What is OpenDocument?

LibreOffice uses the Open Document Format, a fully open and ISO standardised file format that guarantees access to your data forever. (You can, of course, encrypt your documents with a password.) Because ODF is standardised, other office software can implement support for it as well – and many programs have done so. By using ODF, you ensure that your data can be transferred between different computers and operating systems, without having to worry about vendor lock-in or license fees.

ODF extensions

Typical extensions for ODF files include the following:

.odt – a text document
.ods – a spreadsheet file
.odp – a presentation file
.odg – an illustration or graphic

What to do if you're sent an ODF file

If you are sent a file with one of the above extensions, but your software or operating system can't identify it, then simply download LibreOffice – it's free and open source software, originally based on OpenOffice.org, and handles all of the above extensions.