Bug 170598 - Request for feature like Microsoft Word's Outline Mode
Summary: Request for feature like Microsoft Word's Outline Mode
Status: NEEDINFO
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
25.8.4.2 release
Hardware: ARM macOS (All)
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: needsUXEval
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2026-02-04 11:25 UTC by LT
Modified: 2026-02-05 08:19 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


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Description LT 2026-02-04 11:25:48 UTC
Description:
I think that the Navigation Panel is just okay.
I would love a feature that mimics Microsoft Word's Outline mode.

A few ways that Word's Outline Mode is better than the navigation panel:
1) You can type and edit text as though it is on the document area.
2) You can drag and drop headers very easily, placing them into higher or lower hierarchies easily as well.
3) Content within the headers that are dragged move with it (Outline Folding View mode in LibreWriter doesn't do this).
4) Easy to see and understand 'shape' bullets that change with each hierarchy.
5) You can customize how many levels deep the Outline Mode lets you see.

Actual Results:
n/a

Expected Results:
n/a


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
n/a
Comment 1 Buovjaga 2026-02-04 13:27:26 UTC
(In reply to LT from comment #0)
> A few ways that Word's Outline Mode is better than the navigation panel:
> 1) You can type and edit text as though it is on the document area.
> 2) You can drag and drop headers very easily, placing them into higher or
> lower hierarchies easily as well.
> 3) Content within the headers that are dragged move with it (Outline Folding
> View mode in LibreWriter doesn't do this).
> 4) Easy to see and understand 'shape' bullets that change with each
> hierarchy.
> 5) You can customize how many levels deep the Outline Mode lets you see.

Each one of these should get its own report with a description. Screenshots (perhaps annotated, if the goal is a mockup) and links to references may help. You can repurpose this report to be about one of the topics.

Check existing reports about Outline folding and Navigator before creating the new ones:
https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=135310&hide_resolved=1
https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=103030&hide_resolved=1
Comment 2 LT 2026-02-04 19:46:40 UTC
(In reply to Buovjaga from comment #1)
> (In reply to LT from comment #0)
> > A few ways that Word's Outline Mode is better than the navigation panel:
> > 1) You can type and edit text as though it is on the document area.
> > 2) You can drag and drop headers very easily, placing them into higher or
> > lower hierarchies easily as well.
> > 3) Content within the headers that are dragged move with it (Outline Folding
> > View mode in LibreWriter doesn't do this).
> > 4) Easy to see and understand 'shape' bullets that change with each
> > hierarchy.
> > 5) You can customize how many levels deep the Outline Mode lets you see.
> 
> Each one of these should get its own report with a description. Screenshots
> (perhaps annotated, if the goal is a mockup) and links to references may
> help. You can repurpose this report to be about one of the topics.
> 
> Check existing reports about Outline folding and Navigator before creating
> the new ones:
> https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/showdependencytree.
> cgi?id=135310&hide_resolved=1
> https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/showdependencytree.
> cgi?id=103030&hide_resolved=1

Clarifying:
Request is for the implementation of a feature similar to Microsoft Word's Outline View. This is not a request to modify the existing Navigation panel or Outline Folding options.

Video examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vTfKJVqt3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV8EwtytfEI&t=260s
Comment 3 Heiko Tietze 2026-02-05 08:19:21 UTC
(In reply to LT from comment #0)
> 1) You can type and edit text as though it is on the document area.
Why is this needed? 
> 2) You can drag and drop headers very easily, placing them into higher or
> lower hierarchies easily as well.
You can use the buttons above or the shortcuts ctrl+arrows to change the level and the position of headings. 
> 3) Content within the headers that are dragged move with it (Outline Folding
> View mode in LibreWriter doesn't do this).
The outline folding affects the document and not the Navigator. And moving a chapter up/down of course takes its content with it.
> 4) Easy to see and understand 'shape' bullets that change with each
> hierarchy.
I don't understand "shape bullets". Do you mean the +/- and quote signs? How about the opposite view: these controls add a lot of noise, require more space, and distract from the navigation purpose. 
> 5) You can customize how many levels deep the Outline Mode lets you see.
The buttons above the tree allow this too.

Sorry if my reply sounds dismissive but requests with "make it like Microsoft does" miss the point of use cases. We allow to always interact with the Navigator, that is also more than just an outline view. Don't you agree this is superior to what Microsoft offers? There is nothing to say against a "distraction free" outline mode to enter the document structure before writing the actual text. But it is not the same workflow.