Bug 166513 - LibreOffice Math formula editor shows black text on dark background with dark system theme
Summary: LibreOffice Math formula editor shows black text on dark background with dark...
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Formula Editor (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
25.2.0.3 release
Hardware: All Linux (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-05-10 07:46 UTC by george
Modified: 2025-05-10 07:47 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
showcase black text in formula editor with dark theme (46.79 KB, image/png)
2025-05-10 07:47 UTC, george
Details

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Description george 2025-05-10 07:46:30 UTC
Description:
When using LibreOffice Math on Linux Mint with a dark system theme enabled, the text displayed and typed in the formula editor input area is rendered in black. Against the dark background inherited from the system theme, this makes the text nearly invisible and the editor unusable.

This issue does not occur with the version of LibreOffice that comes pre-installed with the default Linux Mint distribution. However, after adding the LibreOffice 'fresh' PPA and upgrading LibreOffice to a newer version, the problem appears.

Changing to different dark themes within the Linux Mint system settings does not resolve the issue. Interestingly, changing specific themes within LibreOffice itself can sometimes mitigate or resolve the problem, suggesting an interaction issue within LibreOffice's theme handling after the upgrade.

The expected behavior should be that the text is easily readable, ideally displayed in a light color (like white) when a dark background is present due to the system theme. The current situation requires the user to experiment with LibreOffice's internal themes to find a working combination, which is not a satisfactory solution.

It is also noted that the LibreOffice Math component seems to evolve slower than other parts of the suite. It would be beneficial to have a user-configurable option to explicitly set the font color within the formula editor to avoid such conflicts and improve accessibility.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Set a dark system theme in the Linux Mint system settings.
2. Add the LibreOffice 'fresh' PPA (e.g., ppa:libreoffice/ppa) and upgrade LibreOffice to the latest version available through the PPA.
3. Open LibreOffice Math.
4. Observe the text color in the main formula editor input area.



Actual Results:
The text in the LibreOffice Math formula editor input area is black and unreadable or very difficult to read against the dark background provided by the system theme.

Expected Results:
The text in the LibreOffice Math formula editor input area should be clearly visible against the background. Ideally, it should automatically adjust to a light color (e.g., white) when a dark system theme is active, or there should be a user preference to set the font color for the editor.


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: Yes

Additional Info:
Version: 25.2.3.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 520(Build:2)
CPU threads: 16; OS: Linux 6.8; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Locale: el-GR (en_US.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Ubuntu package version: 4:25.2.3-0ubuntu0.24.04.1~lo1
Calc: threaded

Other Information:

    Occurs on Linux Mint with dark system themes.
    Issue appears after upgrading LibreOffice via the 'fresh' PPA, not present in the default LibreOffice version shipped with Mint.
    Changing Linux Mint system themes does not fix the issue.
    Changing themes within LibreOffice itself can sometimes provide a workaround.
    Screenshots demonstrating the unreadable text will be attached to the bug report.
    The lack of a user option to set the font color in the Math editor exacerbates this theme conflict issue.
Comment 1 george 2025-05-10 07:47:50 UTC
Created attachment 200723 [details]
showcase black text in formula editor with dark theme