I have updated Windows. I create a LibreOffice text document and save it as odt, but the saved file has the W (MS Word) icon instead of the LibreOffice text icon. The problem is that the document loses the formatting. All of my Word documents lost the formatting and settings some time ago and I don’t know why. By all that I mean the files lose all margins, the text just goes all the way across the page. The fact that there are default settings means absolutely nothing. And it’s doing the same thing to the LibreOffice documents when I open them after saving them. Just text all the way across the page. So is there any way to save these LibreOffice documents with some margins without Word screwing them up like this?
Neither can we unless you edit your question to provide additional information: OS name, LO version.
How do you ascertain it loses format? Based on file extension? Reopening it with some application? Which command do you use to save? Which options have you selected?
I create a LibreOffice Writer odt document, but it saves as a Word document and loses format.
How do you determine exactly (please describe the procedure) that
a) You create as .odt
b) it saves as Word Document
As long as you did not save, the format in fact is “undetermined”. Hence a) only makes sense, if you perform a save for the first time and the format using Save is determined by Tools -> Options -> Load/Save -> General -> Section: Default File Format and ODF Settings. It only becomes a Word document, if your setting there is Word 2007-365 (*.docx) (or any other MS doc format) and which must have been changed by you, since the default is ODF Text Document (*.odt).
On the other hand: Double clicking on a file which causes MS Word to start and load the file could (!) mean, that extension .odt is associated to MS Word and not that the file has the .doc(x) format, since MS Words can open .odt documents.
What you describe looks like you’ve switched to web view. To revert to “normal” view, View>Normal.
If this does not solve your problem, report back (either editing your question or commenting my answer). In case of failure, attach a screenshot to your question.
To show the community your question has been answered, click the ✓ next to the correct answer, and “upvote” by clicking on the ^ arrow of any helpful answers. These are the mechanisms for communicating the quality of the Q&A on this site. Thanks!
In case you need clarification, edit your question (not an answer which is reserved for solutions) or comment the relevant answer.
That apparently solved the problem! When I went to the View menu, I didn’t see “Normal” anywhere, but I clicked on “Page Layout” and the margins came back. Thanks!
Now I also note that if I save a LibreOffice file as an ott file instead of odt, the W icon is gone and there’s a LibreOffice text icon. I assume that using ott instead of odt is no harm done.
Be kind enough to click (only once even if seemingly nothing happens) on the gray check mark at left of my answer. This will indicate other users the solution has been accepted.
“Page Layout”??? What kind of UI have you selected? Some tabbed one a la Word?
.ott is the extension for templates. It does no harm when you know what you are doing but you should expect weird things to happen when you think you have saved your document. So, until you are familiar with the powerful but not-that-obvious-nor-intuitive feature, revert to .odt extension. Otherwise, I expect you’ll have further questions here.
I guess it was the View menu associated with Word. I don’t know, things are jumping around. Anyway, I now see the Normal and Web under View with a LibreOffice file without the W. The ott instead of odt solves the W icon problem if it doesn’t create some other problem instead.
Okay, I’ll use the odt as long as the associated W icon doesn’t mean that Word is going to screw me up again. Thanks.