By George Curta · Last updated 2026-04-07
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Fix common issues with the anonym.legal LibreOffice Extension and find answers to frequently asked questions.
Extension Not Loading
The extension does not appear in LibreOffice after installation.
Why does this happen?
The .oxt package may not have been installed correctly, or LibreOffice needs to be restarted after installation.
How to fix
- 1.Close all LibreOffice windows completely.
- 2.Open Tools → Extension Manager and verify the extension is listed.
- 3.If not listed, click Add and select the .oxt file manually.
- 4.Restart LibreOffice after installation.
- 5.On Linux, ensure Python 3 is available in PATH (python3 --version).
Sidebar Not Visible
The anonym.legal panel does not appear in the sidebar.
Why does this happen?
The sidebar may be hidden, or the anonym.legal deck may not be selected.
How to fix
- 1.Go to View → Sidebar to ensure the sidebar is visible.
- 2.Look for the anonym.legal icon in the sidebar deck tabs on the right edge.
- 3.Click the anonym.legal deck icon to activate the panel.
- 4.If the icon is not visible, try closing and reopening the sidebar.
Connection Errors
The extension cannot connect to the anonym.legal API.
Why does this happen?
The extension requires an internet connection to communicate with the anonym.legal API at https://anonym.legal. Firewalls, proxies, or network issues may block the connection.
How to fix
- 1.Check your internet connection by visiting https://anonym.legal in a browser.
- 2.Verify that your firewall or corporate proxy allows HTTPS connections to anonym.legal.
- 3.Check if the API is accessible: https://anonym.legal/mcp/health
- 4.Sign out and sign back in to refresh your authentication token.
Formatting Issues After Anonymization
Text formatting is lost or changed after anonymization.
Why does this happen?
Format preservation is only supported in Writer. Calc and Impress process plain text without formatting. Complex formatting (tables, nested styles, track changes) may not be fully preserved.
How to fix
- Ensure you are using Writer for format-sensitive documents.
- For complex layouts, consider processing sections individually using selection mode.
- Use Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on macOS) immediately after applying to undo and try a different approach.
Encryption Key Not Appearing
Saved encryption keys do not appear in the key selector dropdown.
Why does this happen?
Keys require Zero-Knowledge authentication to be enabled. Without ZK auth, the key encryption key (KEK) cannot be derived, so saved keys cannot be decrypted.
How to fix
- 1.Enable Zero-Knowledge authentication in the sign-in form.
- 2.Sign out and sign back in with ZK auth enabled.
- 3.Check the key management panel — keys should appear after ZK authentication.
Session Expired
You are signed out unexpectedly or see an authentication error.
Why does this happen?
Authentication credits expire after 60 minutes. The extension caches your credentials for 7 days for quick re-authentication, but the active session has a shorter lifetime.
How to fix
- 1.Click the Sign In button again. If credentials are cached, you will be signed in automatically.
- 2.If prompted for credentials, enter your email and password again.
- 3.Enable ZK auth to use the cached credential re-authentication feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which LibreOffice applications are supported?
The extension supports LibreOffice Writer (full text with format preservation), Calc (cell-based processing), and Impress (slide text objects). Writer has the most complete feature set including format preservation.
Does the extension work offline?
No. The extension requires an internet connection to communicate with the anonym.legal API for PII detection and anonymization. For offline processing, consider the anonym.legal Desktop App.
How many entity types can it detect?
The extension detects 285+ entity types including names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, SSNs, credit cards, IBANs, medical records, and country-specific identifiers across 48 languages.
What is Zero-Knowledge authentication?
ZK auth means your password never leaves your device. Instead, a cryptographic proof is derived using Argon2id (64 MB memory, 3 iterations, parallelism=1) and sent to the server. This enables secure key management where the server never sees your raw encryption keys.
How does the token system work?
Each anonymization operation consumes credits based on the text length processed. Free accounts get 200 units. Paid plans offer 1,000 to 10,000 credits. Credit balance is displayed in the sidebar.
Does Calc preserve cell formatting?
No. Format preservation is only available in Writer. Calc processes cell contents as plain text. The cell structure (rows and columns) is maintained, but text formatting within cells is not preserved.
How do I update the extension?
Run python3 build.py --install again to rebuild and reinstall the latest version. Alternatively, remove the old version from Tools → Extension Manager, then add the new .oxt file.
How do I uninstall the extension?
Open Tools → Extension Manager in LibreOffice, select the anonym.legal extension, and click Remove. Restart LibreOffice to complete the uninstallation.
Still Need Help?
If you cannot resolve your issue with the troubleshooting steps above, contact our support team.
About this page
We update this page when our platform or the law changes.
Read our founder note for how we work.
Each change shows up in the timestamp at the top.
Related reading
- Common questions
- Glossary
- How tokens work
- Security posture
- Where we comply
- What we detect
- Case studies
- Release notes
We follow these rules
- GDPR (EU 2016/679).
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
- NIS2 (EU 2022/2555).
- HIPAA safe harbor under 45 CFR § 164.514(b)(2).
Our promise
We do not sell your data.
We do not train models on your text.
We store your files in Germany.
You can delete your account at any time.
You own your work.
Where we run
Our servers live in Falkenstein, Germany.
We use Hetzner. They hold ISO 27001 certification.
All data stays in the EU.
Backups run every day.
Need help?
Email support@anonym.legal.
We reply within one business day.
How we test
We run a full check suite on every release.
Each surface gets its own sweep script and report.
Human reviewers spot-check the output each week.
We track recall and precision on a labelled set.
Bad runs block the deploy.
What we never do
- We never sell your information to third parties.
- We never train models on what you upload.
- We never keep your work after you delete it.
- We never share keys with any outside firm.
- We never run ads inside the product.
Plans in plain words
We sell credits, not seats.
One credit covers one short job.
Long jobs use a few credits each.
You can top up at any time.
Unused credits roll over each month.
Read the plans page for current rates.
Who built this
A small team of engineers and lawyers built this.
We ship from Europe and work in the open.
Our founder note spells out why we started.
Where to start
- Open the web app and try a sample file.
- Learn how credits get counted.
- See current plans and limits.
- Meet the team behind the product.
How the parts fit
A browser add-on cleans text inside Chrome.
A Word plug-in handles drafts in Office.
A small desktop tool works on whole folders.
An agent protocol link feeds large models safely.
All four share one core engine and one rule set.
Words from our team
We started this work after a lunch about cookies.
One friend kept getting odd ads on her phone.
We asked why a court file leaked through a draft.
We sketched the first build on a napkin that week.
By month three we had a tiny demo for a friend.
She used it on her first case the next day.
Common questions we hear
Can the tool read scanned PDFs? Yes, with OCR.
Does it work on long files? Yes, in small chunks.
Can I roll my own rule set? Yes, save it as a preset.
Does it run offline? The desktop build runs offline.
Do you keep my files? No, the cloud build wipes after each run.
Will it learn from my work? No, we never train on inputs.
A short tour of the workflow
Upload a file or paste a snippet of prose.
Pick the entities you want gone from the draft.
Choose a method: replace, mask, hash, encrypt, or redact.
Press run and watch the side panel show each hit.
Skim the result and tweak any rule that misfired.
Save the cleaned file or send it to a teammate.