LibreOffice Takes a Dig at Microsoft 365 After Outage, Reports 1,000 Donations

The Document Foundation (TDF), the organization behind LibreOffice, has taken a swipe at Microsoft following a major Microsoft 365 outage that disrupted Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and other services.

At the same time, LibreOffice announced that it received more than 1,000 donations in a single day, setting a new record for the organization.

The timing has prompted TDF to suggest that Microsoft’s recent cloud service problems could encourage users to explore alternatives.

LibreOffice mocks Microsoft 365 over cloud outage

In a post on X, LibreOffice took a dig at Microsoft over its cloud service disruptions, highlighting the advantages of software that does not depend on an internet connection.

Unlike Microsoft 365’s cloud-based services, LibreOffice runs locally, allowing users to create, edit, and save documents even when cloud platforms experience outages.

LibreOffice also supports the OpenDocument Format (ODF), which allows users to store documents locally without depending on a specific cloud provider.

While Microsoft 365 desktop applications also support offline document editing, outages can disrupt access to cloud-stored files, synchronization, and collaboration features.

LibreOffice receives more than 1,000 donations in 24 hours

In an official blog post published on November 14, The Document Foundation announced that it had received more than 1,000 donations within 24 hours, marking a new record.

The organization suggested that the surge reflects growing interest in alternatives that give users greater control over their documents and reduce dependence on cloud services.

The announcement came shortly after Microsoft’s widespread service disruptions, although there is no evidence directly linking the outage to the record number of donations.

LibreOffice continues its criticism of Microsoft

This is not the first time The Document Foundation has publicly criticized Microsoft and its Office ecosystem.

The organization previously criticized Microsoft Office file formats, raising concerns about interoperability and open standards.

It also blamed Microsoft for chart compatibility problems and questioned the approval process for OOXML, Microsoft’s Office Open XML document format.

Beyond criticizing Microsoft, LibreOffice has positioned itself as an alternative for users affected by changes to Microsoft’s productivity applications. The project recently highlighted its role as Microsoft Publisher support approaches its end.

LibreOffice has also continued improving compatibility with Microsoft Office documents, including Excel and PowerPoint files.

The latest criticism comes as LibreOffice celebrates its donation milestone, giving the organization another opportunity to promote locally installed, open-source productivity software as an alternative to cloud-dependent workflows.