Free online SXI to PDF converter

Legacy StarOffice and OpenOffice.org presentations may need PDF output when recipients, printers, or document repositories cannot open .sxi files. A PDF preserves the visible slide layout for viewing, printing, and archiving without requiring presentation software.

What the SXI format is

SXI is the legacy presentation format used by StarOffice and OpenOffice.org Impress before OpenDocument Presentation (.odp) became the standard format in OpenOffice.org 2.0. It is an XML-based compressed package that can contain slides, text, images, drawing objects, styles, layouts, and presentation settings.

SXI files are most common in older office archives and systems that retained OpenOffice.org 1.x-era documents. Current LibreOffice Impress can usually open them, although unsupported legacy objects or extensions may not display correctly.

What the PDF format is

PDF is a fixed-layout document format intended to render pages consistently across operating systems, browsers, and printers. A standard presentation PDF exports one slide per page and retains the static visual content, including text, images, and vector drawings where supported.

PDF is not an editable presentation format. It does not reproduce slide transitions, animations, timed effects, macros, or normal embedded-media playback. Web links may remain clickable, but links to local files can be blocked by the recipient's PDF viewer or security settings.

Convert an SXI file to PDF

Upload the SXI file to the free converter on 101convert.com, select PDF as the output format, start the conversion, and download the converted file. This method does not require software installation.

For local conversion, use LibreOffice Impress:

1. Open the presentation with File → Open.
2. Check slide text, fonts, images, and object placement before exporting.
3. Select File → Export As → Export as PDF.
4. Choose the required PDF options, select Export, and save the result, for example as presentation.pdf.

For scripted or batch conversion, LibreOffice can run without its interface:

libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf:impress_pdf_Export --outdir /output/folder /input/folder/presentation.sxi

The output file normally keeps the source name, producing presentation.pdf. Use absolute paths in scheduled tasks and verify that the account running the command can read the source folder and write to the output folder.

Quality and compatibility checks

Inspect the PDF before distribution. Missing fonts can alter line breaks, text size, and object positions; install the original fonts or replace them in Impress before export. Font embedding also depends on font licensing and the selected PDF export options.

Use the PDF export image settings carefully. Downsampling or JPEG compression can reduce image quality, especially for print output; retain higher resolution when slides contain screenshots, scans, or detailed diagrams.

Older SXI presentations may include OLE objects, discontinued extensions, linked files, or media that LibreOffice cannot reproduce. Such content can appear as a placeholder, be flattened to a static image, or be omitted. Password-protected files must be opened with the correct password before they can be exported.