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I have installed LibreOffice 7.2.2 on Ubuntu 21.10. Calc is now performing very slow. Just changing the cursor from one cell to another takes up to 5 seconds.

One proposed solution is opening LibreOffice with the terminal command SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen libreoffice.

If I do so, Calc looks even better and the performance is all right.

  • How do I create an icon to start LibreOffice by means of SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen libreoffice so that I do not need the terminal for starting LibreOffice?

or

  • How can I make sure LibreOffice performs at normal speed without using SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen libreoffice in the first place?

Thanks for answers... :)

There is no file /usr/share/applications/libreoffice-calc.desktop. Neither in $HOME/.local/share/applications/ Could that be the problem?

I use Ubuntu 21.10 on an ASUS laptop with Nvidia Geforce GTX. Does this help?

System: Host: SaintSaturnin-Asus
Kernel: 5.13.0-21-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.2.0
Desktop: GNOME 40.5
Distro: Ubuntu 21.10 (Impish Indri)
Machine:
Type: Laptop
System: ASUSTeK product: N550JK v: 1.0 serial: <superuser required>
Mobo:
ASUSTeK model: N550JK v: 1.0 serial: <superuser required>
UEFI: American Megatrends v: N550JK.210 date: 06/12/2019 

How can I find out if I am using the snap version of LibreOffice? There is a directory called /snap/libreoffice

__

This is what I get entering env | grep -i desktop

GNOME_DESKTOP_SESSION_ID=this-is-deprecated
DESKTOP_SESSION=ubuntu
XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=ubuntu
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=ubuntu:GNOME
XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/ubuntu:/usr/local/share/:/usr/share/:/var/lib/snapd/desktop

Then I ran sudo apt autoclean ; sudo apt autoremove ; sudo apt update ; sudo apt dist-upgrade and it executed without errors.

A newly created user could not start Libreoffice. So I contunued wit point 4: $ snap remove libreoffice and then $ sudo apt install libreoffice

After that action it worked! I tested my spreadsheets and I could work in them in normal speed! I thank you FedonKadifeli ! I have learned something about Ubuntu. I hope I will remember it whenever I need it again! Thanks a lot!

4 Answers 4

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I had the same problem using the snap on Ubuntu 22.04. Removed the snap and installed apt package. Problem solved.

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You are asking two questions.

I will answer the first one:

  • Assuming you are not using the "snap" version, copy the file /usr/share/applications/libreoffice-calc.desktop to folder $HOME/.local/share/applications/. If you are using the "snap" version, you should search for the libreoffice-calc.desktop under /snap directory and copy that file to folder $HOME/.local/share/applications/. Do not edit the original files under /usr or /snap!

  • Edit the newly created $HOME/.local/share/applications/libreoffice-calc.desktop file and add your string SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen in the line (probably it is at line number 24) starting with Exec= so that this line becomes:

Exec=SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen libreoffice --calc %U

  • Save the file and run the command update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications with your current user (no sudo).

  • Try to start LibreOffice Calc using its icon.


Some suggestions about the second one:

  1. Please give more information about your system, like video display driver, display manager, desktop environment, etc. and also the output of env | grep -i desktop.

  2. Is your system fully updated? Run sudo apt autoclean ; sudo apt autoremove ; sudo apt update ; sudo apt dist-upgrade and ensure each of these commands complete without error.

  3. Can you try to run LibreOffice Calc with a newly created Ubuntu user?

  4. Can you delete the snap version snap remove libreoffice (get the actual name of the snap package, by first running snap list) and then sudo apt install libreoffice? Please note that generally the "snap" versions of software packages tend to create more problems than the ones they are supposed to solve. Use the "apt" versions as much as possible, instead of the "snap" versions.

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  • There is no file /usr/share/applications/libreoffice-calc.desktop. Could that be the problem? Neither in $HOME/.local/share/applications/
    – Pitor
    Nov 12, 2021 at 15:49
  • I use Ubuntu 21.10 on an ASUS laptop with Nvidia Geforce GTX. Does this help? System: Host: SaintSaturnin-Asus Kernel: 5.13.0-21-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.2.0 Desktop: GNOME 40.5 Distro: Ubuntu 21.10 (Impish Indri) Machine: Type: Laptop System: ASUSTeK product: N550JK v: 1.0 serial: <superuser required> Mobo: ASUSTeK model: N550JK v: 1.0 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: American Megatrends v: N550JK.210 date: 06/12/2019
    – Pitor
    Nov 12, 2021 at 16:00
  • 1
    Please, add the above information in your original question (properly formatting it). Also check if you are using the snap version of LibreOffice and add this information also in your original question.
    – FedKad
    Nov 12, 2021 at 18:52
  • I have been trying to add above comments to my original question but it does not get being saved.....
    – Pitor
    Nov 12, 2021 at 20:27
  • How can I find out wether I am using the snap version? There is a directory called /snap/libreoffice/cuuren/meta/gui that contains a file called libreoffice.desktop as well as calc.desktop and others. They are all root property.
    – Pitor
    Nov 12, 2021 at 20:33
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Be careful with the snap remove libreoffice. When I performed it, it removed all of my .ods files. I wasn't expecting that!

Fortunately, I have daily/weekly/monthly backups.

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Installing Calc from apt and disabling libreoffice via snap has dramatically improved Calc performance and avoided removed .ods files, .desktop file manipulations and manual package removals noted in this and earlier questions about poor performance.

sudo apt install libreoffice-calc

sudo snap disable libreoffice

The correct Calc launches from Activities, double-clicking ods, xlsx, csv and other associated files. And I can enable libreoffice if I need Writer or Impress.

In 22.04, snap has only libreoffice as a whole rather than -calc, -writer, -impress as it did previously. snap gives us disable -- it would be great to be able to disable them individually.

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