LaTeX on Windows 11 & 10: Distributions, Comparisons, and Step-by-Step Installs

MiKTeX vs TeX Live vs TinyTeX

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If you write technical docs, papers, or books on Windows, you’ll almost certainly choose one of three LaTeX distributions for Windows 11:

  • MiKTeX (Windows-first, auto-installs missing packages)
  • TeX Live (the cross-platform “everything included” standard)
  • TinyTeX (a lightweight TeX Live subset you can grow on demand)

installing latex on windows - instructions

Some birds can fly just using the power of their minds. Joking. Only AI can do this.

Below is a practical comparison and copy-pasteable install walkthrough for each (MiKTeX, TeXLive and TinyTeX), plus verification and maintenance tips.

See also for Detailed MiKTex and TexLive install process, editors for LaTeX and common packages: LaTeX Overview, Install, Editors, and common packages

TL;DR - Quick comparison

Feature MiKTeX TeX Live TinyTeX
Primary audience Windows users who want a smooth, “install on first use” experience Cross-platform users who want the canonical, comprehensive setup Users who want a small base that they can extend
Package model Installs missing packages automatically at compile time Ships with (or installs) a very large collection; managed by tlmgr Minimal bundle(s) based on TeX Live; managed by tlmgr
Package manager UI MiKTeX Console (GUI) Command-line (tlmgr); GUI via third-party front-ends Command-line (tlmgr)
Disk footprint Medium, grows over time as you compile Large (many GB if you select full install) Small at first; grows only as needed
Best for Newcomers on Windows; laptops without all packages preinstalled Power users; reproducible builds; multi-OS workflows CI, containers, R Markdown, minimal VMs

What to install besides the distribution

  • A LaTeX-aware editor/IDE (examples: TeXworks ships with MiKTeX; TeXstudio/TeXmaker; or VS Code + LaTeX Workshop).
  • Optional fonts (if your template requires them).
  • Optional language engines: xelatex/lualatex for modern font handling.

Installation: MiKTeX (Windows 11 & 10)

Why MiKTeX? Seamless on-demand package installs and a friendly GUI MiKTeX Console make it a great starting point on Windows.

Step-by-step (GUI)

  1. Download the Basic MiKTeX Installer from the official site. ([miktex.org])
  2. Run the installer → choose Just for me (or All users if you have admin rights).
  3. Leave Install missing packages on-the-fly enabled.
  4. Finish, then open MiKTeX Console → Updates → Check for updates → Update now.

Step-by-step (silent / scripted)

If you prefer Windows Package Manager (winget), You can execute in PowerShell this script:

winget install --id MiKTeX.MiKTeX --silent

Installation: TeX Live (Windows 11 & 10)

Why TeX Live? It’s the cross-platform standard with consistent tooling (tlmgr) and excellent reproducibility across OSes. Windows 10+ is officially supported.

  1. Go to webpage Installing TeX Live over the Internet and download install-tl-windows.exe (~20 MB).
  2. Run the installer. Choose Default (balanced size) or Full scheme (largest, most complete).
  3. (Optional) Click Advanced to change location, paper size, and collections.
  4. After installation, update packages using TeX Live’s package manager tlmgr:
tlmgr update --self --all

Note: On Windows, first-time install can take a while because many thousands of packages are indexed and downloaded. That’s normal.

Alternative: Chocolatey

If your org standardizes on Chocolatey, there’s an actively updated community package:

choco install texlive

Installation: TinyTeX (Windows 11 & 10)

Why TinyTeX? A lean, fast TeX Live variant that grows only as you need packages—popular for CI and R Markdown workflows.

Option A — Download a prebuilt TinyTeX bundle (no R required)

  1. Visit the TinyTeX releases page.
  2. Download a Windows bundle (TinyTeX or the smaller TinyTeX-1).
  3. Unzip to a folder (e.g., C:\TinyTeX).
  4. Add C:\TinyTeX\bin\win32 to your PATH (System Properties → Environment Variables).
  5. Update packages when needed:
tlmgr update --self --all

Option B — Install via R (for R Markdown users)

From an R session:

install.packages("tinytex")
tinytex::install_tinytex()  # downloads and sets up TinyTeX on Windows

Verifying your install and updating distribution

Run these in Command Prompt or PowerShell:

pdflatex --version
xelatex --version
lualatex --version

Each should print version info (and the distribution name). Then compile a smoke test:

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Hello, \LaTeX!
\end{document}

Save as hello.tex, then:

pdflatex hello.tex

You should see hello.pdf appear beside the .tex file.

See more examples in the LaTeX Cheat Sheet.

Updating LaTeX distribution

MiKTeX: Open MiKTeX Console → Updates. (Or let it auto-install on demand.)

TeX Live/TinyTeX: Official TeX Live docs recomment to use tlmgr regularly:

tlmgr update --self --all

How to choose LaTeX distribution

  • Pick MiKTeX if you’re new to LaTeX on Windows and like automatic package prompts with a simple GUI.
  • Pick TeX Live if you collaborate across OSes, need the canonical toolchain, or maintain build servers.
  • Pick TinyTeX if you want a minimal, scriptable setup that grows only as necessary (great for CI or R Markdown).

Troubleshooting tips

  • Windows Defender warning on TeX Live installer: This occasionally shows SmartScreen warnings. If you obtained install-tl-windows.exe from TeX Live’s official page/mirror, choose Run anyway.
  • Slow TeX Live installs: The network installer catalogs thousands of packages; long installs are normal on Windows. Consider starting with a smaller scheme and adding packages later with tlmgr.
  • Space constraints: Choose TinyTeX or MiKTeX with on-demand packages.

Editor suggestions (works with all three)

  • TeXworks (bundled in MiKTeX), or third-party TeXstudio/TeXmaker.
  • VS Code + LaTeX Workshop extension if you prefer a modern IDE.

LaTeX Editors