The Document Foundation rolls out LibreOffice 26.2, a free and open source office suite update focused on Markdown workflows, speed gains, stronger encryption, and improved Microsoft Office compatibility for enterprises and public institutions.
LibreOffice 26.2 has been released by The Document Foundation, strengthening its position as a fully free and open source office suite for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with support for more than 120 languages. The community-driven update focuses on open standards, performance, compatibility, and privacy, offering organisations a credible alternative to proprietary productivity software.
The headline feature is native Markdown support. Users can now directly import Markdown files via file selection or clipboard and export documents back to the format, improving interoperability for technical documentation, developer workflows, and content management systems.
Performance has been improved across the suite. EPUB export is faster and now includes a progress bar. Calc delivers smoother scrolling in sheets with many hidden columns and accelerates large tables, duplicate removal, and tracked-change rejection. Optimisations also cover SVG exports, 3D chart rendering, and Linux pattern fills.
Compatibility with Microsoft Office formats has been strengthened. Writer enhances DOCX export through Floating Table splitting and better Change Tracking preservation. Calc supports Excel’s Biff12 clipboard format and defaults to Excel 2010+ XLSX, easing data exchange with proprietary environments.
Security receives a boost through ODF Wholesome Encryption, combining AES-GCM authenticated encryption with Argon2id key derivation to improve brute-force resistance and reduce metadata leakage.
LibreOffice 26.2 will be supported until November 30, 2026, with certified L3 providers offering extended commercial support for enterprises, schools, and governments.
“LibreOffice 26.2 shows what happens when software is built around users, not business models, and how open-source software can deliver a modern, mature productivity suite without compromising user freedom,” said Florian Effenberger, Executive Director of The Document Foundation.
