From the desktop of every computer user to businesses around the world, FreeOffice is a free and open-source office suite with a word processor, spreadsheet application & presentation program. Compatible w/ Microsoft Office, making it an ideal choice if you want an alternative without expensive proprietary software that offers all features mainstream suites provide, such as complex documents, support multimedia elements, etc., plus some unique ones too – like being able open password-protected files!
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install FreeOffice on Linux Mint 21 LTS desktop with the official SoftMaker APT repository using the command line terminal and instructions on how to update and remove the software in the future if required.
Table of Contents
Update & Upgrade Linux Mint
First, update your system to ensure all existing packages are up to date to avoid conflicts.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradeInstall FreeOffice
The first and easiest method is to install FreeOffice using the source APT repository. This version is often up-to-date, but if you prefer working with the latest versions, then using the Flatpak or Snapcraft version would be best.
First, install the required packages.
sudo apt install dirmngr ca-certificates software-properties-common gnupg gnupg2 apt-transport-https curl -yNext, import the GPG key required to verify the authenticity of the packages as follows.
curl -fsSL https://shop.softmaker.com/repo/linux-repo-public.key | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/softmaker.gpg > /dev/nullNow import the APT repository using the following command.
sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/softmaker.gpg] https://shop.softmaker.com/repo/apt stable non-free' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/softmaker.list"Run a quick APT update to reflect the newly added APT source.
sudo apt updateLastly, install FreeOffice using the following command.
sudo apt install softmaker-freeoffice-2021 -yHow to Launch FreeOffice
Now, the best method to launch FreeOffice is using the application icon.
Taskbar > Office > FreeOffice {Text Maker, Presentations, PlanMaker}
Example:
Alternatively, you may want to use it for applications quite frequently. Right-click the icon and add it to favorites, making the icons appear on the taskbar.
The first time you open any FreeOffice applications, you will be prompted to select a theme. This user choice has multiple light and dark theme options with icons.
Example:
Once configured, you can proceed to use the FreeOffice version of the application you launched; they would look similar to the one below.
Example FreeOffice Text Maker:
Example FreeOffice Presentations:
Example FreeOffice PlanMaker:
How to Update/Upgrade FreeOffice
Next are the commands to run in your terminal to check for updates. These commands will blanket check all installed packages on your system that match the installation package manager. Ideally, you should run this regardless, even if auto-updates are set up to ensure your system is up-to-date and no update errors occur for newer users.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradeHow to Remove (Uninstall) FreeOffice
First, remove the office suite using the following command for users that no longer wish to have FreeOffice installed.
sudo apt autoremove softmaker-freeoffice-2021 --purge -yUsers that will no longer require the APT import repository since you will not use it again can safely remove it, which is good housekeeping and security best practices.
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/softmaker.listOptionally, you can remove the GPG as well with the following command.
sudo rm /usr/share/keyrings/softmaker.gpgComments and Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a good, free office suite alternative, FreeOffice is worth checking out. It has all the features you need to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and it’s compatible with Microsoft Office formats so that you can share your files with others without any trouble. Give it a try today!
