LibreOffice 26.8 released with enhanced typography and no generative AI

The Document Foundation has released LibreOffice 26.8, a major update to its free and open-source office suite. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux in over 120 languages, the release focuses on core functionality, typography, and internationalization rather than integrating generative AI.

Key improvements include the Paragraph Composer in Writer, a new algorithm that balances word spacing across entire paragraphs to improve justified text layout. The suite also introduces native support for OpenType variable fonts and enhanced handling for bidirectional text, including automatic paragraph direction detection for right-to-left scripts. Math now supports N’Ko and Adlam scripts.

Compatibility with Microsoft Office has been strengthened, with the ability to preserve complex chart types like waterfall, sunburst, and treemap during document exchange. Calc has received updates including calculated fields for pivot tables and improved XLSX file handling.

In a departure from many industry trends, the foundation has explicitly excluded generative AI features, telemetry, and cloud-based processing to prioritize user privacy and offline functionality. The update was developed by 206 contributors, including 155 volunteers.