The popular free office suite LibreOffice has released version 24.8, bringing significant updates, including the first-ever compilation for ARM-based computers. This release marks a major milestone for the software, particularly benefiting Copilot+ PCs with optimized performance.
ARM Support: A Game-Changer
The headline feature of LibreOffice 24.8 is its new support for Windows 11 on ARM. This addition promises:
- Optimized performance on ARM-based devices
- Improved energy efficiency
- Enhanced user experience for Copilot+ PC users
This development is particularly significant for users seeking a free alternative to Microsoft Office on ARM-based Windows systems.
Privacy Enhancements
LibreOffice 24.8 introduces a new privacy-focused feature:
- Option to remove personal information when saving documents
- Eliminates author names and timestamps
- Improves user privacy when sharing or collaborating on documents
Application-Specific Improvements
- User interface enhancements
- Improved handling of formatting characters
- New options for hyperlinks and bullets
- Better navigation and handling of footnotes and endnotes
Calc
- Introduction of new functions: FILTER, LET, RANDARRAY, SEQUENCE, SORT, SORT BY, UNIQUE, XLOOKUP, and XMATCH
- Optimized performance for threaded calculations
- Improved comment display
- Slide navigation in normal view
- Collapsible panel for notes
- Immediate updates to presentations when changes are applied
LibreOffice continues to be the go-to office suite for users seeking a free alternative to Microsoft Office. It’s particularly popular in Linux distributions, where Microsoft’s suite is unavailable.
With these latest improvements, LibreOffice strengthens its position as a powerful, versatile, and now more accessible office solution across multiple platforms and architectures.
