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# ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.1 Releases With a Superior PDF Editor
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/onlyoffice-8-1-release/
- Published: 2024-06-24T07:23:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-06-24T07:24:16.000Z
- Description: ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.1 is adding enhancements to the essential tools. Spot on upgrade for users!
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: Application Releases, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15

[ONLYOFFICE](https://www.onlyoffice.com/?ref=itsfoss.com) is a pretty popular [open-source alternative](https://itsfoss.com/best-free-open-source-alternatives-microsoft-office/?ref=news.itsfoss.com) to Microsoft Office that many users take advantage of to self-host on various server configurations, while others opt for the [desktop edition](https://www.onlyoffice.com/desktop.aspx?ref=news.itsfoss.com) for better accessibility.

A few months after the [previous release](https://itsfoss.com/onlyoffice-8-0-release/), the developers have introduced a new version, **ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.1**, with plenty of improvements and fixes.

So, let's take a brief look at it.

## 🆕 ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.1: What's New?

ONLYOFFICE Docs is an online, self-hosted office suite that features many essential editors under it. It regularly receives updates thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team of developers, and a supportive community.

With this article, I will be focusing on the following **key highlights** of this release:

- **Language Refinements**
- **Improved Spreadsheets**
- **Better Presentations**
- **PDF Editor**

### Language Refinements

![a screenshot of onlyoffice docs 8.1 serbian interface](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/06/ONLYOFFICE_8.1_a.png)

Building on the existing [RTL script](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-left%5Fscript?ref=itsfoss.com) support, we now have an improved word order, correct alignment for various text types, and an improved algorithm for displaying numbers/punctuation in Arabic for *Neutral* and *Weak* classes.

There is **support for two more languages** on Spreadsheets too, which includes Bengali, the official language of Bangladesh, also widely spoken in India, and Sinhalese, one of the main languages spoken in Sri Lanka.

And, finally, there's the Serbian — Cyrillic localization for all the editors.

### Improved Spreadsheets

![a screenshot of onlyoffice docs 8.1 option to restrict viewing of cells in the protected range](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/06/ONLYOFFICE_8.1_b.png)

In a bid to improve security, there's now **an option to restrict viewing of cells** in the protected range for keeping sensitive data out of prying eyes. Users can access it by going into: *Protection → Protect Range*.

The devs also added support for [ligature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligature%5F%28writing%29?ref=itsfoss.com), new functions like *GETPIVOTDATA*/*IMPORTRANGE*, a new function category based on *jsdoc*, and edited cells now being highlighted when using version history.

### Better Presentations

![a screenshot of onlyoffice docs 8.1 presentations slide master feature in action](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/06/ONLYOFFICE_8.1_c-1.png)

For users of presentations, it is now **easier to quickly apply the same layout across multiple slides** with the use of the new “**Slide Master**” feature. There are also new slide settings on the right-hand panel that allow you to reset the background, apply settings to slides, and show background graphics, among other things.

Users can also make use of the new “**Animation pane**” that can be accessed from the “*Animation*” tab for seeing which animations have been applied to the slides on a convenient timeline at the bottom of the screen.

### PDF Editor

![a screenshot of onlyoffice docs 8.1 pdf editor in action](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/06/ONLYOFFICE_8.1_d.png)

The **PDF editor on ONLYOFFICE Docs sees a major upgrade**, with now there being support for editing text, pages, inserting objects like tables, shapes, images, TextArt, hyperlinks and more.

The annotating mode also sees improvements, with a new mini-toolbar showing up when you start annotating, allowing you to add comments and callouts. You can also remove comments via the context menu.

Even **form creation has received a major boost**, with ONLYOFFICE Docs now switching to PDF forms for making the form creation process less of a hassle, and more of a convenience, ditching the previous *DOCXF* format.

For switching between edit and viewing modes, users can click on the button at the top-right part of the header.

### 🛠️ Other Changes and Improvements

Of course, the above-mentioned are just the highlights, here are some other changes worth noting:

- Increased set of available color schemes across all editors.
- An expanded template library with many free templates in multiple languages.
- Ability to choose to hide/show quick access buttons like *Save*, *Print*, *Undo*, and *Redo*.
- Seamless switching between the *Editing*, *Reviewing*, and *Viewing* modes when using docs.

You can learn more about this release by referring to the official [release blog](https://www.onlyoffice.com/blog/2024/06/onlyoffice-docs-8-1-released?ref=itsfoss.com) and the [changelog](https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/DocumentServer/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md?ref=itsfoss.com#810).

## 📥 Download ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.1

For getting your hands on the latest ONLYOFFICE Docs release, you can head to the [official website](https://www.onlyoffice.com/download-docs.aspx?ref=news.itsfoss.com), where you will find the self-hosted versions.

[ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.1](https://www.onlyoffice.com/download-docs.aspx?ref=news.itsfoss.com)

The dedicated [desktop versions](https://www.onlyoffice.com/download-desktop.aspx?from=desktop&ref=itsfoss.com) also include all the goodness of the new version. You can check out the [release blog](https://www.onlyoffice.com/blog/2024/06/onlyoffice-desktop-editors-v8-1?ref=itsfoss.com) and [changelog](https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/DesktopEditors/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md?ref=itsfoss.com#810) for desktop editors to learn more.

*💬 Are you looking forward to trying this release? Let me know in the comments below!*

**Suggested Read** 📖

[6 Best Open Source Alternatives to Microsoft Office for LinuxLooking for Microsoft Office on Linux? Here are the best free and open-source alternatives to Microsoft Office for Linux.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2012/06/best-open-source-alternatives-ms-office.jpg)](https://itsfoss.com/best-free-open-source-alternatives-microsoft-office/?ref=news.itsfoss.com)