Just got an ODT file via email and don’t know how to open it? Don’t worry, it’s nothing “strange”. It’s a rather common format for text documents (not as common as Word’s DOC and DOCX, but still widely used), which is “digested” without any problems by various productivity applications.
If you want to know more, go ahead and read on. Below, in fact, you will find a list of software that allows you to view and create ODT files in no time. Choose the one that seems best suited to your needs and find out how it works, thanks to the directions I’m about to give you.
Whether you have a Windows PC, a Mac, a computer equipped with Linux or even a portable device on which you want to process documents of this type, I assure you that you will quickly find a solution that suits you. For the sake of completeness, I will also show you how to convert the documents in question into other formats and how to open them if they are corrupted. In the end, you’ll see, you’ll have a perfectly clear idea of what to do. Now, however, enough chatting and let’s get down to business. Happy reading and good luck with everything!
ODT file: what is it
To begin with, let’s try to understand what exactly is an ODT file. As mentioned at the beginning, it is a format for textual documents that is part of the OpenDocument project, which was created with the purpose of providing a free standard for the creation of text files, spreadsheets, presentations and other documents.
Its peculiarity is that it is a universal writing format, which allows practically unlimited and free use of its specifications all over the world. In other words, regardless of the operating system and the device used, when a file in ODT format is opened or created, it is possible to do so without any restrictions, always free of charge.
Note that, although supported by many programs, the ODT format is used natively by LibreOffice, the productivity suite about which you’ll find more details in the step below, and by OpenOffice, another office program on the basis of which the same LibreOffice was created: I told you about it in another guide.
ODT files: how to open them
Now that you finally have a clearer idea about what ODT format files are, let’s go find out how to open them or, rather, what programs, online services and apps you can use to do so.
LibreOffice (Windows/MacOS/Linux)
If you are interested in opening ODT files on a computer, I suggest you rely on LibreOffice. It is a free and open source productivity suite. It replicates almost all the features offered by Microsoft Office, guarantees a good speed in the release of updates and also offers the ability to edit PDF files without installing additional plugins. It is completely in Italian (including spell checker), supports both incoming and outgoing ODT and is available for all major computer operating systems: Windows, macOS and Linux.
To download LibreOffice on your PC, connect to the official website of the software and click on the Download xx version button. After downloading, if you are using Windows, open the .msi file and, in the window that appears on the desktop, press the Run button. Then click on the Next button, select the Typical option and press the Next, Install, Yes and Finish buttons to complete the setup.
If you are using macOS, instead, open the .dmg package obtained, move the LibreOffice icon to the Applications folder of your Mac, right-click on it and select Open twice in succession, in order to launch the program and circumvent Apple’s restrictions on applications from non-certified developers (this should only be done on first launch). At this point, close the software completely, using the key combination cmd+q.
Also on Mac, once you’ve done the above steps, go back to the LibreOffice website and click on the Translated User Interface button, in order to download the Italian translation of the suite (on Windows it’s integrated “as standard”, so it’s not necessary).
When the download is complete, open the new .dmg package, right-click on the LibreOffice Language Pack executable inside it, select Open from the menu that appears and press the Open and Install buttons. Next, select the /Applications/LibreOffice.app entry from the window that appears and click the Install button.
If you’re told that you don’t have high enough privileges to continue, press the Yes, identify me button, type your macOS user account password in the window that opens and click the OK button (twice in a row), to complete the installation of the LibreOffice Language Pack.
Mission accomplished! ODT files should now be automatically associated with LibreOffice. So, if you try to open one by double-clicking it, it should show up directly in Writer, the word processing application included in the suite.
Alternatively, to open files in ODT format, launch LibreOffice by selecting the shortcut in the Start menu (on Windows) or by clicking on its icon that has been added to the Launchpad (on macOS) and, once the main window of the program appears, click on the Open File button in the left sidebar, then select the document you want to view and you’re done.
Word Online
If you don’t want or can’t install new programs on your computer, I suggest you rely on Word Online. This is, as you can easily guess from its name, the online version of the famous Microsoft program, accessible via the Web.
It has all the main features of the “classic” Word, it works from any browser and operating system without having to download anything to the computer in use and it is totally free. The only thing to consider is that in order to take advantage of it you need to log in through your Microsoft account.
That said, to open an ODT file with Word Online, the first step you need to take is to launch the browser you usually use to browse the Web from your computer (e.g. Chrome), go to the home page of the service and log in to your Microsoft account (if necessary).
Then, open the ODT file you are interested in by dragging it to the browser window and clicking the Open OneDrive button. In the new page that opens, click on the Upload menu at the top of the screen, choose File from it, select the document and click on its preview when the upload is complete.
After completing the above steps, a new Word Online browser tab will open where you can view the contents of your ODT file.
Word App (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
If you don’t have a computer at your disposal and are looking for a solution that allows you to open ODT files from smartphones and tablets, I suggest you consider using the Microsoft Word app for Android and iOS/iPadOS devices.
It is, essentially, the counterpart for mobile devices of the famous Word for computers or, more specifically, the online version of the service. It’s completely free for all devices 10.1″ or smaller (otherwise, you’ll need to subscribe to the Microsoft 365 service, with prices starting at 7 euros/month) and requires a Microsoft account login to work.
That said, to download the app to your device, if you’re using Android, visit the relevant section of the Play Store and press the Install button. If you’re using iOS/iPadOS, on the other hand, go to the relevant section of the App Store, press the Get button, then the Install button and authorize the download via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password. After that, launch the app by pressing the Open button that appears on the screen or by selecting the relevant icon that has just been added to the home screen or drawer.
Now that you’re viewing the main screen of the app, sign in to your Microsoft account (if necessary) and follow the short introductory tutorial that is offered. Next, tap on the folder icon at the bottom right corner, indicate the location from where you want to retrieve the ODT file you want to open, select the document you’re interested in and you can finally view it on the next screen.
ODT files: how to convert them
Do you need to share ODT files with other users who you think do not have at their disposal useful software to view the documents in question and, to overcome the problem, you are wondering how to convert them into a different format? In this case, you can rely on the tools listed below.
LibreOffice, the free and open source productivity suite for Windows, macOS and Linux that I mentioned in the step at the beginning of this guide, is also useful for converting ODT files that are created with it or that are given to it in a different format. How? I’ll explain it right now.
To begin with, open the ODT file you are interested in using LibreOffice. Once the Writer window appears on the screen, click on the File menu at the top left and select the Save As option from it, if you want to save the ODT file as a text document but in a different format (e.g. Word), or the Export option, to save the document in a different file type (e.g. PDF).
To conclude, on the additional screen that opens, select the output format you prefer, the name you want to assign to the final file and the location on your computer where you want to store it, then click the Save button.
DocsPal (Online)
To convert ODT files, you can also consider relying on the use of DocsPal, which is an excellent online service suitable for this purpose.
It is, in fact, a tool that can be used from any browser and operating system, without having to download anything to your computer, which allows you to convert all major formats of digital documents, multimedia files and more. Using it is child’s play and it’s completely free.
The only thing you need to take into account is that it has an upload limit of 50 MB at a time and only allows you to convert 5 at a time. The files are kept on the servers for a maximum of 5 days, after which they are deleted, so the user’s privacy should be guaranteed.
To use the service, visit its home page and drag and drop the ODT file you want to convert. Alternatively, click on the Browse for file button located in the Step 1 section and select the document “manually”. If your file is located online, you can also retrieve it directly from the web by typing its URL into the Enter file URL field.
After that, select the output format you are interested in from the second drop-down menu located at the Step 2 section. Finally, click the Convert Files button at the bottom of the page and within a few moments you will be returned with the output document, which you can download by clicking its name at the bottom of the page under the Converted files heading.
If you want, you can also make sure that you receive a download link for the file directly by email. In order to do that, before starting the conversion process as I just told you, all you have to do is check the box next to the Send a download link to my email address (optional) in the Step 3 section and type your email address in the field below.
App to convert ODT files
You don’t have a computer at your disposal, so would you like to understand which apps for smartphones and tablets you can use to convert ODT files on the go? I’ll satisfy you right now. In the list below, in fact, you’ll find those that, in my humble opinion, represent the best apps for Android and iOS/iPadOS suitable for the purpose. Put them to the test now!
File Converter (Android/iOS/iPadOS) – app for Android devices, iPhone and iPad with which you can convert any kind of files (including ODT documents) to various formats completely free of charge and incredibly easy. Note that the conversion is done in the cloud, offline conversion is supported only for audio and video files.
All File Converter (Android) – this is a specific solution for Android devices that allows you to convert files to and from a very wide range of formats. Of course, it also supports ODT files. It is free and incredibly easy to use.
The Document Converter (iOS/iPadOS) – application for iPhone and iPad that allows you to convert almost all types of documents, images and eBooks to various formats, acting via the cloud. Note that ODT is supported in both input and output. It’s free, but offers in-app purchases (with prices starting at €3.99) to unlock all the features.
Corrupt ODT file: how to solve
Are you trying to open an ODT file but can’t because you get a message on your screen that the document is corrupt? Usually, this happens because some “hiccup” occurred when saving the file, or because the file extension was changed incorrectly.
To try to cope with this, the best suggestion I can give you is to use special file recovery software, such as the ones I told you about in my guide on how to recover corrupted files. For the same purpose, you may also find it useful to read my tutorial on data recovery.