Windows Local LaTeX Setup
Use this guide for Week 12+ to write reports/papers in Overleaf and
compile locally with VS Code + LaTeX Workshop.
1) Install Required Tools
VS Code Extension: Install LaTeX
Workshop by James Yu.
Strawberry Perl (Windows only): strawberryperl.com (add Perl to PATH).
On macOS, Perl is already included by default.
Homebrew (macOS if needed): Install
Homebrew first if your Mac does not have it:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
After Homebrew was installed. Paste and run this command in terminal:
brew install --cask basictex
2) Verify Installation
In PowerShell, run:
pdflatex --version
perl --version
If both commands return version info, your local LaTeX
environment is ready.
3) Configure LaTeX Workshop (Workspace)
Open your LaTeX project folder in VS Code, then open Workspace
Settings (JSON) and paste:
{
"latex-workshop.latex.tools": [
{ "name": "pdflatex", "command": "pdflatex", "args":
["-interaction=nonstopmode", "-synctex=1", "%DOC%"] },
{ "name": "latexmk", "command": "latexmk", "args": ["-synctex=1",
"-interaction=nonstopmode", "-file-line-error", "-pdf", "%DOC%"] }
],
"latex-workshop.latex.recipes": [
{ "name": "pdflatex", "tools": ["pdflatex"] },
{ "name": "latexmk", "tools": ["latexmk"] }
]
}
4) Compile
Open your main .tex file, run LaTeX Workshop:
Build with recipe, then choose:
- latexmk (recommended for full paper projects)
- pdflatex (simple fallback, useful for poster
templates)
5) Overleaf + Local Workflow
- Draft collaboratively on Overleaf.
- Sync/export source and compile locally in VS Code.
- Fix references, citations, and package issues locally before
submission.
Troubleshooting
- spawn pdflatex ENOENT: restart VS Code and verify
MiKTeX installation.
- Perl not found: verify Strawberry Perl and PATH.
- Missing package: install via MiKTeX Console.