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Setting up LaTeX

This page was translated from German with AI. It has not been checked by a native speaker. Original page in German

For LaTeX you need two building blocks: a distribution (compiler and packages) and an editor. Here you see what to install on Linux, Windows, macOS and the iPad, which editors there are – and you create your first PDF.
📄 Open worksheet (PDF, German)

The video

The first part of the video is about installation, then you see TeXstudio under Linux. The orange frame always shows the spot in question.

Subtitles are available in ten languages. Choose them at the bottom right of the video.

Contents of the video

  1. 0:00 What it is about
  2. 0:12 Two building blocks
  3. 0:36 Linux
  4. 0:57 Windows
  5. 1:21 macOS
  6. 1:37 iPad
  7. 2:10 Online editors
  8. 2:33 Editors
  9. 3:05 We use TeXstudio
  10. 3:18 The first document
  11. 4:19 Finding errors
  12. 4:53 Summary

The most important points

Distribution + editor

Linux: TeX Live from the package manager, e.g. sudo apt install texlive-latex-extra texlive-lang-german texlive-luatex texlive-pictures texlive-science biber texstudio (everything at once: texlive-full). Windows: MiKTeX (downloads missing packages itself) or TeX Live. macOS: MacTeX. iPad: the app iSH with apk add texlive (a good 640 MB; keep iSH open, otherwise the installation breaks off) – for everyday use an online editor like Overleaf is more convenient (account needed, files are on other people's servers).

Editors at a glance: TeXstudio, TeXmaker, TeXnicCenter, Notepad++, VS Code.
Editors at a glance: TeXstudio, TeXmaker, TeXnicCenter, Notepad++, VS Code.

In this series we work with TeXstudio: the same on all systems, with buttons for almost every command and the PDF right next to the text. A first document needs only five lines: \documentclass{scrartcl}, \usepackage[ngerman]{babel}, \begin{document}, the text and \end{document}. The green double arrow (or F5) saves, compiles and shows the PDF.

The first document: source text on the left, PDF on the right.
The first document: source text on the left, PDF on the right.
A typo (sectoin instead of section): the message names the error and the line.
A typo (sectoin instead of section): the message names the error and the line.

The worksheet

Here you can see the worksheet for the video (in German). You download the practice files above and work in your own editor. The hints are printed upside down – turn the sheet only when you cannot get on by yourself. You can also open it as a PDF.

📄 Open worksheet (PDF, German)

The worksheet – Page 1
Page 1/4
The worksheet – Page 2
Page 2/4
The worksheet – Page 3
Page 3/4
Show the worksheet solutions
The worksheet – Page 4
Page 4/4

Try it yourself

Task

You compile and get “Undefined control sequence” with line 4. What probably happened, and where do you look?

Show solution

Line 4 contains a command that LaTeX does not know – usually a typo (e.g. \sectoin) or a missing package. Look at exactly that line and compare the command with the correct spelling.

Keep learning with a language model

When I compile my LaTeX file I get this error message: [insert message]. The line reads: [insert line]. Explain to me what the message means and how I can find the error myself – do not give away the solution until I ask you to.

How this was made: The idea and the choice of topics are mine. A language model (LLM) drafted the script, the sample paper, the tasks and this page following my instructions. The screen recordings were made automatically by a script in TeXstudio under Linux, which checked the finished PDF after every step: are margins, font, numbers and references right, are there warnings? The voice was generated with Qwen3-TTS, modelled on my own voice.

The sample paper about the thread pendulum is invented, and so are the person “Alex Beispiel” and the two sources in the bibliography.

The videos, worksheets, practice files, texts and prompts in this series are licensed under CC BY 4.0: you may use, change and share them if you name the source.