New Update FreeOffice 2021 is now available

silversurfer

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Softmaker, the publisher of FreeOffice, has released FreeOffice 2021 this week. The cross-platform Office suite is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. It is free for personal and business use, and includes applications, called TextMaker, PlanMaker, and Presentations, that offer excellent compatibility with Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

As far as system requirements are concerned, FreeOffice 2021 runs on the following systems:
  • Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 or a later version
  • macOS 10.10 or a later version
  • Any 64-bit Linux for PCs

FreeOffice 2021​

freeoffice-2021.webp


Installation of FreeOffice 2021 is straightforward on Windows. Once installed, you get to choose between a ribbon or classic menu interface design, when you launch the applications that are included for the first time. Existing FreeOffice users may select Help > Check for Updates to install the installed version on their devices.

Microsoft Office, OpenOffice and LibreOffice users will feel right at home when they start using FreeOffice 2021. The applications can load Microsoft Office and Open Documents formats, other text-based formats, as well as its own format. Documents created with other Office applications open seamlessly in the FreeOffice 2021 applications.

Compatibility with Microsoft Office formats is one of FreeOffice's strong features. Most users won't run into any compatibility issues when loading Microsoft Office or Open Document documents into the FreeOffice applications.

A commercial version, called SoftMaker Office, is also available. The commercial version includes advanced features, such as support for creating ebooks, access to professional dictionaries, Group Policy support, improved German spell and grammar checking, and free technical support provided by SoftMaker.

SoftMaker does not reveal much about the changes that found their way into the new FreeOffice application, only that all "three programs contain numerous innovations and improvements that make work even more efficient".

Here is the company's description of the three applications that are included in FreeOffice 2021:
The included word processing software FreeOffice TextMaker 2021 allows users to create text documents of any size. The extensive desktop publishing functions enable the insertion of pictures, graphics, tables and numerous other objects. A new addition is the simultaneous use of footnotes and endnotes in the same document.
In addition to the seamless DOCX support, the word processing software offers faithful handling of numerous other file formats. It opens and saves documents both in the old Microsoft DOC format and in the ODT format used by LibreOffice and OpenOffice in a lossless manner.
The spreadsheet software FreeOffice PlanMaker 2021 covers the complete range of functions required to create calculations, tables and charts. Even functions for experienced users, such as the extended pivot tables in the new PlanMaker or conditional formatting, are always compatible with Microsoft Excel 2019, 2021 and 365 thanks to the smooth support of the Excel format XLSX.
The presentation program FreeOffice Presentations 2021 is now even more compatible with PowerPoint than its predecessor. FreeOffice Presentations 2021 now offers even more animations and slide transitions based on OpenGL and provides the user with a variety of spectacular effects that can be used to enhance slide shows.
 

Gandalf_The_Grey

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SoftMaker FreeOffice 2021 Rev 1050​

2022-08-12: Revision 1050​

All programs
45254New feature: The dialog box Options now has a Manage button that enables you to import and export your Office configuration files, such as keyboard mappings, toolbars, or user dictionaries. This allows you to synchronize them between different PCs or to restore your current settings in future versions of SoftMaker FreeOffice.
52652WindowsNew feature: The option Prefer using larger controls in the dialog box Options allows you to specify whether icons, scrollbars, etc. should be enlarged when the screen is scaled to 150%.
Miscellaneous bug fixes
 
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Gandalf_The_Grey

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SoftMaker FreeOffice 2021 Rev 1054
  • New feature: Some printer drivers delay the launch of TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations for up to 45 seconds if the printer is switched off or unreachable. This problem is now circumvented.
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes
 

Gandalf_The_Grey

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2022-11-16: Revision 1058
All programs
54104WindowsDue to a bug in the Windows 11 22H2 update, it was no longer possible to open documents directly in FreeOffice by double-clicking in Explorer. This Windows bug is now circumvented.
54146 You can now disable the function of the Insert key, which toggles between insert and overwrite mode, in FreeOffice. This prevents accidental switching to overwrite mode and also bypasses a bug in the DeepL app that mistakenly sends this keystroke to programs.
54087WindowsNot all available paper sizes were offered for some printers.
 
F

ForgottenSeer 97327

Anyone using it? If so does it start faster than open or Libre Office? How is the compatibility with Microsoft Office?
 

n8chavez

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Anyone using it? If so does it start faster than open or Libre Office? How is the compatibility with Microsoft Office?

I use Ashampoo Office, which is just a rebranded version of the paid product. It loads fast enough, without issues as far as I can tell. But that might vary from system to system. Its compatibility is good, better than any other non-MS Office product. I do notice small things, like the fonts not always matching, or tables looking just slightly off. Nothing major though. One issue for me is the templates; MS Office has more and they are much easier to find. That being said, Ashampoo (Softmaker) Office has compatability with .odt files, which is the default Libreoffice format. With MSO that's an afterthought.
 

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