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OpenDocument

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OpenDocument Format for Office Applications (ODF)
Company typeOpen standard
IndustryDocument file format
FoundedDecember 16, 2002; 23 years ago (2002-12-16)
FounderOASIS Technical Committee (including Sun Microsystems and IBM)
Headquarters
International
ProductsWord processing files, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics files
OwnerOASIS consortium
Websitewww.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office

Open Document Format for Office Applications (ODF), frequently referred to as OpenDocument, is an open, XML-based file format standardized under ISO 26300. It supports a variety of office documents including word processing files, spreadsheets, presentations, and graphics, utilizing ZIP compression to package XML files efficiently. This format was created to serve as an open standard for office software and is overseen by the OASIS consortium.

ODF's origins trace back to Sun Microsystems’ OpenOffice.org XML format, which was the default file type for both OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice. Initially designed for StarOffice, this format aimed to establish an open document standard accessible across platforms.

In addition to being recognized by OASIS, OpenDocument is also published as the international ISO/IEC 26300 standard for office documents. As of March 2024, the latest version of the standard is 1.4.

Specifications

Typical filename extensions associated with OpenDocument files include:

OpenDocument files are structured in XML with a root element named <document>, commonly bundled within ZIP archives to achieve lossless compression and minimize file size. The format distinctly separates components such as content, styling, metadata, and application configurations into individual XML files, promoting modularity and ease of management.

A collection of OpenDocument example files is freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.

Development

The OpenDocument standard was created by a Technical Committee (TC) within the OASIS consortium, which included influential members such as Sun Microsystems and IBM. The inaugural meeting of this committee took place on 16 December 2002. After thorough development, OASIS officially ratified OpenDocument as a standard on 1 May 2005. The specification was then submitted to ISO/IEC JTC 1 on 16 November 2005.

Following a six-month evaluation period, OpenDocument successfully passed the Draft International Standard ballot with unanimous approval on 3 May 2006. It was formally published as ISO/IEC 26300:2006 on 30 November 2006, establishing it as an international standard encompassing text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

In 2006, Garry Edwards (a member of the OASIS TC since its inception), Sam Hiser, and Paul "Marbux" E. Merrell founded the OpenDocument Foundation with the goal of encouraging open-source adoption of ODF within OASIS. Their objective included developing tools to convert legacy Microsoft Office files into ODF; however, this effort did not succeed by October 2007. Frustrated by the trajectory of ODF development, the foundation declared a pivot towards supporting the W3C’s Compound Document Format (CDF). Despite this announcement, no concrete steps were taken toward CDF adoption before the foundation ultimately disbanded. It should be noted that CDF was not intended as a document conversion solution.

Further harmonization

Additional steps toward the standardization of OpenDocument encompass:

  • The OASIS Committee Specification OpenDocument 1.0 (second edition) corresponds exactly to the ISO/IEC 26300:2006 standard. Both documents share identical content, including editorial revisions made in response to JTC1 ballot feedback. These specifications are available in ODF, HTML, and PDF formats.
  • OpenDocument 1.1 introduces enhancements aimed at boosting accessibility. This version was ratified as an OASIS Standard in February 2007. Initially, it was not submitted to ISO/IEC since it represented a minor revision of ODF 1.0 concurrent with the development of ODF 1.2. Eventually, it was published by ISO/IEC in March 2012 as an amendment to the original standard.
  • OpenDocument 1.2 brings forward improvements such as enhanced accessibility features, metadata based on the Resource Description Framework (RDF), a spreadsheet formula specification derived from OpenFormula, support for digital signatures, and additional features proposed by the community. It is divided into three components: OpenDocument Schema, Recalculated Formula (OpenFormula) Format, and Packages. Approved as an OASIS Standard in September 2011, it was submitted to ISO via the Publicly Available Specification process in March 2014 and officially published as an ISO/IEC standard on 17 June 2015.
  • OpenDocument 1.3 incorporates advancements related to digital signature handling, encryption methods, change-tracking capabilities, and interoperability improvements. This version was endorsed as an OASIS Standard in April 2021 and was developed through the COSM crowdfunding initiative led by The Document Foundation.

Software

Support for the OpenDocument format is provided by a variety of software solutions, both open source and proprietary, spanning stand-alone office suites and web-based platforms. These include applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and data management. Notable software that fully or partially accommodates OpenDocument includes:

  • AbiWord
  • Adobe Buzzword
  • Apache OpenOffice (supports ODF 1.2)
  • Bean
  • Calibre (ebook viewer, converter, editor, manager)
  • Calligra Suite
  • Collabora Office and Collabora Online
  • Corel WordPerfect Office X6
  • Dropbox
  • Evince
  • Gnumeric
  • Google Docs
  • IBM Lotus Symphony
  • Inkscape (exports .odg files)
  • KOffice
  • LibreOffice
  • Microsoft Office 2003 and XP (via OpenXML/ODF Translator Add-in)
  • Microsoft Office 2007 (SP2 or SP3) supports ODF 1.1 on Windows only
  • Microsoft Office 2010 supports ODF 1.1 on Windows only
  • Microsoft Office versions 2013, 2016, and 2019 support ODF 1.2 on Windows with limited Mac support
  • Microsoft Office 2021 supports ODF 1.3 on both Windows and macOS
  • Microsoft Office 2024 supports ODF 1.4 on Windows and macOS
  • Microsoft 365 supports ODF 1.4
  • Microsoft OneDrive / Office Web Apps
  • NeoOffice
  • Okular
  • OnlyOffice
  • OpenOffice.org
  • Quarto and R Markdown (export to .odt)
  • Scribus (imports .odt and .odg)
  • SoftMaker Office
  • Sun Microsystems StarOffice
  • TextEdit
  • WordPad (supports ODF 1.1 from Windows 7 onwards)
  • Zoho Office Suite

Multiple entities have created conversion tools, plugins, and filters to facilitate OpenDocument compatibility within Microsoft's software ecosystem. Native support for OpenDocument Format was introduced by Microsoft starting with Office 2007 SP2; however, this initial implementation received criticism for its limited capabilities compared to third-party extensions. While Microsoft Office 2010 improved native support, it still does not offer complete feature equivalence. In July 2024, Microsoft announced preliminary support for ODF version 1.4 across Microsoft 365 applications.

Since Mac OS X version 10.5, the built-in TextEdit application along with Quick Look preview functionality have supported the OpenDocument Text format natively.

Open access to the standard

Versions of the OpenDocument Format approved by OASIS are available for free download and usage. The ITTF lists ISO/IEC 26300 among its freely accessible standards, permitting anyone to obtain and utilize it under a simple click-through agreement.

Additional royalty-free licensing commitments

Members of the OASIS ODF Technical Committee have pledged to release deliverables under the OASIS Royalty Free with Limited Terms framework.

A principal contributor, Sun Microsystems, has granted a permanent intellectual property assurance, guaranteeing it will not assert patent claims against implementations of the OpenDocument specification developed with its involvement.

Similarly, IBM has committed its patent rights through its Interoperability Specifications Pledge, agreeing not to pursue legal action against those creating, using, or distributing covered implementations.

The Software Freedom Law Center has examined potential legal obstacles and determined that the OpenDocument Format is free from restrictions that would hinder its deployment within free and open source software distributed under Apache and FSF licenses.

Endorsement of OpenDocument

Numerous governments, corporations, and organizations endorse the OpenDocument format, including:

  • The OpenDoc Society regularly hosts ODF Plugfests in collaboration with industry participants and Public Sector entities. The 10th Plugfest took place under the auspices of the UK Government Digital Service, alongside groups such as OpenForum Europe and OpenUK.
    • One result was the creation of an ODF toolkit designed to clarify OpenDocument concepts for governmental use, targeting civil servants and incorporating excerpts from UK Government policy documents.
    • This toolkit includes a visual infographic highlighting risks associated with not adopting ODF, available in over ten languages.
  • Leading IT firms like Apple Inc., Adobe Systems, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Nokia, Novell, Red Hat, and Oracle actively participate in ODF development and implementation.
  • More than 600 companies advocate for ODF through The OpenDocument Format Alliance.
  • The NATO alliance requires ODF compliance across its 26 member nations.
  • The TAC committee representing EU Member States supports open document formats to facilitate e-government interoperability.
  • Free office suites such as Apache OpenOffice, Calligra, KOffice, NeoOffice, and LibreOffice adopt ODF as their default file format.
  • Advocacy groups including the OpenDocument Fellowship and OpenDoc Society actively promote the use of ODF.
  • The UK government mandates ODF as the standard format for all civil service documentation.
  • The Russian Federation recommends ODF for public sector use according to GOST R ISO/MEK 26300-2010.
  • The Wikimedia Foundation supports exporting content in ODF format from MediaWiki, which powers Wikipedia and related projects.
  • Default text editors on Windows 10 (WordPad) and Mac OS 10.9 (TextEdit) include support for OpenDocument Text files.

On November 4, 2005, IBM and Sun Microsystems organized the "OpenDocument (ODF) Summit" in Armonk, New York, bringing together industry leaders such as Oracle, Google, Adobe, Novell, Red Hat, Nokia, Intel, among others to further promote ODF adoption. Participants committed to enhancing the standard via official bodies and boosting its market penetration, potentially through establishing a dedicated foundation. Experts observe that ODF acts as a critical catalyst for fostering competition, especially within public sector environments—a trend evident in increased uptake since 2005/2006.

  • Applications utilizing ODF implement diverse macro or scripting approaches; however, ODF does not define a universal macro language. Views vary on whether introducing a standardized scripting language would be advantageous.
  • The current ODF tracked changes feature is limited in scope and does not comprehensively address all scenarios, leading to inconsistent support; notably, it lacks functionality for change tracking within tables or MathML.
  • Generic formatting styles defined in ODF cannot be applied to MathML components embedded in documents.

Adoption

The open nature of the OpenDocument format is designed to guarantee enduring access to data free from legal or technical restrictions, which has led numerous governments to integrate it into their public policy frameworks. Its adoption ranges from recognition as a national standard to compulsory implementation within certain governmental sectors. Notable entities that have embraced the format include:

At the subnational level, adoption includes regions such as:


See also

External links

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