Install/Upgrade LibreOffice on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

LibreOffice is a free, open-source office productivity suite used by millions of users worldwide. The office suite software uses a native file format ODF or Open Document Format, an accepted and almost required structure in multiple organizations across the globe.

LibreOffice includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing).

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install LibreOffice current, pre-release, and backports (LibreOffice Still) on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa.

Update Ubuntu System

Update your Ubuntu operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Import LibreOffice PPA

The first part of the installation is to import the LibreOffice repository that suites your desired installation version. The recommended option is to install the current release PPA, with the backports and pre-release repositories being optional extras.

ONLY INSTALL THE PPA REQUIRED, DO NOT INSTALL ALL THREE.

Option 1 – Import LibreOffice PPA Current Release (Recommended):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa -y

Option 2 – Import LibreOffice PPA Pre-Release:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-prereleases -y

Option 3 – Import LibreOffice PPA Backports (LibreOffice Still):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-still -y

Next, run an apt-update.

sudo apt update

Install LibreOffice

Install LibreOffice using the following command.

sudo apt install libreoffice

Example output (installing current release):

Type Y, then press the ENTER KEY to proceed.

Launch LibreOffice

LibreOffice has many applications that can be utilized, and the best option is to see what is installed by going into the Activities > Show Applications > LibreOffice search location.

Example:

From here, open the application you prefer.

Example (LibreOffice Writer):

Alternatively, you may want to use it for applications quite frequently. Right-click the icon and click add to favorites, and this will then make the icons appear on the taskbar.

Example:

Use the same method to remove them, but you can right-click the icon on the primary taskbar to remove it instead of finding the application icon in the show applications.

Removing LibreOffice

To remove LibreOffice to save on system resources, use the following command.

sudo apt autoremove libreoffice --purge

The command will remove any unused dependencies.

For users that have installed the PPA, remove this afterward for complete removal.

Remove LibreOffice PPA Current Release:

sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:libreoffice/ppa -y

Remove LibreOffice PPA Pre-Release:

sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-prereleases -y

Remove LibreOffice PPA Backports (LibreOffice Still):

sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:libreoffice/libreoffice-still -y

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to install LibreOffice PPA with the current, pre-release, or backports installation options.

Overall, LibreOffice is a solid free, open-source choice for users migrating from Windows. While LibreOffice still has a way to look and feel of Microsoft Office, the improvements or new additions are pretty significant with every release.