What programs can open the ODT file

Some new laptops installed alternative to Microsoft Office Word. Typing in it, a person receives a document in the ODT extension, which is not always readable by other text software. As a result, his addressee, who does not have such an application, has a problem with opening the file. Read how to get around it.

Ways to open an ODT file.

General description of the extension

The ODT format belongs to the programs OpenOffice, LibreOffice and StarOffice, developed by OASIS as a free product for distribution in contrast to the paid Microsoft Office package. In them, you can create open Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, presentations, etc. Initially, these applications were designed for the Linux platform, but were later adapted for Windows. ODT stands for “Open text document”, the first letter of the abbreviation indicates the gratuity of the program to which it belongs. The problem of integrating this type of file in Word is solved by downloading a special plug-in, but this does not always lead to the desired result.

Software to open ODT files on your computer

Documents in the ODT format are read by several programs, here's what you can open them:

  • OpenOffice Writer.
  • LibreOffice Writer.
  • Universal Viewer.
  • Windows Office.
  • Microsoft Word.

Let's start with the very first application - OpenOffice Writer:

  1. Download it for free from the official site: select the version for Windows and the appropriate bit depth, install the distribution.
  2. Run the program. Its interface is very similar to Word, so easy to understand. Click "File" - "Open" and select the desired document.
  3. You can also click on the document - the system itself recognizes how to open the file, because the program is already available.

LibreOffice Writer can also read and edit ODT files:

  1. Download it from the developer’s website and install it.
  2. Open the program window and click Open File.
  3. Select the desired document.

You cannot edit text in Universal Viewer, but you can view it. For this:

  1. Download and install the program.
  2. Open it and click File - Open.

Unfortunately, the formatting is completely broken, the titles and selected areas will disappear. There is also a Windows Office program (not to be confused with the famous Microsoft Office), which was developed relatively recently, is free and can open almost any text format. To use it, it is enough to take a few simple steps:

  1. Download the program and install.
  2. Press Ctrl + O.
  3. Select a file.

In the package there will be more analogs of Excel and PowerPoint - you can also work with them, as with usual programs, the interface almost completely repeats the design of the predecessors. In Word, from version 2003 onwards, you can also open files in the ODT format, but this is not so easy. To begin with, you will have to download a special plugin, or install Windows update packages, where adaptation components that integrate ODT files into Word came out. In the second case, just go to the Microsoft website, type in “Search”: SP2, download the packages and install them.

To install the Sun ODF Plugin plugin, do the following:

  1. View Sun's official website.
  2. Choose a plugin that matches your version of Word.
  3. Click Register Now and fill in the registration form.
  4. Agree to the terms of use of the product.
  5. Download Sun ODF Plugin and run the installation.
  6. Check that all files are saved to the Program Files directory.

Now you can open ODT files through Word in the same way as documents with .doc and .docx extensions.

How to open an .odt file on a smartphone

For iPhone and Android, there are also applications that allow you to read and edit files in the ODT format:

  1. OpenDocument Reader - is able not only to demonstrate the content of the document, but also to make adjustments, create new text files, as well as voice the writing.
  2. Open Office Viewer - has almost the same set of functions as the previous one, but also reads pdf-files and many other text formats.
  3. DOC to ODT Converter is a program that can convert a DOC file to ODT and vice versa.

For Android, all these applications are free, and for the iPhone - shareware.

Online services for working with files in the ODT format

If you rarely have to deal with ODT documents and do not want to install additional programs for the sake of a single case, online viewers, editors and converters will come to the rescue. The most popular ones are:

  1. Built-in text file editor in Yandex Browser. If you use this Internet surfer, then just drag the document into the address bar to open it. If desired, you can call a set of tools and adjust the text.
  2. Google Docs is a popular resource with a Word-like interface. On the start page there will be a folder icon: click on it and click “Download”, and then select the file. To work with this editor, you must be registered with Google services.
  3. Zoho Docs is an analogue of the previous one, the most popular in the English-speaking environment. Before you start, you will have to create an account or use an existing one on Google or Microsoft. Next, click Docs and Upload to select the file.

What else can cause problems with the file?

Also, when trying to open an .odt file, the following problems may occur:

  1. Incompatibility of the plug-in for Word with a pirated version of Windows - in this case, the document format either remains unidentified, or the content is turned into a set of characters.
  2. The file is damaged when downloading and cannot be viewed by any of the proposed methods.

In the first case, it is enough to change the viewer program in order to gain access to the text, while in the second case you will have to abandon attempts to open the document.