Can I open an OpenOffice or LibreOffice .ods file?

Yes, you can. Grid by Zaweba opens OpenDocument .ods spreadsheets, the format OpenOffice Calc and LibreOffice Calc save by default, and it saves them as .ods too. Values, formulas, styles, merged cells, column widths, sheets, names and notes all come through, so a workbook from a friend or colleague who uses one of those suites opens as a working spreadsheet.

What an .ods file is

OpenDocument Spreadsheet is an open standard for spreadsheet files. It's the native format of the free office suites that grew out of OpenOffice, and some organisations use it for official documents because the standard is published and doesn't belong to one company. If someone sends you a file ending in .ods, it was almost certainly made in one of those programs.

Like an .xlsx, an .ods is really a package of files zipped together. A program needs to read that package properly to show the formulas and formatting, not only the numbers.

Opening one in Grid

Open the .ods file in Grid the same way you'd open any workbook. Each sheet appears as its own tab, formulas recalculate in Grid's engine, and the cell styles, merged cells and widths keep the layout the author intended. Names defined in the original file still work in formulas, and cell notes still show their little triangle and pop-up.

Grid can also sit in the Open with menu for .ods files without taking the file type over. If LibreOffice or another program is your usual opener, it stays that way, and you choose Grid for a particular file when you want it.

What doesn't make the round trip

Be clear about the limits before you edit and send a file back. When Grid saves an .ods, it writes values, formulas, styles, merges, widths, sheets, names and notes. Tables, conditional formats, data validation and charts are not written to .ods. If you add a chart or a drop-down list in Grid and then save as .ods, that part won't be in the file the other person opens.

That makes a simple rule worth following. If the file is going back to someone who uses LibreOffice or OpenOffice and you've only changed figures and text, saving as .ods is fine. If you've built anything richer, such as a chart, conditional formatting or validation, save as .xlsx instead. The free suites open .xlsx files too, and Grid keeps all of those features in .xlsx.

Choosing a format to keep

An opened .ods keeps its own format when you press Save, so a quick fix doesn't quietly change what the file is. For workbooks you'll go on developing in Grid, it's worth saving a copy as .zagr, Grid's own type. A .zagr is the same Open XML package as an .xlsx, just with another extension, so nothing is lost, and if you ever rename it to .xlsx it opens in other spreadsheet programs.

Formulas are the part people worry about most when moving between programs. Grid follows the conventions spreadsheet users know, with the same error values, 15-digit numbers and the 1900 date system, so a well-built sheet gives the same answers. If something does look different after opening, trace precedents and error checking will show you which cells to look at.

A good fit for mixed offices

Plenty of households, clubs and small offices have a mix of programs: one person uses LibreOffice, another has an .xlsx from work, and a third just needs to open a file someone emailed. Grid by Zaweba reads all of them, works offline with no account, and saves your work back in the format the next person needs.