Disappointment with LibreOffice Updates

New versions of LibreOffice no longer create long dashes by inserting double hyphens and then hitting Enter; neither do they create smart quotes. . . . I’ve followed all given instructions for how to do these two steps (essential for a writer) in the Tools settings, and yet my ‘updated’ LibreOffice suddenly no longer creates long dashes and smart quotes, as it used to. . . . I didn’t change anything. . . . What happened? . . . How do I download earlier versions that didn’t have these difficulties?

Which ones?

For the dashes, look in Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options > Options and tick the box Replace dashes.
Check out Help for exact replacements, Options (AutoCorrect)

Go to Tools > AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options > Localised Options and under Single Quotes and Double Quotes, tick the boxes Replace.
Note that these will not be applied to text with language marked as None or marked with a Language name not recognised by LibreOffice. Help Localised Options

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If the above don’t work then check if they work in Safe Mode, Help > Restart in safe mode > Continue in Safe Mode. See LibreOffice user profile - The Document Foundation Wiki

Thanks for taking the time to reply. . . . I have sorted it out. One needs to click on the “While Typing” setting that appears when one clicks on Tools / AutoCorrect Options. People offering suggestions seem to miss that one.

Neall Calvert

The settings that you change remain set for that version and for new versions. They are held in your user profile. You can undo them in the same place you made the setting or by resetting the entire user profile, although that is a drastic measure, see LibreOffice user profile - The Document Foundation Wiki for more information.