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How to Update LibreOffice Safely Without Losing Settings or Documents

Save and close your work, back up important documents and the LibreOffice user profile separately, then update using the built-in updater or a matching official download. Verify your files and preferences afterward.
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Before updating LibreOffice, save and close your work, make separate backups of important documents and your LibreOffice user profile, then update through Help > Check for Updates or the official download page. After installation, reopen LibreOffice and check your settings and files. LibreOffice says an existing version does not need to be uninstalled; its explicit statement that preferences are preserved applies to the macOS overwrite instructions.

1. Save your work and make two separate backups

Save and close open documents

Save each open file to its normal location and close LibreOffice before starting the update. Check that important documents are not kept only in a temporary folder or alongside a downloaded installer.

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Copy important documents somewhere separate

Copy the files you care about to a separate location, such as an external drive or a trusted backup location. A software update and a document backup are separate things: your documents live at their own local, network, or online storage paths. LibreOffice’s system requirements page recommends backing up system and data before installing software.

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Back up your LibreOffice user profile

Preferences and customizations are stored in the LibreOffice user profile, which is separate from your documents. The profile can include items such as dictionaries, templates, galleries, AutoCorrect data, and automatic backups. Its location depends on the operating system and installation, so use LibreOffice’s Paths help page to identify the profile location for your setup. Close LibreOffice, then copy the profile directory to a separate backup location.

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2. Choose an update route

Route What to expect What to check
Built-in updater Use Help > Check for Updates if the command is available in your installed build. The updater can download an update and offer an Install action. It may need write permission to the installation directory. Some operating systems require you to open the downloaded package and run setup manually. See LibreOffice’s Check for Updates help.
Official download Choose the installer or package for your operating system from the LibreOffice download page, then follow the package’s installation instructions. Match your operating system and processor architecture. On Linux, follow your distribution’s guidance for rpm, deb, or its supported package method rather than assuming one package works everywhere.

The download page is the live source for releases and package choices. When checked on 2026-10-03, it displayed LibreOffice 26.8.0 and offered Windows x86-64 and ARM64, macOS Intel and Apple Silicon, and Linux rpm and deb options. Those details can change; check the page when you update and select the package that matches your system.

3. Install the update without uninstalling first

LibreOffice’s installation instructions state: “You do not have to uninstall any previously installed version of LibreOffice.” Follow the prompts for the route and package you chose, including any request for the permissions needed to write to the installation directory. If the updater downloads a package but does not install it for you, open the downloaded file and follow its setup instructions.

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The same installation page says specifically for macOS that when an existing installation is overwritten, “all your preferences will be preserved.” Treat that as a macOS-specific statement, not a blanket guarantee for every operating system, installation type, or version change. Keeping the profile backup gives you a separate recovery copy.

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4. Reopen LibreOffice and verify your files and settings

  1. Start LibreOffice after setup finishes.
  2. Check that expected preferences and customizations are present.
  3. Open copies of a few important documents and confirm they display and behave as expected.
  4. Keep your pre-update document and profile backups until you are satisfied that the installation and files are working.

Optional: LibreOffice’s document backup settings

LibreOffice can create a backup of the previous saved version of a document. In Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Load/Save > General, enable Always create backup copy; the previous version is stored with a .BAK extension. The backup location can be changed under Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Paths. On macOS, preferences are under LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice; use the corresponding Load/Save and Paths settings there. See the official Load/Save settings help and Saving Documents help.

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This option can help recover a prior saved copy, but it is not a backup of your whole profile or system, and it does not replace keeping important documents in a separate location. The File > Versions feature can also retain versions within a document, but those versions remain part of that document rather than a separate backup.

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Check compatibility if you are installing on an older computer

System requirements can change between releases. The current LibreOffice system requirements page lists Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2012–2022, macOS 11 or newer, and Linux kernel 4.18 or higher with glibc 2.27 or higher for the listed builds. Verify the live requirements for the release and package you plan to install.

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