Nextcloud Office: one document together, on your own server.
Open a Word file in the browser, work in it with three colleagues at once, and it stays where it was.
Short answer
Nextcloud Office is the office suite inside Nextcloud for editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations in the browser, alone or with several people at once. It is built on Collabora Online, which is based on LibreOffice. In JevanaHub it runs on our own hardware, so a document does not go to a third party's server while you edit it.
What it does with your existing files
| File | Open and edit | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Word (.docx) | Yes | Formatting usually stays intact; check very complex templates |
| Excel (.xlsx) | Yes | Formulas work; VBA macros do not |
| PowerPoint (.pptx) | Yes | Animations and embedded video may differ |
| OpenDocument (.odt, .ods) | Yes | The native format, without conversion |
| View and annotate | Editing the text itself is not possible |
Collabora and OnlyOffice: two suites, one aim
Two office suites exist for Nextcloud. Nextcloud Office is built on Collabora Online and uses the technology of LibreOffice. OnlyOffice is a different suite whose look is closer to Microsoft Office.
Both open Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and let several people work at once. You notice the difference mostly in the toolbar and in how heavy files behave. We choose with you on the basis of the files you really use, by opening a few of them.
What it is good for, and what not
- Good: a quote that three people write together, minutes taken during a meeting, a schedule the whole team keeps up
- Good: sharing a file with a client who may write in it without an account
- Less so: spreadsheets with heavy VBA macros or links to other Microsoft programs
- Less so: a department that lives all day in the desktop version of Excel
Questions
Can Nextcloud Office open Word and Excel files?
Yes. Nextcloud Office opens and saves files in Microsoft Office formats, such as .docx, .xlsx and .pptx. You convert nothing and can afterwards simply send a file to someone who uses Word. With complicated formatting or spreadsheets with macros, differences can appear; we test those files with you beforehand.
Can several people work in one document at once?
Yes. Several people open the same file and see each other's changes at once, each in their own colour. No copies appear with names like 'final-2'. Someone outside the organisation can join through a shared link, if you allow it. Earlier versions are kept and can be restored.
What is the difference between Collabora and OnlyOffice?
Collabora Online is built on LibreOffice and processes documents on the server; it is the base of Nextcloud Office. OnlyOffice is a standalone suite that does more in the browser and looks like Microsoft Office. Both are open source and work with the same file formats. Which feels better depends on your files and habits.
So we no longer need Microsoft Office?
That depends on the work. For letters, quotes, simple spreadsheets and presentations Nextcloud Office is enough. Those who build heavy Excel models or use software that connects to Office keep Microsoft Office. Many organisations combine: a few licences for those who need it, and Nextcloud Office for everyone who mostly reads and edits lightly.
Goes well with
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Nextcloud Talk
Chat, video calls and screen sharing inside JevanaHub, with conversations that stay on our hardware.
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Alternative to Microsoft 365
What you can use in Europe instead of Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and what you give up.
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Nextcloud or Microsoft 365: which suits your organisation?
The honest difference between Nextcloud Hub and Microsoft 365, and when using both works best.
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JevanaFiles
Just your files: store, sync and share, on our own hardware. Built on Nextcloud.
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Nextcloud management and migration
Taking over an existing Nextcloud, bringing it up to date or moving it to our hardware.
Tell us what you run.
An introduction costs nothing. You talk straight away to one of the two people who will actually do the work.
or email info@jevana.systems