Minimalist LaTeX + VSCode Setup (macOS)

LaTeX is a document preparation system for high-quality typesetting, perfect for academic papers and technical docs. Many people turn to Overleaf as their go-to online editor for LaTeX, but it comes with its own frustrations. If you are tired of .

1. Install LaTeX

BasicTeX is the "lean" version of MacTeX. It's only ~140MB initially.

brew install --cask basictex

2. Refresh your path and verify

Make the TeX binaries available in your current terminal session:

eval "$(/usr/libexec/path_helper)"

The default LaTeX compiler pdflatex should be available now. Verify it's working:

which pdflatex

pdflatex --version

3. Update tlmgr and packages

tlmgr is the TeX Live Manager. To update tlmgr and all packages, run the following commands:

sudo tlmgr update --self

sudo tlmgr update --all

4. Install latexmk (build manager)

latexmk is the "build manager" that handles multiple runs of the compiler (necessary for bibliographies and tables of contents).

sudo tlmgr install latexmk

Verify latexmk version:

which latexmk

latexmk --version

5. Install essential package collections

BasicTeX is too bare-bones for real projects. Since we went minimalist, we need to grab only the packages we actually use. These three collections will cover 90% of your needs while keeping storage down.

sudo tlmgr install collection-latexrecommended

sudo tlmgr install collection-fontsrecommended

sudo tlmgr install collection-latexextra

Note: If a build fails due to a missing .sty file, just run sudo tlmgr install <pkgname>.

This setup keeps the total size around ~770MB, allowing you to stay lean and only add specific packages as you go.

Set Up VSCode

1. Install LaTeX Workshop extension

Search and install the LaTeX Workshop extension from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.

2. Create main.tex

To start and test your setup, create a new main.tex file.

\documentclass{article}



\begin{document}

Hello, LaTeX world!



This is a simple test document.

\end{document}

To compile, use the Build LaTeX project button or run pdflatex main.tex from the terminal.

3. Change LaTeX compiler (Optional)

To use a different engine like XeLaTeX, create a file named latexmkrc in the same folder as your project.

# latexmkrc - Custom LaTeX Build Settings

# Put this file in the same folder as your main.tex



# Override default PDF engine (e.g., xelatex)

$pdflatex = 'xelatex -synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode -file-line-error %O %S';



# Force PDF output mode (not DVI/PostScript)

$pdf_mode = 1;

Note: Make sure to install the specific engine beforehand (e.g., run sudo tlmgr install xetex).

LaTeX compilers

Here are some of the most popular LaTeX compilers. You can choose the one that best fits your needs:

References

[1] TeX Users Group, "TeX Live," [Online]. Available: .

[3] J. Yu, "LaTeX-Workshop," GitHub, [Online]. Available: .