The most common way to launch any component of OpenOffice.org is by using the system menu, the standard menu from which most applications are started. On Windows, it is called the Start menu. On GNOME, it is called the Applications menu. On KDE it is identified by the KDE logo. On Mac OS X, it is the Applications menu.

When OpenOffice.org was installed on your computer, in most cases a menu entry for each component was added to your system menu. (If you are using a Mac, see note below.) The exact name and location of these menu entries depends on the operating system and graphical user interface.

Note for Mac users

You should see the OpenOffice.org icon in the Applications folder. When you double-click this icon, a text document opens in Writer. To open the other components (Draw, Calc, Impress, Base), go to the File menu of the Writer window and select the component you want.

OOo does not automatically put a shortcut icon on the desktop, but you can add one if you wish. If you don’t know how to add shortcut icons for launching programs, please consult the help for your operating system.