LibreOffice Blames Microsoft for Chart Compatibility Problems in Office Files

LibreOffice 26.8 can preserve several Microsoft Office chart types even though the office suite cannot currently display or edit them.

The Document Foundation says the affected charts include box-and-whisker, Pareto, funnel, radial, treemap, and waterfall charts.

When LibreOffice encounters one of these charts, it warns the user but keeps the underlying chart definition. If the document gets saved again, LibreOffice writes that definition back into the file.

This allows users to open and edit documents without intentionally removing unsupported charts that may later display correctly in Microsoft Office or another compatible application.

TDF points to Microsoft’s OOXML extensions

The Document Foundation says the issue comes from Microsoft introducing these chart types through the chartex namespace starting with Office 2016.

According to TDF, chartex does not form part of the ISO/IEC 29500 international OOXML standard, even though Microsoft documents the extension.

TDF argues that proprietary additions make interoperability harder because competing office suites must separately implement or reverse-engineer features that fall outside the standardized format.

This is not the first time the organization has criticized Microsoft’s document formats. A LibreOffice developer previously criticized Microsoft OOXML, while the LibreOffice Foundation has also criticized other Microsoft Office formats.

Regional map charts can still lose data

Regional map charts may contain geographical information that LibreOffice cannot fully retain. The suite can import and export the chart itself, but some associated regional data may disappear during the process.

LibreOffice 26.8 implements OpenDocument Format 1.4, which TDF says relies entirely on open standards and specifications.

The organization contrasts that approach with Microsoft’s proprietary OOXML extensions, which it says can create compatibility problems between office suites.

LibreOffice has also recently criticized Microsoft Office’s one-size-fits-all interface.

Users looking for another Office alternative may also soon have another option, as Euro-Office is coming to Windows and other platforms with a dedicated desktop application.