From redaction to faster spreadsheets: ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.1 brings smarter tools for every editor

ONLYOFFICE Docs has rolled out its latest update, version 9.1, with a stronger focus on everyday productivity and document security. The release refines how users work with PDFs, improves spreadsheet performance, and adds quality-of-life updates across the whole suite. These changes aim to make editing, reviewing, and managing files more efficient for professionals, teams, and individuals who depend on a reliable online office platform.

A more advanced PDF editor

One of the most noticeable changes in version 9.1 is the revamped PDF Editor. It now includes a new Redaction feature designed to help users protect confidential information. Text or entire sections of a PDF can be permanently removed, making it easier to share documents without exposing private details. The Redact tab adds quick tools to mark sections for removal and apply redaction once everything has been reviewed.

Alongside redaction, the PDF Editor now offers more ways to visually interact with content. Annotations have been expanded, allowing users to draw shapes, such as rectangles, circles, arrows, or connected lines, directly on a document. Each element can be customized in color and size, so it fits the purpose of highlighting, marking, or adding context to specific areas. These enhancements make collaboration smoother, especially when several people are reviewing the same file.

Version 9.1 also brings chart and SmartArt support to PDFs. Charts can be inserted and edited directly, providing a practical way to display data or performance figures without leaving the editor. SmartArt graphics now appear correctly inside PDF documents, giving teams better control when working with visually rich files.

Smarter, faster spreadsheets

ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.1 introduces significant improvements to its Spreadsheet Editor, making large or complex data sets easier to handle. Optimized LOOKUP functions are a major performance gain. VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, and the classic LOOKUP are now faster, delivering results in a fraction of the previous time. The update refines the logic for mixed data types, improves memory efficiency, and accelerates exact and linear searches by up to four times, which can have a noticeable impact on larger files.

The editor now supports text direction control within cells. Users can switch between Left-to-Right and Right-to-Left layouts depending on their data structure or regional preference. It is a small addition that broadens accessibility for users working with multiple languages or cultural formats.

Several interface and usability updates make working with tables more straightforward. A new “Table Design” tab appears when editing a formatted table, collecting relevant options in one place. And Pivot Tables now support date filters, making time-based data analysis much easier to manage. For quick adjustments, sheet names can be changed with a double click, removing unnecessary steps and maintaining the workflow.

Interactivity within spreadsheets also improves through Content Controls. Elements such as combo boxes, scroll bars, check boxes, and list boxes are supported, helping users build sheets that act more like lightweight dashboards or input forms. Formula editing is clearer, too, as active arguments are now highlighted during entry, reducing the risk of mistakes in complex calculations.

Enhancements across the suite

Beyond PDFs and spreadsheets, ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.1 introduces helpful refinements throughout its suite of editors. Collaboration benefits from better comment management. The comment panel now distinguishes between resolved and open comments, keeping discussions organized when multiple contributors are editing the same document. Charts also receive more flexibility, with new options for 2D pie and ring charts, external data linking, and the ability to toggle visual elements, such as axis titles or error bars. These small but cumulative improvements enhance clarity when presenting data.

Presentation creation becomes simpler thanks to the relocation of Slide Master settings. They now sit in their own toolbar tab, improving visibility and reducing the number of clicks needed to make global layout or design changes. This change is part of a broader effort to make navigation consistent across editors.

File compatibility expands once again in version 9.1. The suite now supports HEIF images, HWPML documents, and several new conversion paths, including PDF to TXT and PPTX to TXT. MathML formula insertion is also supported, improving accessibility for academic and technical users. In the Document Editor, section breaks work within block Content Controls at any level, enabling better document structure management.

Charts embedded in documents or slides benefit from a full-featured chart editor. Users can now open XLSX files associated with a chart directly, rather than relying on cached data. This ensures that visual data is accurate and synchronized across files.

Administrative and localization updates

The new Admin Panel in the server version of ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.1 (available for ONLYOFFICE Docs Enterprise users) provides system administrators with a clearer overview of their deployment. The dashboard presents key server information and configuration settings in one place, simplifying maintenance tasks and monitoring performance. This addition should make ONLYOFFICE Docs easier to manage in business or educational environments where multiple users share access.

Localization improvements also continue. Formulas are now translated into Serbian Latin and Serbian Cyrillic, and Traditional Chinese joins the list of supported languages. These updates reflect ONLYOFFICE’s growing international user base and its focus on making collaboration accessible to more regions and organizations.

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Why ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.1 matters

Version 9.1 represents a steady evolution rather than a dramatic overhaul, yet the individual upgrades combine to create a smoother experience across the platform. The enhanced PDF Editor brings ONLYOFFICE Docs closer to being a complete solution for handling secure documents without third-party software. The faster formulas and clearer interface in the Spreadsheet Editor streamline repetitive data tasks, while the suite-wide refinements help reduce friction in daily workflows.

ONLYOFFICE’s ongoing development emphasizes open standards and cross-platform flexibility, which appeals to organizations that value control over their document infrastructure. The software is available in both cloud and self-hosted forms, allowing teams to integrate it in a way that best suits their security and collaboration needs.

For existing users, version 9.1 is a meaningful update that refines familiar tools while introducing fresh features for document protection, speed, and usability. For newcomers, it reinforces why ONLYOFFICE Docs continues to be viewed as a capable, cohesive alternative to proprietary office suites. The attention to detail in this release (whether through faster calculations, improved file compatibility, or more secure document handling) demonstrates a consistent focus on helping people work more efficiently with the files they use every day. New users can try out version 9.1 for themselves by creating a free online account.

This post is sponsored by ONLYOFFICE.