Bug 170036 - Add native “Reading Mode” toggle button to LibreOffice Writer
Summary: Add native “Reading Mode” toggle button to LibreOffice Writer
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 151320
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
unspecified
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-12-18 12:25 UTC by Dyogo
Modified: 2025-12-19 09:20 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Function (4.85 MB, application/pdf)
2025-12-18 12:25 UTC, Dyogo
Details

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Description Dyogo 2025-12-18 12:25:07 UTC
Created attachment 204701 [details]
Function

I would like to suggest the implementation of a native Reading Mode button in LibreOffice Writer, aimed at improving reading comfort and reducing visual distractions during document review and study.
The proposed Reading Mode would be activated via a toolbar button and would temporarily adjust visual settings without modifying the document content.
Suggested behavior:
Toggle on/off via a toolbar button
Change page background to a soft, low-contrast color (e.g. light beige or gray)
Reduce visual noise by hiding page boundary lines and layout guides
Optionally support dark mode in the future
No impact on print layout or saved document styles
Use cases:
Reading long academic or legal documents
Study and proofreading
Accessibility and eye-strain reduction
Technical note:
This behavior can be implemented by temporarily adjusting Writer view and page style properties (similar to existing ViewSettings and PageStyles handling), without altering the underlying document formatting.
A prototype implementation using the UNO API (Python macro) already demonstrates the feasibility of this feature.
Expected benefit:
Improve user experience and accessibility by offering a distraction-free reading environment, similar to “reading mode” features available in other document editors and browsers.
Thank you for considering this enhancement.
Comment 1 V Stuart Foote 2025-12-18 16:10:10 UTC
dupe of bug 151320

and related see also of bug 53895 / bug 37817 for writing modes with reduced distractions

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 151320 ***