Best Free Software
Robert Irvine recommends new programs that won’t cost you a thing
18
(^4) It’s easy to avoid printing
errors in the Spreadsheet
Editor – click File, then
Print and you’ll now see a
preview of how your printed
spreadsheet will look on the
right.
(^3) To convert a PDF, click File,
‘Save as’, then navigate to
where you want to save
your file. From the ‘Save as
type’ menu, select ‘Office
Open XML Document
(*.docx)’ and click Save.
(^2) With a PDF open, click the
button with two stacked
squares on the left to
reveal the Page Thumbnails
pane, which makes it much
easier to navigate lengthy
documents.
(^1) To view and convert PDFs in
OnlyOffice, launch the suite,
click Document to open the
Document Editor, then click
File and browse for the PDF
you want.
Back in February (Issue 624), we recommended OnlyOffice
7.0 as a great free alternative to Microsoft’s expensive Office.
But it wasn’t long before LibreOffice reclaimed its place as
our favourite free suite when it released version 7.3 (reviewed
on this page in Issue 625). Not to be outdone, OnlyOffice has
now bounced back with version 7.1 – a major update that
adds a raft of great new features and tools.
The most notable improvement is support for devices with
ARM processors. While ARM-based Windows PCs are still
relatively rare, this does mean OnlyOffice can now be installed
on cheaper, low-powered devices, including Raspberry Pi. If
you need this version, make sure you click the ARM option for
your operating system when downloading OnlyOffice.
Version 7.1 now includes a document viewer that lets you
open and read PDF, XPS and D j Vu files. You can also convert
PDFs to editable .docx files with just a few clicks.
Some enhancements, such as improved
tools for adding and editing shapes as well
as support for new chart types are available
across all the suite’s key tools (Document Editor,
Spreadsheet Editor and Presentation Editor).
More useful features have been added to individual tools.
In the Spreadsheet Editor, for example, there’s now a
useful print preview to help you avoid accidentally printing
your spreadsheets across multiple pages. The improved
Presentation Editor, meanwhile, lets you add and adjust
animations to your slides.
All these changes make OpenOffice even more familiar
to former users of Microsoft Office. You can also use its
tools across OnlyOffice’s free mobile apps, and via any web
browser by signing in with an account at https://personal.
onlyoffice.com.
OFFICE SUITE
http://www.snipca.com/
What you need: Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, macOS or Linux
OnlyOffice 7.
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8 – 21 June 2022 • Issue 633