\documentclass{desktop-app}

Overleaf's editing experience, running entirely on your own machine.

A live LaTeX editor, a real compiler, and a real terminal — one window, no cloud, no account, no multi-gigabyte TeX Live install.

Download Install instructions

LocalTeX window showing the file tree, LaTeX source with syntax highlighting, document outline, and a live PDF preview side by side

Why LocalTeX

Overleaf is great until you need it offline, want your files to actually live on your computer, or just don't want to pay for faster compiling on your own laptop. LocalTeX gives you that same writing-and-preview experience, with nothing running outside your machine and no account required.

Every project lives on your computer as plain files — .tex, .bib, images, whatever your document needs — so you can back them up, move them, or open them in any other program you like. Nothing is silently uploaded anywhere.

Features

Ten things it actually does, no marketing filler.

Multi-project dashboard

An Overleaf-style home screen listing every project under ~/LocalTeX-Projects, with search, new/delete, and .zip export/import.

Live editor

LaTeX syntax highlighting, autosave, undo/redo, find/replace, a symbol toolbar, and a document outline that jumps you straight to any section.

Real compiler

Compiles your document with a self-contained LaTeX engine, so there's no multi-gigabyte TeX Live install to set up first. Errors show up right where they happened.

SyncTeX

Click "Sync" to jump the PDF to your cursor's position; double-click the PDF to jump the editor back — both directions, pixel-accurate.

Real terminal

A genuine terminal built in, not a fake console. Dock it to the bottom or side, and resize it however you like.

PDF preview

A crisp, high-resolution preview that updates as you compile. Foldable, resizable split view, plus zoom with Ctrl+scroll or a touchpad pinch.

Project-wide search

A VS Code-style search panel — find text across every file in a project, not just the open one.

File tree

Overleaf-style sidebar — create, rename, drag-and-drop move, and delete via right-click or empty-space click.

Themes

VS Code Dark, Dracula, GNOME, and Light — covers the editor, terminal, and app chrome.

Multilingual documents

A bundled Bengali font plus a XeLaTeX + polyglossia starter template for mixing non-Latin scripts with Latin text.

Install

Debian/Ubuntu-based Linux (apt-based), Windows 10/11, and macOS are supported.

Download and install the package

bash

curl -fSLO https://github.com/sayedshaun/localtex/releases/latest/download/localtex.deb
sudo apt install ./localtex.deb

Install Tectonic
Needed on PATH to actually compile documents:
bash
```
curl -fsSL https://drop-sh.fullyjustified.net | sh
```

Launch LocalTeX from your application menu, or run localtex from a terminal.

Download and run the installer
Grab localtex-setup.exe from Releases and run it.
Install Tectonic
Needed on PATH to actually compile documents — grab the Windows build from the Tectonic install page.

Download and install the app
Grab localtex.dmg from Releases, open it, and drag LocalTeX into your Applications folder.
Bypass Gatekeeper (first launch only)
The app isn't notarized with an Apple Developer certificate, so right-click it in Applications and choose Open instead of double-clicking — or clear the quarantine flag yourself:
bash
```
xattr -cr /Applications/LocalTeX.app
```
Install Tectonic
Needed on PATH to actually compile documents:
bash
```
brew install tectonic
```

Note — every download comes straight from the official Releases page, built automatically from the published source code.

Uninstall

Linux

bash

sudo apt remove localtex

This only removes the localtex package. It won't touch your ~/LocalTeX-Projects files or the standalone tectonic binary — remove those yourself if you no longer need them:

bash

rm -rf ~/LocalTeX-Projects
rm -f ~/.local/bin/tectonic

Windows

Uninstall LocalTeX from Windows Settings → Apps, same as any other app. It won't touch your LocalTeX-Projects folder or your Tectonic install.

macOS

Drag LocalTeX from Applications to the Trash. It won't touch your ~/LocalTeX-Projects files or your Tectonic install — remove those yourself if you no longer need them:

bash

rm -rf ~/LocalTeX-Projects
brew uninstall tectonic