If the export added weight, a large document or a presentation full of images can come out heavier than your email allows, so compress the PDF to bring it down to a shareable size. If the final file is a form, a report or a signed agreement, protect it before sending. A short check turns a quick conversion into a document you can send with confidence, in a format everyone can open.