Some Apache OpenOffice users are reporting that version 4.1.8 is crashing on Apple macOS 11.0 (aka “Big Sur” or 10.16) when opening OOXML documents – like .docx and .xlsx. The error message is:

The last OpenOffice version supporting Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard), 10.6 (Snow Leopard) is OpenOffice 4.0.1. Hardware Requirements CPU: Intel Processor. LibreOffice also aborts immediately for me also with Big Sur. Big Sur (afaik) is still Beta (10?) software, so don't expect many users here having it available for testing purposes. LibreOffice – Base is a free open source databases for Mac and part of the excellent LibreOffice free office suite which is a free alternative to Microsoft Office on Mac. It’s nowhere near as powerful or as easy to use as tools like Knack but it still packs a lot of features into a free package. 7.0.5 This version is slightly older and does not have the latest features, but it has been tested for longer. For business deployments, we strongly recommend support from certified partners which also offer long-term support versions of LibreOffice. LibreOffice 7.0.5 release notes.

OpenOffice quit unexpectedly

Here’s a video showing how it crashes (WebM version here):

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One solution is to install LibreOffice, a more actively developed successor project. (OpenOffice’s last major release – 4.1 – was back in 2014.)

LibreOffice has much better support for modern operating systems, and many other features too, such as OOXML export, an updated NotebookBar user interface, a cloud-based version and much more. This timeline shows the major releases:

Libreoffice Macbook M1

LibreOffice 7.1 runs on macOS Big Sur, so download it here and carry on with your work. And there’s more to come: an optimised version of LibreOffice for Apple’s M1-based Macs is being developed, thanks to work from Collabora Productivity, a company in LibreOffice’s ecosystem. And more improvements for LibreOffice on macOS Big Sur are on the way – stay tuned!

macOS

First check the system requirements before installing LibreOffice on macOS.

Libreoffice Per Mac M1

• Download the .DMG file from the download page.
• Open the .DMG file by double-clicking on it.
• An installation window appears: drag and drop the LibreOffice icon onto the Applications icon in the same window. You may be required to enter your administrator password.
• The files are copied over and a progress bar shows when the installation is complete.
• If needed, you may now download and install the language pack(s) of your choice and built-in help by downloading the .DMG file of your choice. The installers for these are launched from inside their .DMG files.