https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=171952
Bug ID: 171952
Summary: LibreOffice Math should be categorized under “Office”
with the rest of the LibreOffice suite
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 26.2.2.2 release
Hardware: All
OS: Linux (All)
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: enhancement
Priority: medium
Component: LibreOffice
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Description:
LibreOffice Math should appear under “Office” with the rest of the LibreOffice
suite (desktop category metadata improvement)
LibreOffice Math is currently assigned the following categories in its .desktop
file: Categories=Office;Education;Science;
This causes Math to appear under Education/Science in desktop environments that
expose application categories. Meanwhile, all other LibreOffice modules
(Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base) appear under Office. This results in an
inconsistent user experience across the suite.
Where this is visible: This affects all Linux desktops that display
application categories. For example, in Linux Mint Cinnamon, LibreOffice Math
appears under Education/Science while the rest of the LibreOffice suite appears
under Office. KDE Plasma and XFCE also expose this inconsistency.
This is not a Mint‑specific issue — the .desktop metadata comes directly from
LibreOffice upstream, and all packaging formats (DEB, RPM, Flatpak, Snap)
inherit it.
Why this is a problem: LibreOffice is a suite, and users expect all modules to
appear together. Placing Math in a different category:
breaks suite consistency
reduces discover-ability
contradicts user expectations
makes the menu organization appear fragmented
causes confusion for users who expect Math to be grouped with the other
LibreOffice tools
Most users do not think of Math as a “Science/Education” app — they think of it
as part of LibreOffice.
Proposed change: Update the libreoffice-math.desktop metadata to:
Categories=Office; or, if additional categories are desired:
Categories=Office;Science; (but remove “Education” so Math appears with the
rest of the suite).
Rationale: This is a small metadata change with a large UX benefit:
improves consistency across the suite
improves discover-ability
aligns with user expectations
aligns with how other office suites group their components
provides a cleaner, more intuitive menu layout
Environment: All Linux distributions and packaging formats (APT, RPM, Flatpak,
Snap). Issue is upstream, not distro‑specific.
Steps to Reproduce:
Install LibreOffice (any packaging format: DEB, RPM, Flatpak, Snap).
Open the application menu in a desktop environment that displays categories
(e.g., Linux Mint Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, XFCE).
Observe that all LibreOffice modules (Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base) appear
under Office.
Observe that LibreOffice Math appears under Education/Science instead of
Office.
Actual Results:
LibreOffice Math does not appear with the other LibreOffice components
Expected Results:
LibreOffice Math SHOULD appear with the other LibreOffice components
Reproducible: Always
User Profile Reset: Yes
Additional Info:
This appears to be a long‑standing UX inconsistency dating back to the
OpenOffice.org era. Most users either never notice it (because many desktops
hide categories) or silently fix it by creating a user‑level menu override. As
a result, this issue has likely gone unreported despite being present for
nearly two decades. Now that more desktops (e.g., Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, XFCE)
expose application categories clearly, the inconsistency is more visible.
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