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# Starting LibreOffice Software With Parameters

By starting LibreOffice software from the command line you can assign various parameters, with which you can influence the performance. The use of command line parameters is only recommended for experienced users.

For normal handling, the use of command line parameters is not necessary. A few of the parameters require a deeper knowledge of the technical background of LibreOffice software technology.

## Starting LibreOffice Software From the Command Line

1. Search for Run in the Windows Start menu.

2. Type the following text in the Open text field and click OK.

3. "{install}\program\soffice.com" {parameter}

   Replace {install} with the path to your installation of LibreOffice software (for example, C:\Program Files\LibreOffice). Use soffice.exe instead of soffice.com, when you do not need console (e.g., you do not use command-line interface for headless operations).

1. Open a shell under Linux, *BSD, or macOS platforms.

2. Type the following line of text, then press Return:

   {install}/program/soffice {parameter}

   Replace {install} with the path to your installation of LibreOffice software (for example, /opt/LibreOffice in UNIX)

LibreOffice requires write access to its user profile directory.

## Valid Command Line Parameters

### Using without special arguments

Using without any arguments opens the start center.

{file} | Tries to open the file (files) in the components suitable for them.
{file} macro://./[Library.Module.MacroName] | Opens the file and applies specified macros from the file.

### Getting help and information

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
--help / -h / -? | Lists the available command line parameters to the console.
--helpwriter | Opens LibreOffice built-in or online Help on Writer.
--helpcalc | Opens LibreOffice built-in or online Help on Calc.
--helpdraw | Opens LibreOffice built-in or online Help on Draw.
--helpimpress | Opens LibreOffice built-in or online Help on Impress.
--helpbase | Opens LibreOffice built-in or online Help on Base.
--helpbasic | Opens LibreOffice built-in or online Help on Basic scripting language.
--helpmath | Opens LibreOffice built-in or online Help on Math.
--version | Shows LibreOffice version and quits.
--nstemporarydirectory | (macOS sandbox only) Returns path of the temporary directory for the current user and exits. Overrides all other arguments.

### General arguments

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
--quickstart[=no] | Activates[Deactivates] the Quickstarter service. It can take only one parameter no which deactivates the Quickstarter service. Without parameters this service is activated.
--nolockcheck | Disables check for remote instances using the installation.

--infilter=InputFilterName
[:InputFilterParam[,param]]

Forces an input filter type, if possible. For example:

--infilter="Calc Office Open XML"

--infilter="Text (encoded):UTF8,LF,Liberation Mono,en-US".

See the list of document filters for file conversion.

The list of filter options for Lotus, dBase and Diff files.

The list of filter options for CSV files.

The list of filter options for PDF files.

--pidfile={file} | Store soffice.bin pid to {file}.
--display {display} | Sets the DISPLAY environment variable on UNIX-like platforms to the value {display}. This parameter is only supported by the start script for LibreOffice software on UNIX-like platforms.

### User/programmatic interface control

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
--nologo | Disables the splash screen at program start.
--minimized | Starts minimized. The splash screen is not displayed.
--nodefault | Starts without displaying anything except the splash screen.

--invisible

Starts in invisible mode.

Neither the start-up logo nor the initial program window will be visible. LibreOffice software can be controlled, and documents and dialogs can be controlled and opened via the API.

Using the parameter, LibreOffice can only be ended using the taskmanager (Windows) or the kill command (UNIX-like systems).

It cannot be used in conjunction with --quickstart.

More information is found in LibreOffice Developer's Guide.

--headless | Starts in "headless mode" which allows using the application without user interface. This special mode can be used when the application is controlled by external clients via the API.
--norestore | Disables restart and file recovery after a system crash.
--safe-mode | Starts in a safe mode, i.e. starts temporarily with a fresh user profile and helps to restore a broken configuration.
--accept={UNO} | Notifies LibreOffice software that upon the creation of "UNO Acceptor Threads", a "UNO Accept String" will be used. UNO-URL is string the such kind uno:connection-type,params;protocol-name,params;ObjectName. More information is found in LibreOffice Developer's Guide.
--unaccept={UNO-URL} | Closes an acceptor that was created with --accept={UNO-URL}. Use --unaccept=all to close all open acceptors.
--language={lang} | Uses specified language, if language is not selected yet for UI. The lang is a tag of the language in IETF language tag.

### Developer arguments

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
--terminate_after_init | Exit after initialization complete (no documents loaded).

Unix and Linux user can invoke LibreOffice with these additional parameters for debugging purposes.

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
--record | An enhanced debugger.
--backtrace | Prints the backtrace of the entire stack.
--strace | strace is a diagnostic, debugging and instructional userspace utility for Linux.
--valgrind | Automatically detect many memory management and threading bugs, and profile the program in detail.

The debug options --record, --backtrace, --strace and --valgrind cannot be used together. Please use them one by one.

### New document creation arguments

The arguments create an empty document of specified kind. Only one of them may be used in one command line. If filenames are specified after an argument, then it tries to open those files in the specified component.

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
--writer | Starts with an empty Writer document.
--calc | Starts with an empty Calc document.
--draw | Starts with an empty Draw document.
--impress | Starts with an empty Impress document.
--math | Starts with an empty Math document.
--global | Starts with an empty Writer master document.
--web | Starts with an empty HTML document.

### File open arguments

The arguments define how following filenames are treated. New treatment begins after the argument and ends at the next argument. The default treatment is to open documents for editing, and create new documents from document templates.

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
-n | Treats following files as templates for creation of new documents.
-o | Opens following files for editing, regardless whether they are templates or not.
--pt {Printername} | Prints the following files to the printer {Printername} and ends. The splash screen does not appear. Maqaan faayilichaa iddoolee yoo of keessaa qabaate, mallattoo waraabbiitiin marsamuu qaba. If used multiple times, only last {Printername} is effective for all documents of all --pt runs. Also, --printer-name argument of --print-to-file switch interferes with {Printername}.
-p | Prints following files to the default printer, after which those files are closed. The splash screen does not appear. If the file name contains spaces, then it must be enclosed in quotation marks.
--view | Opens following files in viewer mode (read-only).
--show[=N] | Opens and starts the slideshow of the following presentation documents immediately. Files are closed after the showing. N in the example refers to the slide number and, when it is provided, they start at that slide.

--convert-to OutputFileExtension
[:OutputFilterName
[:OutputFilterParams[,param]]]
[--outdir output_dir]

If --convert-to is used more than once, last value of OutputFileExtension[:OutputFilterName[:OutputFilterParams]] is effective. If --outdir is used more than once, only its last value is effective. In absence of --outdir, current working directory is used for the result. For example:

--convert-to pdf *.doc

--convert-to pdf:writer_pdf_Export --outdir /home/user *.doc

--convert-to "html:XHTML Writer File:UTF8" *.doc

--convert-to "txt:Text (encoded):UTF8" *.doc

See the list of document filters for file conversion.

The list of filter options for Lotus, dBase and Diff files.

The list of filter options for CSV files.

The list of filter options for PDF files.

--print-to-file [--printer-name printer_name] [--outdir output_dir]

Batch print files to file. If --outdir is not specified, then current working directory is used as output_dir.

If --printer-name or --outdir used multiple times, only last value of each is effective. Also, {Printername} of --pt switch interferes with --printer-name. For example:

--print-to-file *.doc

--print-to-file --printer-name nasty_lowres_printer --outdir /home/user *.doc

--cat | Applies filter "txt:Text" to the following text documents and dump text content to console (implies --headless). Cannot be used with --convert-to.
-env:VAR[=VALUE] | Set a bootstrap variable. For example, to set a non-default user profile path: soffice.com -env:UserInstallation=file:///c:/my-test-profile open LibreOffice.app -env:UserInstallation=file:///tmp/test soffice -env:UserInstallation=file:///tmp/test

### Ignored switches

Parameter | Meaning
--- | ---
-psn | Ignored (macOS only)
-Embedding | Ignored (COM+ related; Windows only)
--nofirststartwizard | Does nothing, accepted only for backward compatibility.
--protector {arg1} {arg2} | Used only in unit tests and should have two arguments.

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