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# Conversion of measurement units

In some dialogue boxes, you can enter measurement values into input boxes. If you just enter a numeric value, the default measurement unit is used.

You define the default measurement unit for Writer text documents in the dialogue box that you get by choosing LibreOffice - Preferences Tools - Options - LibreOffice Writer - General. For Calc, Draw, and Impress, you open a document of that type and then open the appropriate General page as for Writer.

In input boxes for length units you can also add the unit abbreviation according to the following list:

Unit abbreviation | Explanation
mm | millimetre
cm | centimetre
in or ″ | inch
pi | pica
pt | point

The following formulae convert the units:

- 1 cm = 10 mm

- 1 inch = 2.54 cm

- 1 inch = 6 Pica = 72 Point

For example, in a text document, open Format - Paragraph - Indents & Spacing. To indent the current paragraph by one inch, enter 1 in or 1" into the "Before text" box. To indent the paragraph by 1 cm, enter 1 cm into the input box.

To input the maximum or minimum allowed value respectively, click the current value and then press the Page Up or Page Down key.

Related Topics

Selecting Measurement Units