Apache OpenOffice is an open-source office productivity software suite. It contains a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet application (Calc), a presentation application (Impress), a drawing application (Draw), a formula editor (Math), and a database management application (Base). This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Apache OpenOffice from the command line using both EXE & MSI installers.
How to Install Apache OpenOffice Silently
Apache OpenOffice Silent Install (EXE)
- Download the OpenOffice Windows (EXE) Installer
- Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Extract the contents of the EXE using 7-Zip to C:\Downloads\OpenOffice
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\OpenOffice folder
- Enter the following command:
setup.exe /qn - Press Enter
After a few moments you should see the OpenOffice Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | OpenOffice |
| Vendor: | Apache Software Foundation |
| Version: | 4.17.9800 |
| Architecture: | x86 |
| Installer Type: | EXE |
| Silent Install Switch: | setup.exe /qn |
| Silent Uninstall Switch: | MsiExec.exe /x {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn |
| Repair Command: | MsiExec.exe /fa {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn |
| Download Link: | https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html |
Apache OpenOffice Silent Install (MSI)
- Download the OpenOffice Windows (EXE) Installer
- Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Extract the contents of the EXE using 7-Zip to C:\Downloads\OpenOffice
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\OpenOffice\redist folder
- Enter the following command:
vcredist_x86.exe /q
- Press Enter
- Enter the following command:
vcredist_x64.exe /q
- Press Enter
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\OpenOffice folder
- Enter the following command:
MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 /qn
- Press Enter
After a few moments you should see the OpenOffice Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | OpenOffice |
| Vendor: | Apache Software Foundation |
| Version: | 4.17.9800 |
| Architecture: | x86 |
| Installer Type: | MSI |
| Silent Install Switch: | MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 /qn |
| Silent Uninstall Switch: | MsiExec.exe /x {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn |
| Repair Command: | MsiExec.exe /fa {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn |
| Download Link: | https://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html |
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Create an Installation Log File
The OpenOffice installers offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.
Apache OpenOffice (EXE) Silent Install with Logging
setup.exe /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\OpenOffice-Install.log" |
Apache OpenOffice (MSI) Silent Install with Logging
MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\OpenOffice-Install.log" |
Exclude Desktop Shortcut During OpenOffice Install
The OpenOffice installer creates a desktop shortcut by default. If you don’t want the desktop shortcut, then you can run the following command line switches to exclude it.
OpenOffice (EXE) Silent Install with No Desktop Shortcut
setup.exe CREATEDESKTOPLINK=0 /qn |
OpenOffice (MSI) Silent Install with No Desktop Shortcut
MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 CREATEDESKTOPLINK=0 /qn |
Disable OpenOffice Auto Update Check
OpenOffice (EXE) Silent Install with Auto Update Check Disabled
setup.exe ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=gm_o_Onlineupdate /qn |
OpenOffice (MSI) Silent Install with Auto Update Check Disabled
MsiExec.exe /i openoffice417.msi SETUP_USED=1 ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=gm_o_Onlineupdate /qn |
Disable OpenOffice Registration Wizard
The OpenOffice installer presents the user with a Registration Wizard after launching the application for the first time. You can bypass the Registration Wizard by performing the following steps.
- Create a folder called C:\Downloads\Files
- Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
- Add the following lines:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oor:component-data xmlns:oor="http://openoffice.org/2001/registry" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" oor:name="Common" oor:package="org.openoffice.Office">
<node oor:name="Help">
<node oor:name="Registration">
<prop oor:name="ReminderDate" oor:type="xs:string">
<value>Patch9800</value>
</prop>
</node>
</node>
<node oor:name="Misc">
<prop oor:name="FirstRun" oor:type="xs:boolean">
<value>false</value>
</prop>
</node>
</oor:component-data>- Note: The Build ID of the specific version of Apache OpenOffice that you are installing must match the Patch<BuildID> value
- Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files and name it: Common.xcu
- Open Notepad or your favorite text editor again
- Add the following lines:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oor:component-data xmlns:oor="http://openoffice.org/2001/registry" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" oor:name="Settings" oor:package="org.openoffice.Office.OOoImprovement">
<node oor:name="Participation">
<prop oor:name="OfficeStartCounterdown" oor:type="xs:int">
<value>0</value>
</prop>
<prop oor:name="ShowedInvitation" oor:type="xs:boolean">
<value>true</value>
</prop>
</node>
</oor:component-data>- Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files and name it: Settings.xcu
- Open Notepad or your favorite text editor again
- Add the following lines:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<oor:component-data xmlns:oor="http://openoffice.org/2001/registry" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" oor:name="Setup" oor:package="org.openoffice">
<node oor:name="Office">
<prop oor:name="ooSetupInstCompleted" oor:type="xs:boolean">
<value>false</value>
</prop>
<prop oor:name="LicenseAcceptDate" oor:type="xs:string">
<value>2099-12-30T08:00:00</value>
</prop>
<prop oor:name="FirstStartWizardCompleted" oor:type="xs:boolean">
<value>true</value>
</prop>
</node>
</oor:component-data>- Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files and name it: setup.xcu
- Create a folder called C:\Downloads\Files\META-INF
- Open Notepad or your favorite text editor again
- Add the following lines:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE manifest:manifest PUBLIC "-//OpenOffice.org//DTD Manifest 1.0//EN" "Manifest.dtd">
<manifest:manifest xmlns:manifest="http://openoffice.org/2001/manifest">
<manifest:file-entry manifest:media-type="application/vnd.sun.star.configuration-data"
manifest:full-path="setup.xcu"/>
<manifest:file-entry manifest:media-type="application/vnd.sun.star.configuration-data"
manifest:full-path="Common.xcu"/>
<manifest:file-entry manifest:media-type="application/vnd.sun.star.configuration-data"
manifest:full-path="Settings.xcu"/>
</manifest:manifest>- Save the file to C:\Downloads\Files\META-INF and name it: manifest.xml
- Compress the files created above (including the META-INF folder) into one zip file and Rename the zip file to DisableFirstStartWzd.oxt
- Copy the DisableFirstStartWzd.oxt file to C:\Downloads\OpenOffice
- Follow the “How to Install Apache OpenOffice Silently” steps mentioned earlier in the article
- Then enter the following command:
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\OpenOffice 4\program\unopkg.exe" add --shared DisableFirstStartWzd.oxt |
| https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/Administration_Guide/Deactivating_Registration_Wizard |
How to Uninstall Apache OpenOffice Silently
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Enter the following command:
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.7 Silent Uninstall (EXE)
MsiExec.exe /x {A09D951F-4BA3-4383-97B3-D1B91835E779} /qn |
Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.