Celebrating 20 years of Open Document Format: A milestone for digital freedom

Why ODF's 20-year legacy matters in a world of closed platforms.

The Open Document Format (ODF) turns 20 this year, a major milestone for anyone who values open standards, user autonomy, and long-term access to their data. Ratified by OASIS in 2005, ODF has become the global standard for office documents in open source and government systems alike.

LibreOffice is a free and open source office productivity suite developed by The Document Foundation (TDF). As a long-time user of LibreOffice, which uses ODF as its default format, I’ve seen first-hand how this standard helps people break free from vendor lock-in.

I moved from OpenOffice.org to LibreOffice shortly after it was forked in 2010 and have relied on Writer, Impress, and Calc ever since. When friends or colleagues ask for a free, reliable office suite, LibreOffice is always my first recommendation.

Few open standards have had the staying power of ODF. Developed as an XML-based file format, it was designed from the ground up for interoperability—allowing documents to be shared across different platforms and software without loss of fidelity or control.

Read more: Why developers keep choosing LibreOffice after 40 years

Eliane Domingos, Chairwoman of The Document Foundation, underscores that ODF is more than just a file format. It represents a broader vision of digital autonomy, interoperability, and user empowerment. In a landscape where proprietary systems often restrict flexibility and long-term access, ODF provides a stable foundation for individuals and organizations to retain control over their content and workflows.

That mission resonates even more today. As AI tools reshape workflows and major platforms tighten their ecosystems, open standards like ODF ensure documents remain future-proof and accessible—no matter what tools you use tomorrow.

LibreOffice remains the most prominent implementation of ODF, with active development, a global contributor base, and a deep commitment to user and developer freedom. Twenty years on, ODF continues to embody the open source values of interoperability, transparency, and user choice.

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This article is adapted from “Celebrating 20 Years of Open Document Format: A Milestone for Digital Freedom” by Don Watkins, and is republished with permission from the author.