Programs to open ODT files
Let's start with a number of applications that allow you to open ODT file on the computer. Whether you have a Windows PC, a Mac or a Linux-equipped computer, you are sure to find one that suits you!
LibreOffice (Windows / Mac / Linux)
If you are looking for a program for open ODT file, I advise you to resort to LibreOffice: it is a completely free (as well as open source) productivity suite that is proposed as a perfect alternative to Microsoft Office. It was born on the basis of another free productivity suite, OpenOffice, and includes 6 applications: Writer for video writing, Calc for processing spreadsheets, Impress for creating presentations, Draw to create printable documents and edit PDFs, Math to work with equations and Base to manage databases. It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux, where it often comes pre-installed "as standard".
To download LibreOffice on your computer, connect to its official website and click on the button Download version xx. So wait for the LibreOffice installation package (LibreOffice_xx_Win_x86.msi) is downloaded in full, then open it and click the button first NEXT twice in a row and then on Install, Yes e end to conclude the setup.
At this point, the ODT files should already be associated with LibreOffice Writer, so you should be able to view them by simply double-clicking their icons. If this is not the case, to associate the ODT documents with LibreOffice "manually" and make sure that they always open with the Writer application, right-click on any ODT file and select the item Property give the menu to compare.
In the window that opens, click on the button first Change and then LibreOffice Writer. If LibreOffice Writer does not appear in the list of available applications, press the button More apps> Look for another app on this PC (o Shop by Department) and select the program C: Programs (x86) LibreOffice 5programswriter.exe.
If you use a Mac, you can download LibreOffice on your computer by connecting to the program's website and clicking on the button first Download version xx and then on the button Translated user interface. This last step is used to download the cittàn translation package for LibreOffce, which in the Windows version of the suite is included “as standard” while on macOS it must be downloaded separately.
Once the download is complete, open the dmg package with LibreOffice and drag the program icon to the folder Applications of macOS. Then start LibreOffice by right clicking on its icon and selecting the item apri from the menu that appears. This step is used to "unlock" the suite for the first start and to prevent it from being blocked by the macOS protection systems (which prohibit the execution of apps that do not come from certified developers).
After starting LibreOffice for the first time, close the suite by pressing cmd + q. So open the dmg package with the language pack, start the file LibreOffice Language Pack by right clicking on it and selecting the item apri from the menu that appears, then click on the button Install twice in a row to translate the suite into cittàn.
If an error message appears stating that you do not have high enough privileges to install the language pack, click the button Yes, identify me and type the password of your user account on macOS (the one you use to log in to the system).
Even on Mac, LibreOffice Writer should automatically become the default application for opening ODT documents. If this is not the case, solve the problem by selecting any file in that format and accessing its properties by pressing the key combination cmd + i sulla tastiera of the computer.
In the window that opens, select then LibreOffice give menu to tendin Open with and click on the button Edit everything to save settings and bind Writer to ODT documents permanently.
WordPad (Windows)
If you don't feel like installing programs for open ODT file on your computer, you can resort to a couple of more basic solutions that you find already included with Windows.
If you are using Windows 7 or later, you can view ODT documents in WordPad, the word processor included “standard” in the Microsoft operating system, which however guarantees just enough support for the OpenDocument format and often does not show the correct formatting of the texts.
TextEdit (Mac)
On Mac, remaining within the predefined applications capable of “digesting” ODT files, there is TextEdit which manages to open most of the ODT files without problems and, if necessary, also allows you to export documents in this format.
To save a file in ODT format with TextEdit, first make sure that rich text mode is active (otherwise activate it via the menu Format> Convert to RTF format), then go to the menu File> Save e seleziona l'opzione Documento OpenDocument Text give menu to tendin File format.
Microsoft Word (Windows / Mac)
If you have a copy of Microsoft Office installed on your PC, you can also open ODT files with Word, the famous word processing software included in the suite. To take advantage of this possibility, all you have to do is call up the voice Open other files of type Documents from the Word start menu (in the left sidebar), click on the button Shop by Department present in the screen that opens and select the ODT document to view.
Alternatively, if you prefer, you can also right-click on the ODT file to open with Word and select the program name from the menu that opens.
Online services for opening ODT files
Don't feel like installing new programs on your computer? No problem, you can open ODT files directly from your browser by contacting some online services accessible at no cost from any navigation program. Here are some of the most interesting.
Google Drive
Google Drive is Google's cloud storage service that includes a totally free productivity suite with web applications for word processing, spreadsheet processing, creating presentations and more. To view an ODT file with it, connect to its home page and authenticate using your Google account data. If you are not yet registered with Google, you can easily fix it by clicking on the link Create an account and filling out the form that is proposed to you (if you do not know how to create Google account, read my tutorial on the subject).
At this point, drag the ODT document you want to view in Drive in the browser window, wait for it to be uploaded online and click on its name that appears at the bottom right. On the page that opens, click on the menu Fillet and select the item Apri with> Documenti Google from the latter to view the contents of the document directly in the browser.
If any steps are not clear to you or you want more information on Google Drive, consult my tutorial dedicated to the service.
Word Online
Microsoft also offers an online version of its productivity suite, and it's a completely free solution. To access it, in fact, all you need is a Microsoft account.
To view (and possibly edit) an ODT file with Office Online, connected to the page dedicated to the online version of Word, log in with your Microsoft account and click on the button Caricate a document which is located at the top right. Then select the ODT file to view and wait a few seconds for it to be uploaded online.
Please note: if you edit an ODT file with Word Online and then open it in Microsoft Word, it may report formatting errors regarding page breaks, tables and other elements.
App to open ODT files
Finally, let me point out a few app to open ODT files on smartphones and tablets. There are several to choose from, even free of charge. I bet you will be surprised by their infinite potential!
- AndrOpen Office (Android) - this is a faithful port of OpenOffice for Android. It goes without saying that it allows you to view, create and edit ODT files without any hassle. Its interface is not very comfortable when used via touch-screen, but otherwise there is nothing to complain. It's free, but to remove the banner ads and enable support for OpenOffice.org 1.0 and StarOffice 6.0 file formats, you need to purchase the AndrOpen Office Professional Pack for € 3,49.
- Microsoft Word (Android, iOS, Windows Phone) - the mobile version of Microsoft Word. It is free for all devices with dimensions equal to or less than 10.1 ″ and supports the viewing of ODT files, which, however, are converted into DOCX through Microsoft's online services. This also means that to edit ODT files, you have to duplicate them and work on their versions in DOCX. It supports OneDrive, Dropbox and other cloud storage services.
- Google Docs (Android / iOS) - this is the mobile version of Google Drive, and more specifically its application that allows you to view and edit text documents. It also supports local file downloads, so you can work offline.
- Polaris Office (Android/iOS) - a productivity suite alternative to Microsoft Office. It supports all major Office file formats and ODTs. It also allows you to upload files directly from cloud storage services like Dropbox. Its basic version is completely free, but it only allows you to view ODTs, not edit them.
