What is ODT?

ODT (OpenDocument Text) is an open standard file format for word processing documents. Created by OASIS and adopted as an ISO standard, ODT is the native format for LibreOffice Writer and Apache OpenOffice Writer.

Unlike proprietary formats, ODT is based on XML and uses ZIP compression, making files smaller and data extraction easier. The format is fully documented and free from licensing restrictions.

Open Standard: ODT is an ISO/IEC 26300 standard, ensuring long-term accessibility and avoiding vendor lock-in.

Features

  • Full text formatting support
  • Tables, images, and charts
  • Styles and templates
  • Track changes and comments
  • ZIP-compressed XML format
  • Open standard (ISO 26300)
  • Cross-platform compatibility

Use Cases

Perfect For

  • LibreOffice and OpenOffice documents
  • Government and public sector documents
  • Academic papers and reports
  • Open source projects
  • Long-term document archiving

Advantages

  • Open standard format
  • No licensing fees
  • Smaller file sizes (ZIP compression)
  • XML-based for easy parsing
  • ISO standardized
  • Future-proof archiving

Disadvantages

  • Limited Microsoft Office compatibility
  • Formatting may change when converted
  • Not as widely used as DOCX
  • Some advanced features differ from Word