How to Fix: Can’t Open LibreOffice Problem

I will try to give you some ideas to fix a common problem: I can’t open LibreOffice.

There are various reasons for which you may not be able to open the LibreOffice program that includes Calc, Writer, Impress or other components. Since the underlying hardware or functions you perform are different, it’s impossible to provide a specific solution.

That said, I can still give you some ideas or thoughts by which you can proceed to fix this typical problem.

How to Fix: Can’t Open LibreOffice.

I have listed below steps for the operating system (OS), i.e. Linux and Windows. Because troubleshooting this problem differs based on the OS.

Method 1: Try Opening in Safe Mode

• Try to open LibreOffice in safe mode to see if it works. In Windows, on the START MENU, right-click> Run and type the following (exactly as mentioned below, including the double quotes):

"%ProgramFiles%\LibreOffice\program\soffice" --safe-mode

• For Linux, open a terminal window (press CTRL+ALT+T) and run the following.

office --safe-mode

• And then hit enter.

• Now, click on Continue in Safe Mode and see if it works. If LibreOffice opens up fine, then you can close LibreOffice. And try to open normally, i.e. via your usual shortcut or icon method.
• If it doesn’t work, continue to the next step.

Method 2: Archive and Factory Reset

Open the LibreOffice in safe mode using the above Method 1.

• In the Safe Mode window, click and expand Advanced
• Click on Archive User Profile
• Select the option Reset to Factory Settings
• Choose Reset Entire User Profile
• Click on Apply Changes and Restart.

If it opens, try to see if all your needed functions are working.

Method 3: Disable the HW Acceleration

Open the LibreOffice again in safe mode using the above Method 1.

• In the Safe Mode window, click Configure.
• Then click on Disable User Extensions
• Also, click on Disable hardware acceleration
• Now, click on Apply Changes and Restart

If you can open it, then all is good. Otherwise, follow the next step.

Method 4: Reset Shortcuts (Windows Only)

• In Windows, you may try resetting the shortcut, which may be the problem.
• Open Windows Explorer, and in the address bar, copy-paste the below path.

%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\LibreOffice 7.0\

• You should see a list of LibreOffice shortcuts in this location.
• Try to double-click and open LibreOffice from these icons.
• If it works, right-click on the LibreOffice icon and click Send to Desktop (create shortcuts).
• Now you can try to open LibreOffice from the newly opened shortcuts.

This method is explained via this page.

Method 5: Kill the Running Processes (Use with Caution)

Sometimes, a running program of LibreOffice causes problems. The reason is LibreOffice may not close properly last time and hence caused the issues.

In those situations, you might see LibreOffice running as a process. So, you can try to kill the process manually and see if it opens.

• In Windows, open Task Manager. And Right-Click on any process named libreoffice or soffice. And select the kill process option. Then restart your Windows system and try to open it.

• For Linux, open a terminal window (CTRL+ALT+T), and run the following command.

ps -el | grep soffice

• It will give you the process number in the fourth column (see the below image).

• Then run the following command with the process ID to kill the process.

kill -9 process_id

Once it is complete, try to open LibreOffice in the usual way.

Method 6: Delete the LibreOffice Config Manually (Use with Caution)

This method is only for Linux users and is very risky. So, proceed with caution.

• Open the file manager in Linux. Go to the /home/<username> directory. Then press CTRL+H to show the hidden files.
• Open the .config directory.
• Inside this directory, you should find a folder named LibreOffice.
• Delete this folder.

Restart your system and try to open LibreOffice in the normal way.

Final Method 7: Uninstall and Re-Install

If none of the above methods works, then I can only recommend trying uninstalling the program. And download the latest version of LibreOffice from the official website and install it.

Wrapping Up

I hope the above steps help you to fix this common problem. Or at least give you an idea to proceed with the issues. If nothing works and you can afford to reinstall, then do it. Reinstalling LibreOffice hopefully solves the problem.

If any of the above methods work for you, let everyone know in the comment box to benefit everyone.

Cheers.