Bug 170361 - Setting LibreOffice as os/DE default handler for .HTML causes LO offline <F1> Help documentation to choke in Writer/Web
Summary: Setting LibreOffice as os/DE default handler for .HTML causes LO offline <F1>...
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Documentation (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
25.8.4.2 release
Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64) Windows (All)
: medium minor
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2026-01-16 03:57 UTC by Stephen
Modified: 2026-01-19 14:41 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


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Description Stephen 2026-01-16 03:57:29 UTC
Description:
Unable to view/access local Help in Writer;
after uninstalling the help files I could access online help;
re-installing the local help files reproduced the problem. [Very Frustrating...]
             [My Browser & all my apps were working normally]  

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Make LibreOffice the default app to open .html files
2. Open Writer 
3. Open Help

Actual Results:
Unable to view/access local Help in Writer
[The first click opened the blank NewHelp0.html Writer/Web file
                       (and disabled the rest of the Help menu...)]
     subsequent clicks opened NewHelp1.html etc.

Expected Results:
A) Using the help package's Repair (or uninstall followed by re-install)
         SHOULD have fixed the problem (to allow access to the normal help files)
B) A warning message "LibreOffice must NOT be the default app
    to open .html files -- fix in Settings ¦ Default Apps" would have helped.


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
I don't know how LO became the default app. My browser was working as normal.

Version: 25.8.4.2 (X86_64)
Build ID: 290daaa01b999472f0c7a3890eb6a550fd74c6df
CPU threads: 16; OS: Windows 11 X86_64 (build 26200); UI render: Skia/Vulkan; VCL: win
Locale: en-ZA (en_ZA); UI: en-ZA
Calc: CL threaded
Comment 1 V Stuart Foote 2026-01-16 20:12:54 UTC
Can not reproduce. Win11 25H2 (26200.7623)

The off-line Help installed with the en-US LibreOffice_25.8.4.2_Win_x86-64_helppack_en-US.msi from the archive and HASH sums checked valid.

MS Edge version 143.0.3650.139 selected in os as the browser to open the HTML help files.

No issue with any <F1> selection on any UI element or field, get a clean timely opening of the appropriate Help article.

Version: 25.8.4.2 (X86_64)
Build ID: 290daaa01b999472f0c7a3890eb6a550fd74c6df
CPU threads: 28; OS: Windows 11 X86_64 (build 26200); UI render: Skia/Vulkan; VCL: win
Locale: en-US (en_US); UI: en-US
Calc: CL threaded
Comment 2 Stephen 2026-01-17 10:13:55 UTC
(In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #1)
> Can not reproduce. Win11 25H2 (26200.7623)
> 
> The off-line Help installed with the en-US
> LibreOffice_25.8.4.2_Win_x86-64_helppack_en-US.msi from the archive and HASH
> sums checked valid.
> 
> MS Edge version 143.0.3650.139 selected in os as the browser to open the
> HTML help files.
> 
> No issue with any <F1> selection on any UI element or field, get a clean
> timely opening of the appropriate Help article.
> 
> Version: 25.8.4.2 (X86_64)
> Build ID: 290daaa01b999472f0c7a3890eb6a550fd74c6df
> CPU threads: 28; OS: Windows 11 X86_64 (build 26200); UI render:
> Skia/Vulkan; VCL: win
> Locale: en-US (en_US); UI: en-US
> Calc: CL threaded

Did V Stuart Foote read my full report (not just the headline)?
Did he set the default HTML reader to LO ?
           The fault only occurs THEN:
          and it can only be fixed by changing this.
LO does not detect the fault.
Comment 3 Stephen 2026-01-17 10:14:18 UTC
Did V Stuart Foote read my full report (not just the headline)?
Did he set the default HTML reader to LO ?
           The fault only occurs THEN:
          and it can only be fixed by changing this.
LO does not detect the fault.
Comment 4 V Stuart Foote 2026-01-17 12:47:45 UTC
Guess we assumed no one would be inclined to set LibreOffice to be their default app/program to handle .HTML and especially the Help documentation. The response to that invalid user action, of attempting to open URI with Writer/Web, is actually correct behavior.

Otherwise an issue is confirmed, that when I incorrectly set Writer to be the default to open an .HTML format the <F1> linked help file is opened into Writer Web as 'No script' with other *ugly* impacts rendering the LO UI and progressing blank documents generated named "New Help[0-9].html"

Clearly a nonsensical user action, but since it is possible I guess we should at least warn against it.
Comment 5 Heiko Tietze 2026-01-19 07:39:45 UTC
(In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #4)
> I guess we should at least warn against it.
How?

My take: I would rather drop HTML support than putting effort in. There are better suited tools and we do not need to be the Swiss army knife.
Comment 6 V Stuart Foote 2026-01-19 13:30:39 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #5)
> (In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #4)
> > I guess we should at least warn against it.
> How?

The Yellow alert bar, or a popup when Writer/Web module doc handler is launched--detection is via TypeDetection Service, right?  But especially do so if we can detect that os/DE defaults have incorrectly set LibreOffice or Writer, Writer/Web for the file type (MIME or XSD).

> 
> My take: I would rather drop HTML support than putting effort in. There are
> better suited tools and we do not need to be the Swiss army knife.

+1, and my continued agreement to strip out Writer/Web handling from me. That would resolve the issue--LibreOffice would no longer try to parse modern HTML5/XHTML with broken HTML4 Transitional.

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=95861#c3
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Proposals_for_removing_features#Writer/Web

Though the HTML5/CSS3 import/export filters still need improvement for round tripping of modern web content.  We just drop the HTML/CSS direct markup editing mode.
Comment 7 Heiko Tietze 2026-01-19 14:41:38 UTC
(In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #6)
> The Yellow alert bar, or a popup when Writer/Web module doc handler is
> launched--detection is via TypeDetection Service, right?
This means to always alert people not only if the help is weirdly loaded into the application.