r/libreoffice • u/bora-yarkin • 10h ago
I made a LibreOffice Impress extension that lets you control presentations from your phone
Hey everyone,
I’ve been working on a LibreOffice Impress extension for a while, and I’ve finally published the first proper release: LibreOffice Impress Remote 1.0.0.
It’s currently available through GitHub Releases and is under review for the LibreOffice Extensions directory:
https://github.com/bora-yarkin/libreoffice-impress-remote/
The idea is simple: I wanted a presenter remote that doesn’t require a separate mobile app, cloud account, or proprietary service.
You install the .oxt extension, open a presentation in Impress, select Slide Show → Start Remote, and scan the QR code with your phone. The remote then opens directly in your phone’s browser.
Part of my motivation was that the official LibreOffice Remote for Impress iOS app hasn’t been updated in years and no longer works on current iOS versions.
Right now, the extension can:
- Show the current slide on your phone
- Show presenter notes below the slide
- Keep previous and next controls pinned to the bottom
- Jump to the first, last, or a specific slide
- Show a per-slide timer and a total presentation timer
- Display the slide in fullscreen on supported mobile browsers
- Work locally over the same Wi-Fi network or a phone hotspot
- Use LocalTunnel, direct IPv6, or a self-hosted relay for more difficult network setups
The main intended workflow is local mode. If your laptop and phone are on the same Wi-Fi network, or your laptop is connected to your phone’s hotspot, the phone should connect directly to LibreOffice.
That’s the setup I care about most because it’s simple and doesn’t depend on an external service. It also works behind CGNAT because the connection stays inside the local network. However, some routers, public networks, hotspots, or firewall configurations may block communication between devices.
The other modes are included for people who want to experiment, but I’d still call them experimental. LocalTunnel, direct IPv6, and the self-hosted relay mode are there for situations where a direct local connection isn’t possible. If you have a VPS or a free tier cloudflare account, you can also run the included relay server yourself. Although I have not tested these features extensively. You can get the relay server and the related configurations on the extension's settings page when the relay server is selected. I have not created a separate release for these for now.
This is a volunteer FOSS project. I’m not a company, and I can’t promise perfect compatibility across every operating system, browser, router, carrier, and LibreOffice version. I cannot promise every feature someone needs to be included in this extension. Local mode works well for me, but I need more testing on other setups. I have made an extension because i needed it, then decided to advance it and release it as best as i can.
I’d especially appreciate reports from people using:
- Different LibreOffice versions
- Linux distributions
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS Safari
- Android Chrome or Firefox
- Home Wi-Fi, public Wi-Fi, and phone hotspots
So far, I’ve mainly tested it with macOS and an iPhone across a few different carriers and ISPs.
If you try it and something breaks, please open a GitHub issue with your operating system, LibreOffice version, phone browser, and connection mode. Logs and error messages are very helpful. Even a simple “it worked on this setup” report would help me build a realistic compatibility picture.
Contributions are also welcome. If you want to add a feature and have the knowledge or resources to implement it, I’ll happily take a look.
Thanks to everyone working on LibreOffice and its extension ecosystem. I’ve wanted something like this for Impress for a long time, so I’m happy to finally have a first release out.