When it comes to alternatives of popular word processing software like Microsoft Word, LibreOffice is one of the best software you will come across. Not only it features powerful desktop tools but its browser option also packs some essential features to make it a worthy contender to online office suites like Google Docs.
LibreOffice, the free and open source office suite has recently introduced the feature that allows you to edit files remotely over SSH, on Samba and other remote servers. Google Drive is also one of the options offered by LibreOffice. If you are wondering how to open and edit remote files from Google Drive in LibreOffice then continue reading as we have explained the process in easy to understand steps below.
Using LibreOffice along with Google Drive offers you the flexibility of Google’s cloud storage drive and powerful tools of the open source office suite. You can work on Google Drive as well as LibreOffice to get both flexibilities as well as features.
Establishing Remote File Connection
To set up a remote file connection and edit files from Google Drive in LibreOffice, you need a Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can set it up real quick by simply entering your credentials like name, age, and mobile number. Once you have created an account on Google and have added one or two files in the Drive, follow the below-given steps:
- Launch the LibreOffice software and then from Start Center, choose the “Remote Files” option which will be available at the top of the pane on the left side of the screen.
- Click on the “Add Service” option in the next window and choose Google Drive by clicking on the “Type”
- Next, you need to enter your Google Drive username and password which is your Google account credentials. If you have enabled two-factor authentication in your Google account, you need to enter the code received on your other device in the prompt displayed by LibreOffice.
- After entering the credentials and two-factor authentication code, you need to click on the “OK” button.
- The connection will be established within a few seconds depending upon your internet speed.
How To Open and edit remote files from Google drive in LibreOffice?
- To open a file from Google Drive in LibreOffice, go to File option in the software and click on the “open remote file” Alternatively, you can choose Remote Files option from the Start Center.
- Once you have opened a file from Google Drive in LibreOffice, you can perform editing on it as you would do for a regular file.
- To create a new file and save it to Google Drive, click on the File menu and choose “Save Remote” option.
- To save a file, you need to press the ctrl+ s combination and the file will be saved automatically to your Google Drive.
Bottom Line
LibreOffice is an open source and feature-rich office suite that offers a variety of tools to edit, view and modify documents. Now, with a host of supported remote access methods, LibreOffice is giving a tough competition to Microsoft Word and other popular office suites.
Now that Google Drive is also supported, you can easily open and edit documents. We hope that you must have learned how to establish a remote connection and edit documents on Google Drive in LibreOffice.