[libreoffice-users] Serious recurring Writer layout failure — unexpected blank pages and disrupted book production

To the LibreOffice Support and Quality Assurance Community,

I am writing to formally report a serious, recurring problem with LibreOffice Writer that has 
undermined my confidence in using it to complete an illustrated book. Please help escalate this 
report to the appropriate Writer developers or QA team and identify an existing bug report or 
create one if necessary.

I am the author of THE SPIRIT SURVIVES — 1926–2026, a nearly completed illustrated history of 
Northeast Catholic High School. I work in Writer’s native ODT format. My document is approximately 
519 MB and roughly 300 pages, with photographs, captions, and carefully arranged facing pages.

LibreOffice version and system information:
[Paste the information from Help → About LibreOffice here.]

The latest incident occurred on October 19, 2026:
   
   -    
I inserted nine short alumni profiles into an existing working area before a chapter.

   -    
I applied Default Paragraph Style and adjusted the line spacing to match the surrounding book.

   -    
The profiles occupied pages 62–64, and the following chapter began on page 65. This was the 
expected two-page increase.

   -    
When I scrolled farther through the book, Writer displayed several unexpected blank pages between a 
dedication and the following illustrated section. Content appeared displaced, making the document 
look seriously damaged.

   -    
I checked a backup, which showed the intended arrangement.

   -    
After saving the affected document separately and closing and reopening it, the correct layout 
returned without my deleting those apparent blank pages or repairing the formatting.

   -    
I exported a PDF, approximately 87 MB, and reviewed the entire book. The layout was correct. Blank 
working pages near the end were intentional and unrelated to the problem.


This was not my first experience with severe layout disruption in this project. Earlier incidents 
have included unexpected reflow and photographs temporarily disappearing from view. I have had to 
recover from backups and repeatedly check completed sections.

I cannot yet identify the precise trigger or provide a reliable minimal reproduction. However, the 
latest incident raises a serious concern: Writer displayed a substantially different page 
arrangement during editing than it displayed after reopening the same saved document.

That is not a minor cosmetic inconvenience. An author who sees unexpected blank pages may 
reasonably attempt to remove them, potentially damaging an otherwise intact layout. Users need to 
be able to trust what the editing window shows.

I understand that LibreOffice is free and supported by a community. Nevertheless, reliable document 
layout is a fundamental requirement of a word processor. Software being free does not make the 
disruption, lost working time, or risk to a manuscript less serious. In its present behavior on 
this project, Writer is not dependable enough for me to use confidently.

Please provide a substantive response addressing:
   
   -    
Whether these symptoms match a known Writer layout or pagination defect, with the relevant bug 
number.

   -    
Whether a particular release fixes the issue.

   -    
What diagnostic information would help identify the cause.

   -    
Whether a documented limitation applies to a large illustrated ODT document such as mine.

   -    
What safe workaround is recommended that preserves existing page styles, image anchors, captions, 
and facing-page arrangements.


I have screenshots and a correctly rendered PDF available. The original ODT is too large for an 
ordinary email attachment, so please advise what smaller diagnostic material would be useful and 
how it should be supplied.

I am requesting an investigation and a practical path toward reliable editing. Repeatedly closing 
and reopening a manuscript to find out whether its apparent layout damage is real is not an 
acceptable long-term workflow.

Please acknowledge this report and help route it to the people who can investigate it.

Sincerely,

John A. Reynolds
Author, THE SPIRIT SURVIVES — 1926–2026
FLATLINERACER


-- 
To unsubscribe e-mail to: users+unsubscribe@global.libreoffice.org
Problems? https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
Posting guidelines + more: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: https://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
Privacy Policy: https://www.documentfoundation.org/privacy