The latest update to Ascensio's open-source office suite, ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.3, Arrives With a comprehensive package of changes that touches virtually every area—from PDF editing and collaboration tools to AI integration and the desktop experience—the company boasts over 30 new features and more than 500 fixes, a volume that makes it clear this is no minor tweak.
With this version, the platform reinforces its position as an alternative to better-known proprietary suites, offering an option cross-platform, self-hostable and productivity-oriented This update is beneficial for both individual users and European organizations that need to control their data. Without being overly ambitious, the update aims to enable faster, smoother, and more secure workflows in increasingly digitized document systems.
A much more complete PDF editor: signatures, security, and control
In professional and administrative environments, the suite also includes the ability to upload digital signature certificates from the administration panel in the Enterprise edition. This allows for the application of trusted signatures to submitted forms and better aligns with European legal requirements regarding document integrity and authenticity, something particularly important in sectors such as law, finance, and public administration.
Beyond signatures, the editor incorporates a series of changes that make it increasingly resemble a traditional word processor, but applied to PDFs. Now it's possible open and edit password-protected files provided the password is known, manage internal and external hyperlinks that remain active even when working in comment mode, consult the document version history, and even edit the fonts embedded in the file itself.
Practical utilities are also added, such as Redacting or hiding sensitive text from a pop-up tool panelThe detailed configuration of per-page printing options and the insertion of adjustable fields within table cells when creating PDF forms are key features. Overall, the PDF module evolves from a convenient add-on into a central component for those who handle complex documentation daily.
Text documents: multi-page view and clearer collaboration
The document editor introduces a feature many users have been requesting for some time: multi-page view. This option allows you to review several pages simultaneously, greatly simplifying the layout of lengthy reports, manuals, or documents with complex structures, especially on computers with widescreen displays. Access is via the view menu, where you can quickly switch between single-page and multi-page modes.
In the collaborative section, the comments have been thoroughly reviewed. Each participant can now enjoy unique colors per userThis makes it easier to identify at a glance who has annotated what. Furthermore, the system accurately marks the beginning and end of the annotated section, reducing the risk of misunderstandings when several people are working on the same text simultaneously.
To improve daily editing, the header and footer options have been regrouped into a dedicated tab that offers more direct access to these layout elementsIn addition, text selection with the mouse is faster: double-clicking allows you to select entire words, and triple-clicking expands the selection to entire paragraphs—a small detail that, in practice, speeds up many routine tasks.
Among the cross-cutting functions that also affect the text editor are the Inserting links in images, shapes, and groups and the option of export documents to Markdown format (.md)Designed for those who work with content management systems, technical documentation, or version control. In addition, the application can open TSV (tab-separated values) files for quick viewing and editing.
Spreadsheets: improved performance, Solver, and dynamic matrices
The spreadsheet editor is receiving an update focused on users who handle large amounts of data and advanced models. On the one hand, it has significantly accelerated the initial rendering of large filesespecially those exceeding 3 MB in size. This reduces opening times and makes managing workbooks with many sheets or complex formulas easier, which is common in financial analysis, reporting, and business intelligence tasks.
In terms of features, the most striking new addition is the incorporation of SolverThis tool allows you to solve linear optimization problems using the Simplex method directly from the data tab. It enables you to adjust cost models, schedules, or logistics scenarios without needing external applications, which can be useful in planning and control departments.
The suite also adopts support for dynamic matricesThese formulas allow a single formula to return multiple results and automatically "overflow" into adjacent cells. This feature, already present in other modern office suites, facilitates working with dynamic ranges and advanced analysis without resorting to traditional array formulas.
The function library is expanded with new operations based on regular expressions, such as REGEXTEST, REGEXREPLACE and REGEXEXTRACTThese features are geared towards more sophisticated text processing within spreadsheets. Additionally, a new "Format" button has been introduced on the Home tab, grouping options for working with sheets, rows, and columns. Furthermore, the handling of multiple separators when dividing text into columns has been improved, simplifying the cleaning of data imported from other sources.
Presentations: Native GIF support for more dynamic slides
The presentation editor is not left out of the update. ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.3 incorporates the support for GIF animations during slideshow playbackThis allows you to integrate moving elements without relying on external video players or embedded links. This feature adds a dynamic element to presentations, whether for training materials, management reports, or marketing materials.
In addition, the suite maintains compatibility with the most common formats and focuses on ensuring that the slideshow is smooth both in local environments and in shared online sessions, a relevant point for hybrid meetings and distance learning in European companies and educational centers.
Desktop Editors and Enterprise Environment: Self-hosted, Cloud, and Infrastructure Control
What's new in ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.3 They don't stop at the online version. The Desktop Editors suite, available for free on Windows, Linux, and macOS, inherits most of the improvements introduced in the document, spreadsheet, presentation, and PDF editors. The idea is to provide a consistent experience whether working in a browser or locally.
The desktop edition also adds its own features, such as a multi-window mode on macOS which facilitates working with multiple documents at once, and the ability to connect directly to cloud services such as Box and Dropbox, so that files hosted on these platforms are accessible from the desktop interface without intermediate steps.
In the corporate sphere, the Enterprise version offers a Updated control panel for configuring servers and certificatesThis includes HTTPS management and the uploading of digital signature certificates. This aligns with European organizations that opt ​​for an on-premises deployment to ensure regulatory compliance and keep data within their own infrastructure or with providers that comply with EU legislation.
The company maintains a dual distribution channel: on the one hand, Self-hosted versions that can now be downloaded from the official website, designed for companies, administrations and advanced users who want to have total control over the environment; on the other hand, cloud editions managed by the provider itself, which will receive the update to 9.3 progressively and reduce the burden of technical maintenance.
Artificial intelligence under control: personalized assistants and privacy
Artificial intelligence continues to gain ground in the suite. ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.3AI features remain optional but more flexible, with the possibility of create custom assistants in the document editor. These wizards allow you to save specific instructions for frequent operations, such as rewriting text, summarizing content, or applying certain styles, and add them to the toolbar to execute them with a single click.
The suite's design involves maintaining the AI disabled by defaultThis leaves the choice of provider, or even the option of working with locally hosted models, in the hands of each organization. This is particularly relevant in Europe, where data protection obligations and digital sovereignty policies carry significant weight. In this way, task automation is combined with greater control over which services are involved and where content is processed.
Within the ONLYOFFICE ecosystem, there is also talk of AI agents capable of interacting in natural language with documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs, performing analysis or content generation operations, and automating workflows without requiring users to be programming experts. The open architecture and the nature of open source project with over 15 million users worldwide They point out that these capabilities will continue to evolve, also under the scrutiny of technical communities and companies that prioritize auditing and transparency.
With all these changes, ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.3 establishes itself as a comprehensive update that strengthens the PDF editor, refines the experience in documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, gives more scope to personalized AI, and enhances options both on desktop and in enterprise and self-hosted environments, offering users in Spain and the rest of Europe a mature, flexible office alternative with a clear focus on security and data control.
