Using LibreOffice on a Mac
Some keystrokes and menu items are different on a Mac from those used in Windows and Linux.
The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this book. For a more
detailed list, see the application Help.
Windows or Linux Mac equivalent Effect
Tools > Options
menu selection
LibreOffice > Preferences Access setup options
Right-click Control+click and/or right-click
depending on computer setup
Open a context menu
Ctrl (Control) ⌘ (Command) Used with other keys
F5 Shift+⌘+F5 Open the Navigator
F11 ⌘+T Open the Styles and Formatting window
What are all these things called?
The terms used in LibreOffice for most parts of the user interface (the parts of the program you see
and use, in contrast to the behind-the-scenes code that actually makes it work) are the same as for
most other programs.
A dialog is a special type of window. Its purpose is to inform you of something, or request input
from you, or both. It provides controls to use to specify how to carry out an action. The technical
names for common controls are shown in Figure 1. In most cases the technical terms are not used
in this book, but it is useful to know them because the Help and other sources of information often
use them.
1) Tabbed page (not strictly speaking a control).
2) Radio buttons (only one can be selected at a time).
3) Checkbox (more than one can be selected at a time).
12 | Getting Started with LibreOffice 5.1
