Startup preview: can I open it again after first document?

English
#1

(LibreOffice 7.6.7.2 on Windows 11) – a very basic question –
When I start the common LibreOffice link (and not specifically Writer, Calc, etc.) I am presented with a grid of previews of my last opened and pinned documents.
That’s fine, I can spot from the previews what to open.

However, when I already have (at least) one document opened in Writer, Calc, I don’t know how to reopen the preview window. Launching “LibreOffice” common link again recalls the already opened window and not the previewer.

#2

you can join the prayers :wink:
77590 – Make LO's Start Center thumbnail views available for use from within components

How to open up the default LibreOffice start screen after a document is opened - #2 by mikekaganski

#3

Thanks for sympathizing.
(And yes, I did join right now)

#4

The Start Center is what is displayed when no other component is active. Consequently, here are your possibilities:

  • you no longer work with your current document (which is the only LO window)
    Close the window without quitting LO. The Start Center reappears.

  • you want to select a second (or more) document

    • the document is managed by the same component as the current one (Writer, Calc, …)
      Select the new document from File>Recent Documents
    • the document has a different “type” (e.g. you want a Calc spreadsheet while you’re working on a Writer text document)
      Since the Recent Documents menu now displays same document category by default (a request from users), you need to reconfigure your LO copy to revert to unsorted list.
  1. Open Tools>Options, LO>Advanced
  2. Press Open Expert Configuration
  3. Enter “history” in the text box, press Search
  4. Locate ShowCurrentModuleOnly variable and change its value to false
  5. OK

This configuration is saved in your user profile. You need to do it only once.

#5

Unfortunately, this isn’t the solution to my needs: I simply would like to see the Start Center when I open again the LibreOffice link from my system’s Start Menu, to always select files from a preview - they can all be Writer documents

#6

In other words, you want to select the file visually. I remind you that the (graphical) Start Center is strictly equivalent to the (text) recent documents list. Does it mean your filenames are not reminiscent of the contents?

#7

My filenames describe perfectly their content.
I’m just taking advantage of their visual content to select them, as is the case with icons, previews, and thumbnails in the last few decades of computing. Incidentally, as with the Start Center.

Nothing of that is really required, just a quick aid, especially to people with a bad sight.

#8

You may perhaps build a surrogate for the Start Center.

Create a dedicated directory in the OS file browser. Put inside it links to the actual files. Then double click on an icon to open it. The file browser has options to display contents thumbnails and you can choose large icon size to make the thumbnail more readable.

This is not automatic but is the best I can suggest. It allows to collect your “recent documents” from different directories into a single one.

#9

Yes, that’s feasible, even though it’s a two-step process with files coming from/going to other people.
I just wondered why that could not be done within the Start Center, which apparently had already everything built in.

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