.odt files
.odt file
OpenDocument Text
The open-standard word processor format, native to LibreOffice.
What opens a .odt file
- Windows
- LibreOffice Writer, Microsoft Word, OnlyOffice
- macOS
- LibreOffice Writer, Microsoft Word, Pages (built in)
- Linux
- LibreOffice Writer (built in on most distros), OnlyOffice, AbiWord
- In a browser
- Google Docs
What a .odt file is
ODT is part of OpenDocument (ISO/IEC 26300), the vendor-neutral office standard that several governments mandate for public records. LibreOffice and OpenOffice use it natively, and Microsoft Word has read and written it since 2007, so it is not the compatibility problem it once was. Like DOCX, the file is a zip of XML.
Converting it
A .odt file is commonly converted to .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt or .html. It is a binary format, so a text editor will show unreadable characters rather than its contents.
Details
- Extension
- .odt
- Full name
- OpenDocument Text
- Category
- Documents
- MIME type
- application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
- Created by
- OASIS / The Document Foundation
- Format
- Binary
Common questions
- How do I open a .odt file?
- On Windows use LibreOffice Writer; on macOS use LibreOffice Writer; on Linux use LibreOffice Writer (built in on most distros). The open-standard word processor format, native to LibreOffice.
- What is a .odt file?
- OpenDocument Text. ODT is part of OpenDocument (ISO/IEC 26300), the vendor-neutral office standard that several governments mandate for public records. LibreOffice and OpenOffice use it natively, and Microsoft Word has read and written it since 2007, so it is not the compatibility problem it once was.
- Can I convert a .odt file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .txt or .html, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .pdf — Portable Document Format A fixed-layout document that looks identical everywhere — the format for anythin
- .docx — Word Document (Open XML) The standard Word document since Office 2007 — a zip archive of XML underneath.
- .xlsx — Excel Workbook (Open XML) The standard Excel spreadsheet since 2007, with a million-row limit per sheet.
- .pptx — PowerPoint Presentation (Open XML) The standard PowerPoint deck since 2007.
- .txt — Plain Text File Text with no formatting at all — the format that will still open in fifty years.
- .doc — Word Document (legacy binary) The pre-2007 Word format — still readable, but Microsoft would rather you conver
- .xls — Excel Workbook (legacy binary) The pre-2007 Excel format, limited to 65,536 rows.
- .ppt — PowerPoint Presentation (legacy binary) The pre-2007 PowerPoint format.
- .md — Markdown Document Plain text with a light formatting convention — headings with #, bold with **.
- .rtf — Rich Text Format A formatted document format readable by every word processor since 1987.
- .pages — Apple Pages Document Apple's word processor format — Apple devices and iCloud only.
- .eml — Email Message A single saved email, headers and all, in the standard internet message format.
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place