Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Tech News Today
Home»Software»How to Fix LibreOffice Not Working On Windows, Ubuntu

How to Fix LibreOffice Not Working On Windows, Ubuntu

Anup ThapaBy Anup ThapaDecember 18, 2022
libreoffice not working

LibreOffice is a popular alternative to the MS Office suite on not just Linux, but Windows as well. While it distinguishes itself from MS Office by being free and open source, there are some unwelcomed similarities as well.

Reports of LibreOffice freezing, crashing, or even not opening at all is fairly common. In most cases, a corrupt user profile or misconfigured settings lead to such issues.

In this article, we’ve detailed these and other common reasons why LibreOffice doesn’t work properly, as well as how you can resolve them on Windows and Ubuntu.

Table of Contents

  • Why Is LibreOffice Not Working?
  • How to Fix LibreOffice Not Working?
    • End Task and Reopen
    • Start In Safe Mode
    • Modify LibreOffice Settings
    • Reset User Profile
    • Modify LibreOffice Installation

Why Is LibreOffice Not Working?

Here are the most common reasons why LibreOffice doesn’t work:
  • LibreOffice background processes
  • Misconfigured settings
  • Corrupt user profile
  • Buggy LibreOffice version

How to Fix LibreOffice Not Working?

We recommend applying the solutions in the order listed below. If nothing else works, you can reinstall LibreOffice as a last resort.

End Task and Reopen

When closing applications, a few background processes remain open sometimes. As such, you won’t be able to run the application due to said processes. This is a common issue with apps in general rather than just LibreOffice. In such cases, you can simply end the processes and LibreOffice should open as usual afterward.

Windows

Here’s how you can end the LibreOffice processes on Windows:

  1. Press CTRL + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager.
  2. Select the LibreOffice processes and end all of them.
    libreoffice-task-manager
  3. You should be able to open LibreOffice now.

Ubuntu

Here’s how you can end the LibreOffice processes on Ubuntu:

  1. Open Applications and search System Monitor.
  2. Select soffice.bin and click on End Process.
    soffice-ubuntu
  3. Check if you can open LibreOffice now.

Start In Safe Mode

In case of a non-responding instance of LibreOffice, restarting in Safe Mode should be helpful. This starts LibreOffice with a fresh user profile, so any issues with profile corruption can be diagnosed this way as well.

Windows

Here’s how you can start LibreOffice in safe mode on Windows:

  1. Press Win + R, type start soffice.exe --safe-mode, and press Enter.
  2. Select Configure > Disable hardware acceleration.
    disable-hardware-acceleration-libreoffice
  3. Click on Apply changes and restart.

Ubuntu

Here’s how you can access safe mode for LibreOffice on Ubuntu:

  1. Click on Help from the menu bar and select Restart in safe mode.
  2. Disable hardware acceleration and select Apply changes and restart.
    disable-hardware-acceleration-ubuntu

Modify LibreOffice Settings

In cases where LibreOffice is frequently crashing or not responding, users have had success with disabling a few graphics-related settings. Here’s how you can do the same on Windows and Ubuntu:

  1. Click on Tools > Options from the menu bar.
  2. In the View tab, disable anti-aliasing. If you use Skia API instead of OpenGL, disable the Skia for all rendering option as well.
    libreoffice-view-settings
  3. Press OK to save the changes.

Reset User Profile

If LibreOffice worked fine when testing in safe mode earlier, the issue is likely with your user profile. In such cases, you can make a backup of the current profile and then reset it to check if that fixes the issue.

Windows

Here’s how you can reset the user profile on Windows:

  1. Press Win + R, type %appdata%, and press Enter.
  2. Copy the LibreOffice folder and save it elsewhere. If you have multiple LibreOffice versions, the latest LibreOffice versions store files inside the 4 folder.
    libreoffice-appdata-user-profiles
  3. Now, launch LibreOffice in Safe mode and select Reset to factory settings > Reset entire user profile.
    reset-entire-user-profile-libreoffice
  4. Click on Apply changes and restart.

Ubuntu

Here’s how you can reset the user profile on Ubuntu:

  1. Open the File Browser and press CTRL + H to view hidden files.
  2. Navigate to /home/username/.config/.
    libreoffice-user-profile-ubuntu
  3. Copy the LibreOffice folder from here and save it elsewhere as a backup.
  4. Launch LibreOffice in Safe mode and select Reset to factory settings > Reset entire user profile.
    libreoffice-reset-to-factory-settings
  5. Click on Apply changes and restart.

Modify LibreOffice Installation

Outdated programs are generally more prone to bugs and crashes, and the same is true with LibreOffice as well. Many users have reported that after none of the other fixes worked, they tried updating and were able to finally resolve the issue. Here’s how you can do the same:

  1. Launch LibreOffice and select Help > Check for updates.
  2. Download and install any updates found.
    libreoffice-check-for-updates
  3. If updating didn’t help either, reinstall the latest stable build of LibreOffice and check if the issue is resolved then.
fix
Anup Thapa
  • LinkedIn

Anup Thapa is a tech writer at TechNewsToday. He mostly writes informative articles, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides related to Windows systems, networking, and computer hardware. Anup has been writing professionally for almost 5 years, and tinkering with PCs for much longer. His love for all things tech started when he got his first PC over 15 years ago. It was a Pentium IV system running Windows XP on a single 256 MB stick. He spent his formative years glued to this PC, troubleshooting any hardware or software problems he encountered by himself. Professionally, Anup has had brief forays into a variety of fields like coding, hardware installation, writing, etc. In doing so, he's worked with people of different backgrounds and skill levels, from average joes to industry leaders and experts. This has given him not just a versatile skillset, but also a unique perspective for writing that enables him to concisely communicate complex information and solve his reader's problems efficiently. You can contact him at anup@technewstoday.com

Related Posts

How to Disable NVIDIA Overlay

5 Ways to Disable NVIDIA Overlay

February 23, 2023
Notepad++-Plugins-Not-Installing

Notepad++ Plugins Not Installing? 5 Proven Ways to Fix It

February 20, 2023
MSI-Gaming-App-Not-Opening

MSI Gaming App Not Opening? 6 Ways to Fix it

February 17, 2023
MSI Afterburner Not Working

MSI Afterburner Not Working? Try These 7 Fixes

February 17, 2023
check mark in excel

How to Put Check Mark in Excel

January 20, 2023
how to find duplicate in google sheets

How to Find Duplicate in Google Sheets

January 16, 2023
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Posts
Memory-Compression

What is Memory Compression in Windows? Should You Enable or Disable It

March 1, 2023
dism-vs-sfc-vs-chdsk

DISM, SFC, CHKDSK: What’s the Difference

February 28, 2023
bios-settings-for-gaming

Best BIOS Settings for Gaming

February 16, 2023
You may also like
how-to-clean-hp-printer-rollers

How to Clean HP Printer Rollers

March 3, 2023
keyboard input lag

9 Ways to Fix Keyboard Input Lag

March 3, 2023
keyboard key is stuck

How to Fix a Stuck Key on a Keyboard

March 3, 2023
Recommended
Cookie Clicker Garden Guide

Cookie Clicker Garden Guide to Unlocking Every Seed

September 26, 2021
monitor no signal

Computer Turns On But Monitor Says No Signal (9 Ways To Fix)

November 10, 2022
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
© 2023 TechNewsToday, editor@technewstoday.com | Tech Central Pvt. Ltd.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.