Guide: LibreOffice Calc Part 1: Initial Configuration

In this first part of our guide on LibreOffice Calc, we go over some initial configuration and a few basics.

So you’ve installed LibreOffice and are curious about Calc. This is an excellent place to start.

Calc handles your spreadsheets and even some formulas. So, if you want to organize some data or are interested in creating a calculating system, Calc might be just the solution for you.

Step 1: Opening Calc

You can open Calc either by opening the file directly via the start menu or opening the LibreOffice program and clicking on Calc Spreadsheet.

When you open up Calc, if you have ever seen a spreadsheet program like Excel, this should look very familiar to you. First, however, if you haven’t already done so in Writer, you may need to do some initial configuration.

Step 2: Setting Your Language Preferences

Calc comes with a built in spellchecker. So, if you are a US resident, the default setting is fine. However, if you happen to live in countries like Canada, the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, there are small differences in the English language. Better yet, what if English is not your language of choice? Calc offers a wide variety of options for you.

First, we need to click on “Tools”. After that, hover your mouse over “Language”. Then, in the submenu, hover your mouse over “For All Text”. In the final menu, click on “More…”. The screen shot shows my language preference already, but for the sake of argument, let’s say I’ve opened Calc as the first program I’ve ever opened in LibreOffice and I need to configure this properly.

In the subsequent window, you should be in the “Languages” screen. The first drop down menu you want to set is found under “Language Of” and next to “Locale Settings”. This can be the language you prefer. In my case, it’s English (Canada). After that, under Default Languages for Documents, you’ll probably also want to set this as the language of your choice. In my case, it’s next to Western and it’s English (Canada).

Once done, click the “OK” button.

Step 3: Setting Up User Meta-Data Preferences (Optional)

This next part is optional, but if you want your name or your company to appear in the meta-data of documents, this might be a step you want to take.

First, we want to click on “Tools”, and then “Options…”

From there, you can insert all the meta-data you like. Whether you are a company or an individual, you can insert the meta-data of your choice. Of course, all of this can be left blank. It’s just about your personal preference.

When you are done, just click on the “OK” button. Congratulations! You are now ready to use Calc!

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