LaTeX Install

Installation for Windows

There are three easy steps for installing LaTeX on Windows:

• Install GhostView - for creating and viewing postscript (.ps) files
• Install MikTex - this is the standard LaTeX package for Windows
• Install a Text Editor - to type up your own LaTeX files or edit other people's files

All these components will take up approximately 400 MB on your computer, but have at least 600 MB free before installation to keep your computer running smoothly.

Installing MikTeX

This is the crucial component of the installation and also the biggest on disk, more than 300 MB.

Installing a Text Editor

Any text editor is sufficient to type up LaTeX documents, however some are specially designed with LaTeX in mind. These usually have buttons for common tasks and text highlighting/coloration for LaTeX environments like Math Mode.

Warning: do not type up LaTeX documents in word processing programs, such as MS Word. These programs "mark up" the text, meaning they have program-specific coding hidden in the file. The text you see on screen is much less than the actual text inside the file. The LaTeX compiler will encounter this extra coding and produce strange results.

It's recommended to use a text editor with LaTeX-specific features. Such a list can be found here.

For text editors without LaTeX in mind, you will have to create your LaTeX files in them (making sure to give them a .tex filename extension). Then, bring the file to the same folder that latex.exe is in (usually C:\texmf\miktex\bin ). Open the command prompt, navigate to the folder latex.exe is in and type latex <filename> to compile the file. This produces several files, including a .dvi file. The DVI file can easily be converted to PS or PDF formats.

Installation for Mac

Installing a Text Editor

A list of text editors can be found here.