Introduction To Libre Office

What is Word Processing?

Word Processing means using software to create, edit, format, save, and print text documents on a computer — just like writing on paper, but smarter and faster.

Why do we use it?

• Writing letters and applications
• Preparing reports and projects
• Creating notes, books, and assignments
• Formatting documents in a professional way

Common Features you get:

• Change font, size, color of text
• Auto spell check and grammar check
• Insert images, tables, and charts
• Set page layout and print documents

Examples of Word Processors:

• LibreOffice Writer — Free & Open Source
• Google Docs — Works Online
• WPS Office — Lightweight Option

Introduction to LibreOffice Writer

LibreOffice Writer is a free and open-source word processing software. It is part of the LibreOffice Suite and is widely used in schools, offices, and government institutions.

Main Features:

• Powerful text formatting tools
• Ready-to-use Styles and Templates
• Built-in Spell Check and Grammar Check
• Support for Headers, Footers, Tables, Images
• Advanced features like Mail Merge and Macros

Supported File Formats:

• .odt — OpenDocument Text (its own default format)
• .doc / .docx — Microsoft Word format
• .pdf — Portable Document Format (read-only)

Opening LibreOffice Writer

To start working, you first need to open the application. Here are two easy ways:

Method 1 — From Menu:

1. Click on Start Menu or Applications
2. Search for LibreOffice Writer
3. Click to open it

Method 2 — From File:

• Double-click any .odt file — it will automatically open in Writer

Title Bar, Menu Bar, Toolbars & Sidebar

These are the main parts of the LibreOffice Writer window. Knowing them makes navigation easy.

🔹 Title Bar (Top of window)

• Shows the document name
• Contains Minimize, Maximize, Close buttons

🔹 Menu Bar (Below Title Bar)

• Contains menus: File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Table, Help
• All main features are accessible from here

🔹 Toolbars (Icon Rows below Menu Bar)

• Standard Toolbar: New, Open, Save, Print buttons
• Formatting Toolbar: Font, Size, Bold, Italic, Alignment controls

🔹 Sidebar (Right side of window)

• Used for quick access to Styles, Properties, Page Layout

Creating, Opening & Closing Documents

✅ Creating a New Document

1. Open LibreOffice Writer
2. Go to File → New → Text Document
3. A blank document opens — start typing!

Shortcut: Ctrl + N

📂 Opening an Existing Document

1. Go to File → Open
2. Browse and select the file
3. Click Open

Shortcut: Ctrl + O

❌ Closing a Document

• Go to File → Close
• If unsaved, a Save prompt appears

Shortcut: Ctrl + W

Save and Save As

There are two ways to save your document — understanding the difference is important.

💾 Save

• Saves changes to the same file without asking anything
• Shortcut: Ctrl + S

💾 Save As

• Lets you rename the file or change the format (like saving as .pdf or .docx)
• Go to File → Save As, then choose name and format
• Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + S

Page Setup

Page Setup lets you control how your document page looks — its size, margins, and orientation.

Steps:

1. Go to Format → Page Style
2. Click on the Page Tab
3. Set Size (A4, Letter), Orientation (Portrait/Landscape), Margins
4. Click OK

Common Settings:

• Portrait → Vertical (normal for documents)
• Landscape → Horizontal (for wide tables or charts)
• Margins → Space between content and paper edge (usually 1 inch)

Page Borders & Watermark

🔲 Page Borders

• Go to Format → Page Style → Borders tab
• Set line style, color, and width

💧 Watermark

A watermark is a semi-transparent text or image behind document content (like "CONFIDENTIAL" or school logo).

• Text Watermark: Format → Watermark → Type text, set transparency
• Image Watermark: Format → Page Style → Background → Choose image

Print Preview & Printing

👁️ Print Preview

Before printing, always check how your document looks using Print Preview.

• Go to File → Print Preview
• Check layout, margins, and page count

🖨️ Printing

1. Go to File → Print or press Ctrl + P
2. Select printer, set number of copies, choose page range
3. Click OK

Saving as PDF

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a universal format — it looks the same on every device and cannot be easily edited.

Why use PDF?

• Maintains exact layout and formatting
• Works on all devices and operating systems
• Ideal for sharing final documents

How to Save as PDF:

1. Go to File → Export As → Export as PDF
2. Set options (page range, quality, etc.)
3. Click Export

Text Creation and Manipulation

✍️ Creating Text

Simply click inside the document area and start typing on your keyboard. The cursor shows where text will appear.

✂️ Manipulating Text

• Cut → Removes text (Ctrl + X)
• Copy → Copies text (Ctrl + C)
• Paste → Places copied/cut text (Ctrl + V)
• Select All → Selects entire document (Ctrl + A)

🎨 Changing Appearance

• Change font, size, and color using the Formatting Toolbar
• Align text: Left, Center, Right, Justify

AutoCorrect, Spelling & Grammar

🔧 AutoCorrect

AutoCorrect automatically fixes common typing mistakes as you type. For example: "teh" becomes "the" automatically.

• Go to Tools → AutoCorrect → AutoCorrect Options to customize

📝 Spelling & Grammar Check

This feature highlights spelling errors (red underline) and grammar mistakes (blue/green underline).

• Go to Tools → Spelling & Grammar
• Shortcut: F7

Find and Replace

This is one of the most powerful and time-saving features. It helps you find a word and replace it with another throughout the entire document.

Find Only:

• Press Ctrl + F
• Type the word — Writer highlights every match

Find & Replace:

• Press Ctrl + H
• In Search For — type the word to find
• In Replace With — type the new word
• Click Replace All to change everywhere at once

Formatting the Text

Formatting makes your document look neat, professional, and readable.

🔤 Character Formatting (applies to selected text)

• Bold → Ctrl + B (makes text thick)
• Italic → Ctrl + I (makes text slanted)
• Underline → Ctrl + U (adds a line below text)
• Change Font, Size, Color from toolbar

📄 Paragraph Styles

• Press F11 or use the Sidebar to open Styles
• Use Heading 1, Heading 2 for titles and subtitles
• Use Body Text style for normal content

🔵 Bullets & Numbering

• Go to Format → Bullets & Numbering
• Or use shortcuts: Ctrl + Shift + L for bullets, Ctrl + Shift + N for numbering

Header & Footer

A Header is text that appears at the top of every page. A Footer is text that appears at the bottom of every page. They are used for page numbers, dates, school names, etc.

Steps to Insert:

1. Go to Insert → Header and Footer → Header (or Footer)
2. Click Default Page Style to activate it
3. Type your text (e.g., school name, page number)
4. To insert page number: Insert → Header and Footer → Page Number

Table Manipulation

Tables help organize data into rows and columns — perfect for schedules, marksheets, and comparison charts.

📋 Insert a Table:

1. Go to Table → Insert Table
2. Set number of rows and columns
3. Click Insert

Shortcut: Ctrl + F12

✏️ Editing Table:

• Resize cells: Table → Properties
• Navigate cells: Press Tab to move to next cell
• Go back: Shift + Tab
• Resize rows/columns: Alt + Arrow Keys

🎨 Borders and Shading in Table:

• Right-click on table → Table Properties → Borders/Background

Mail Merge

Mail Merge is a powerful feature that lets you create personalized letters, certificates, or notices for many people at once using a data source (like a spreadsheet).

Example:

You have 100 student names in a spreadsheet. Using Mail Merge, you can print 100 certificates, each with a different student's name automatically.

Steps:

1. Prepare your data source (spreadsheet with names, etc.)
2. Go to Tools → Mail Merge Wizard
3. Follow the step-by-step wizard
4. Preview and then Print or Save

Table of Contents

A Table of Contents (TOC) is a list that shows all headings with their page numbers — auto-generated by Writer!

Steps:

1. First, apply Heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2) to your titles throughout the document
2. Place your cursor where you want the TOC (usually page 1 or 2)
3. Go to Insert → Table of Contents and Index
4. Click OK
5. To update later: Right-click on TOC → Update Index

Comments

Comments are notes you attach to specific text — useful for review, feedback, or reminders without changing the actual content.

Steps:

1. Select the text you want to comment on
2. Go to Insert → Comment
3. Type your comment in the box that appears on the right side

Shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + C

Track Changes

Track Changes records every edit made to the document — who changed what and when. It's very useful in team projects and reviews.

Steps:

1. Go to Edit → Track Changes → Record to turn it ON
2. All edits will now be highlighted and marked
3. To review: Accept or Reject each change

Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + E

Macros

A Macro is a recorded set of actions that you can replay anytime — it automates repetitive tasks and saves a lot of time.

Example:

If you apply the same formatting (bold, red, size 16) to titles every day, record it as a macro and apply it in one click next time.

Steps:

1. Go to Tools → Macros → Record Macro
2. Perform the actions you want to record
3. Click Stop Recording
4. Give the macro a name and save it
5. To run: Tools → Macros → Run Macro

Shortcut Keys — Document Management

Shortcut Keys — Editing

Shortcut Keys — Text Formatting

Shortcut Keys — Navigation & Table

Shortcut Keys — Comments, Tracking & Styles