LaTeX Installation Guide – Easy as pie.

Get LaTeX running and install an editor with only a few mouseclicks. The full power of typesetting with LaTeX, right in front of you.

  1. Linux
  2. Windows
  3. Mac OS

There are many editors for LaTeX and I don’t think there is an editor that fits everyone. It’s a matter of personal taste. For this reason, I will show you how to get a basic LaTeX system running, so you can follow along with my tutorials. If you just want to follow along without having to decide for an editor yet, try the online editor from overleaf.com. I’ve chosen MiKTeX for Windows, because it contains everything you need to compile, but not more, so you will not be confused by an overwhelming user interface. There are also editors with more features, but for me MiKTeX always got the job done.

Linux

If you’re running Linux, you can find the texlive package in most repositories. Afterwards you can use any text editor to follow along and compile the .tex files with the command line tool pdflatex. I don’t use a graphical editor myself, but I heard Kile is a good one, but it requires the KDE libraries and Qt to be installed.

Windows

For Windows, a good point to start is definitely installing the MiKTeX bundle. It will manage all the packages for you and also comes with a lightweight and easy to use editor.

Step 1 – Go to miktex.org

Step 2 – Open download section

Step 3 – Download MiKTeX

Step 3 – Download MiKTeX

Step 4 – Run MiKTeX Installer

Step 4 – Run MiKTeX Installer

Step 5 – Choose to install missing packages automatically

Step 5 – Choose to install missing packages automatically

Step 6 – Open TeXworks

The Installation is complete at this point. TeXworks is the name of your new LaTeX editor for now.

Step 6 – Open TeXworks

Step 7 – Write code and hit compile

Step 7 – Write code and hit compile

Step 8 – Enjoy your very first document

Now you’re able to compile all the code shown on this website and on the blog. All packages will be downloaded automatically. Instructions for Linux and Mac will follow soon.

Mac OS

I personally don’t use a Mac, but I got some feedback that the MacTeX distribution is quite good. Simple browse to https://www.tug.org/mactex/ and follow the instructions. The installation should be pretty simple.

Now you’re ready to start with the first lesson: 01 First Document