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# LibreOffice 26.2 is a Maintenance Release That Feels Like a Stable One
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/libreoffice-26-2-release/
- Published: 2026-02-05T10:34:13.000Z
- Updated: 2026-02-05T10:34:13.000Z
- Description: Performance upgrades and format compatibility improvements land with this release.
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: News

People who aren't fans of their office suite handing over data to feed some deluded AI system opt for [open source alternatives](https://itsfoss.com/best-free-open-source-alternatives-microsoft-office/) with comparable functionality and no snooping to worry about.

[LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) is one of those options that has proven itself time and again with its versatility and easy-to-use interface. Heck, it's so good governmental agencies [have been switching to it](https://itsfoss.com/news/denmark-set-to-replace-microsoft/) and [saving some good money](https://itsfoss.com/news/german-state-ditch-microsoft/) as a result.

A new point release, [LibreOffice 26.2](https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/26.2?ref=itsfoss.com), has been announced by The Document Foundation that focuses on delivering upgrades across all editors. The folks from [Collabora Productivity](https://www.collaboraonline.com/?ref=itsfoss.com) have contributed over 2,000 commits to this release too.

## 🆕 LibreOffice 26.2: What's New?

![libreoffice 26.2 is shown here with the about dialog open](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/libreoffice-26-2.png)

**Writer** gets several pagination and tracking improvements. Floating tables now behave properly with *keep-with-next* and *don't split* paragraph attributes, avoiding awkward page breaks.

Similarly, the editor can now split floating tables for better DOCX export, partly deleted paragraphs in *Track Changes* don't clutter numbering list, and auto-caption insertion now works when pasting single images if you have configured it via the AutoCaption Images setting. 

![the new paragraph alignment options in libreoffice 26.2 writer](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/libreoffice-26-2-paragraph-properties-dialog.png)

Then there are the new "*Start*" and "*End*" paragraph alignments that automatically adapt to text direction. This should be useful for documents that combine left-to-right and right-to-left text.

**Calc** has received major performance and format upgrades. Pasting content from Excel is better now thanks to [BIFF12](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/file-formats-that-are-supported-in-excel-0943ff2c-6014-4e8d-aaea-b83d51d46247?ref=itsfoss.com#:~:text=The%20binary%20file%20format%20%28BIFF12,Excel%202010%20and%20Excel%202007.) clipboard format support, and scrolling in sheets with many hidden columns is noticeably faster too.

![the new connector shapes feature in libreoffice 26.2 calc](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/02/libreoffice-26-2-calc-connectors.png)

Connector shapes are a new addition that help with diagram work within spreadsheets, and the *Remove Duplicates* function and *Reject All Changes* operations both run faster.

Additionally, the Excel 2010-365 format is now the default when saving XLSX files.

**Impress** adds better audio/video support on Windows, using the [Microsoft Media Foundation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/medfound/microsoft-media-foundation-sdk?ref=itsfoss.com) integration for providing native playback of common codecs.

The *Layouts* panel and *Theme* dialog now use IconView widgets for a cleaner experience.

## Miscellaneous Changes

3D chart performance issues have been fixed, Google Drive authentication has been improved on Windows, and EPUB exports are significantly faster, with a helpful progress bar now being shown.

For those who work with *.md* files, **the import and export of Markdown content is now possible**, including clipboard support and the ability to use *ODT*/*DOCX* templates when importing.

Graphics and core improvements round out the release. [Skia](https://skia.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) rendering is now the standard on Windows and macOS. SVG files with pattern fills render faster on Linux thanks to backend optimizations.

### ⚙️ How to Install/Upgrade?

For most Linux users, [Flathub](https://flathub.org/en/apps/org.libreoffice.LibreOffice?ref=itsfoss.com) supplies this LibreOffice release for quick installations. Those on other platforms can get the appropriate files from the [official website](https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/?ref=itsfoss.com).

[LibreOffice 26.2](https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/?ref=itsfoss.com)

Existing Linux desktop users can wait for the upgrade to be delivered by their distribution or [manually install the tar package](https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/?ref=itsfoss.com#:~:text=need%20another%20language%3F-,SDK%20and%20Sourcecode,-Download%20the%20SDK).