Will the ODT samples open in Microsoft Word?

Yes. Word has opened OpenDocument text files since Word 2007 Service Pack 2. The samples use only headings, paragraphs, a list, a table and one image.

What gives each ODT sample its exact size?

One embedded PNG image that is stored in the package without compression. Its pixel dimensions are chosen so that the whole document comes to the stated byte count.

What is the MIME type of an ODT file?

The MIME type is application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text. The file extension is .odt.

Is a sample ODT file the same as a dummy or example ODT file?

Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example ODT files are different names for the same thing: an ODT file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy ODT file.

Free ODT sample files

The word-processor format of LibreOffice and the OpenDocument standard: a ZIP package of XML parts. Download valid ODT test files in 3 exact sizes, from 10 KB to 1 MB, each with a checksum.

Extension: .odt
MIME type: application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
Kind: Binary
Category: Documents

ODT files by size

Every file below is a valid OpenDocument Text file of exactly the stated size. Open a file's page for its checksum and contents. ODT files cannot be displayed by a browser, so their pages show the file's details instead of a preview.

ODT sample files by size
File	Size	Contents	Download
10 KB ODT samplesample-odt-10kb.odt	10 KB10,240 bytes	Headings, paragraphs, a bulleted list, a table and one image	Download ODT
100 KB ODT samplesample-odt-100kb.odt	100 KB102,400 bytes	Headings, paragraphs, a bulleted list, a table and one image	Download ODT
1 MB ODT samplesample-odt-1mb.odt	1 MB1,048,576 bytes	Headings, paragraphs, a bulleted list, a table and one image	Download ODT

What is an ODT file?

ODT is the text-document member of the OpenDocument family, an open standard maintained by OASIS and published as ISO/IEC 26300. It is the native format of LibreOffice Writer, and Microsoft Word and Google Docs both open and save it.

Like DOCX, an ODT file is a ZIP archive of XML. The text is in content.xml, styles in styles.xml and document properties in meta.xml, and a manifest lists every part. Unlike DOCX, the package announces its own type: the first entry is an uncompressed file called mimetype.

How to recognise an ODT file

Software recognises an ODT file by its file signature: fixed bytes at the start of the file, also called magic bytes or a magic number.

50P4BK03.04.

The first bytes of every file. An ODT file is a ZIP package. Its first entry is named "mimetype" and is stored uncompressed, so the media type can be read as plain text from byte 38 onwards.

Extension	.odt
MIME type	application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
Standard	OASIS OpenDocument 1.3; ISO/IEC 26300
Container	ZIP, with an uncompressed "mimetype" entry first
Main part	content.xml
Related types	.ods spreadsheets, .odp presentations, .ott templates

What to test for

These are the behaviours that most often go wrong when software handles ODT files.

Reading the type from the mimetype entry only works if that entry comes first and is not compressed. Tools that re-zip a document tend to break both rules, and strict readers then reject the file.
A sniffer that reads only the first four bytes reports a ZIP archive. Telling ODT from DOCX, EPUB or a plain ZIP means looking at the first entry.
Layout rarely survives a round trip through Word unchanged: fonts, numbering and tables are the usual casualties.

Strengths of ODT

An open standard that no single vendor controls, required by many governments.
The package names its own type in its first entry, which makes detection more dependable than for DOCX.

Limitations of ODT

Round trips through Microsoft Word can shift layout, numbering and fonts.
Fewer libraries and online services handle it than handle DOCX.

Typical uses of ODT test files

Testing document uploads in public-sector and education software, where ODT is often mandatory
Checking conversion between ODT, DOCX and PDF
Verifying MIME detection of ZIP-based formats
Testing text extraction and indexing

Software that opens ODT

LibreOffice Writer and Apache OpenOffice
Microsoft Word
Google Docs
Collabora Online and ONLYOFFICE
odfpy and the ODF Toolkit libraries

Specifications

OASIS OpenDocument 1.3 specification

ODT sample files: questions

Will the ODT samples open in Microsoft Word?: Yes. Word has opened OpenDocument text files since Word 2007 Service Pack 2. The samples use only headings, paragraphs, a list, a table and one image.
What gives each ODT sample its exact size?: One embedded PNG image that is stored in the package without compression. Its pixel dimensions are chosen so that the whole document comes to the stated byte count.
What is the MIME type of an ODT file?: The MIME type is application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text. The file extension is .odt.
Is a sample ODT file the same as a dummy or example ODT file?: Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example ODT files are different names for the same thing: an ODT file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy ODT file.