Microsoft Office Adds Support for OpenDocument 1.4 Format, Raises Interoperability Concerns

In context: OpenDocument is an ISO standard format for saving text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and graphics using ZIP compression and XML metadata. ODF is the native file format for LibreOffice and other free office suites, and is also supported by Microsoft’s proprietary commercial Office suite of applications.

ODF’s creators are still working on version 1.4 of the popular, open file format for office applications, but Microsoft is already adding support for the technology in the latest version of its Office tools. As announced on the Microsoft 365 Insider blog, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint have been updated to properly support ODF 1.4 files and documents.

Microsoft 365 apps available in the Beta channel will now save natively to ODF 1.4, while ODF 1.3 files can still be opened but only saved as 1.4 documents without the additional features introduced in the latest version. Microsoft is apparently doing this to improve Office interoperability, but third-party apps built around the ODF ISO standard, such as LibreOffice, still officially work only with ODF 1.3.

LibreOffice cannot yet support ODF 1.4 features. This means that an ODF 1.4 file saved with the latest Microsoft 365 apps will likely break interoperability rather than improve it in the short term.

Microsoft naturally advises Office users to choose the Office Open XML format (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) when saving Word, Excel, and PowerPoint projects, which already supports the same features as ODF 1.4.

Redmond Corporation highlights some of the major improvements included in ODF 1.4, especially for word processors. The new format adds support for tables in shapes, lists starting from zero, non-overlapping images and shapes, additional writing modes, a new accessibility attribute for “decorative objects” that can be ignored by assistive technologies, and more.

ODF 1.4 spreadsheets saved in Excel can now include color filter settings “with some limitations,” as well as minor improvements in handling error values ​​and text rotation. Finally, PowerPoint presentations can preserve slide numbering starting from 0, as well as the text direction of table cells. Decorative objects are also supported in ODF 1.4 spreadsheets and presentations.

The new document format is supported in the following beta versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint: 2404 (Build 17531.20078) or later on Windows and 16.84 (Build 24041420) or later on Mac. Office users who do not wish to test free beta versions of Microsoft software are exempt from the issues related to the unfinalized ODF 1.4 format, as they can still handle ODF 1.3 documents and significantly better interoperate with LibreOffice and other free open-source packages.

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Microsoft Office Adds Support for OpenDocument 1.4 Format, Raises Interoperability Concerns