Saving documents in LibreOffice

Saving is one of the most basic features of any application. However, LibreOffice has numerous save choices in its File menu and toolbars.

LibreOffice File menu
These are the five save items in the File menu that is in the six applications and Start Center.

Each of these choices is different, though Save As and Save a Copy seem like they are the same. They are as follows. Click on one of the links below to jump to that section of the page or scroll down.
These are different types of saving:
Save
Save As
Save a Copy
Save All
Save to Remote Server

Save

This is the item you click or keystroke you click to update a document that you have recently made and shortly after you create a new document.

  • The keystroke for saving a document is Ctrl+S for Windows and Linux distros (or Cmd+S for Mac)
  • In the File menu, there is a Save item. Click it.
  • In the Standard toolbar, the is a disk icon for saving a document. Click it to save a document.

Here are links to the different settings in the dialog:

The dialog overview
Password
Edit filter settings

Click here to return to the table of contents.

Save As

Save As is a way to create a duplicate document that will look exactly the same if opened by LibreOffice, but can be edited without changing the original. The duplicate document can be saved in a different file format than the original.

If you keep the name the same as the original document and place it in the same folder, it will overwrite the original.

After you perform the Save As, the new document will be active. The original document will close automatically.

There are three ways to perform a Save As

  • Click File then Save As.
  • Clicking the Save as icon in the Standard toolbar. This is the disk with red lines.
  • Pressing Ctrl+Shift+S in Windows or a Linux distro (Cmd+Shift+S for Mac users).

Doing any one of these opens the Save or Save As dialog. You can give the new document a different name. You also can change its file format to one of the ones in the above table.

Here are links to the different settings in the dialog:

The dialog overview
Password
Edit filter settings

Click here to return to the table of contents.

Save a Copy

Save a Copy is almost an identical function to Save As. It opens the Save or Save As dialog and lets you save it in the folder and format of your choice.

It, however, cannot overwrite the original file, if you perform Save a Copy and do not change the file name or the folder where it is located. The Save As function would replace the original file.
Save a Copy won’t change the active file like Save As will.

The Save a Copy item is only in the File menu. Simply click the File menu, then click the Save a Copy item.

Doing this opens the Save or Save As dialog. You can give the new document a different name. You also can change its file format to one of the ones in the above table.

Here are links to the different settings in the dialog:

The dialog overview
Password
Edit filter settings

Click here to return to the table of contents.

Save All

This function is only active when more than one document is open and need to be saved. Simply click on this item in the File menu, and all the open, unsaved documents will be saved.

If all the documents have been saved before, they will simply be permanently updated. If it is the first time a document is save, the Save dialog appears, allowing you to create a name, select a location, and select a format.
The dialog overview
Password
Edit filter settings

Click here to return to the table of contents.

The dialog overview

Doing any one of these for the first time opens a Save or Save As dialog (Some operating systems call it a Save dialog. Others call it a Save As dialog) . The dialog allows you to choose where you want to save the document.

LibreOfficeSaveDialog
This is the Save dialog as it appears in Mac OSX. 1.) The left column lists the locations – top-level folders, remote folders, and plugged in drives – where the document can be saved. 2.) The second column shows documents and folders within the choice in the first column. 3.) There is a File Name text box where the name of the document is typed. 4.) At the bottom of the dialog is three check boxes. a.) Automatic file name extension: If this box does not have a check in it the extension selected in the drop-down menu will not be added. LibreOffice may not be able to open the document when it is clicked from the computer’s file system. b.) Save with password: Click here to learn more. c.) Edit filter settings. A different operating system will display the dialog differently.

Save to Remote Server

This function allows you to set up a connection to an FTP, Google Drive, and several other services. The item is only available in the File menu.

Simply click the File menu, then click the Save to Remote Server item.

Doing this opens the Remote Files dialog. To learn more about the dialog and remote services available to LibreOffice, read the page about it.

Click here to return to the table of contents.

File type

The caption doesn’t mention the File type drop-down menu. This menu gives a list of formats the document can be saved as. The formats are different based on what application the document is being saved with.

The three sections below have tables for three of the applications: Writer (text editor), Calc (spreadsheet), and Impress (presentation). These applications can save a document in OpenDocument Formats, standard Microsoft Office formats, and several other formats.

Here are links to each of the three sections:

Writer
Calc
Impress

If you do not want to view any of the tables, you can click here to jump to the section about Password.