How to Install LaTeX: Setup Guide for Windows, macOS, and Linux

To write LaTeX documents locally, you need a TeX distribution (the compiler and packages) and an editor. This guide covers installation on Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus the online alternative if you want to skip installation entirely.

Option 1: Skip Installation — Use an Online Editor

If you don't want to install anything, use an online LaTeX editor. These run entirely in your browser. No installation, no configuration, no package management — just sign up and start writing.

Online editors are a popular choice for students and researchers because they handle compilation, package installation, and collaboration automatically. Free tiers are usually sufficient for most individual projects.

Option 2: Local Installation

A local installation gives you offline access, faster compilation for large projects, and full control over packages and configuration. You need two things:

• A TeX distribution — The LaTeX compiler, packages, and fonts
• An editor — Where you write your .tex files

Windows

TeX Live (Recommended)

TeX Live is the standard, comprehensive TeX distribution. It includes everything you need:

• Download the installer from tug.org/texlive
• Run install-tl-windows.exe
• Choose "full installation" (about 7 GB) or a custom scheme if disk space is limited
• Installation takes 30-60 minutes depending on your connection

MiKTeX (Alternative)

MiKTeX is a Windows-focused distribution that installs packages on demand — it starts smaller and downloads packages as you need them:

• Download from miktex.org/download
• Run the installer and follow the prompts
• On first compile, MiKTeX will prompt you to install any missing packages automatically

macOS

MacTeX is the standard distribution for macOS. It's a pre-packaged version of TeX Live with Mac-specific extras:

• Download from tug.org/mactex
• The full download is about 5 GB. A smaller "BasicTeX" option (about 100 MB) is available but requires manual package installation
• Open the .pkg file and follow the installer

Alternatively, install via Homebrew: brew install --cask mactex

Linux

TeX Live is available through your distribution's package manager:

The texlive-full package installs everything (about 5 GB). For a smaller installation, use texlive-base and install additional packages as needed with tlmgr install.

Choosing an Editor

Any text editor works for LaTeX, but editors with LaTeX support offer syntax highlighting, one-click compilation, and PDF preview:

Verifying Your Installation

After installing, verify everything works by creating a test file:

Compile it from the command line:

If you get a test.pdf with formatted text and a rendered equation, your installation is working correctly.

Managing Packages

LaTeX packages add functionality beyond the base distribution. If you get a "File not found" error for a package:

• TeX Live: Run tlmgr install package-name in your terminal
• MiKTeX: It will prompt you to install missing packages automatically, or use the MiKTeX Console
• Online editors: All packages are pre-installed. No action needed.