TeXstudio — The Complete Guide: A Free LaTeX Editor for Theses, Papers and Technical Reports

TeXstudio is a desktop editor built specifically for LaTeX. It is open source under the GPL, free for any use with no paid tiers, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

TeXstudio

TeXstudio team

Desktop LaTeX editor with a built-in PDF viewer, auto-completion, table and formula wizards, and reference and spell checking.

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What you get

Command completion — suggestions for commands, environments and labels as you type.
Built-in PDF viewer — clicking in the output jumps to the matching source line, and back.
Wizards — for tables, images and formulas, with live equation previews.
Checks — missing references and citations, plus spell checking.
Structure tree — navigation between chapters of a long thesis.

What to install alongside it

TeXstudio is only an editor. To compile you need a TeX distribution — MiKTeX on Windows or TeX Live on any system. Install the distribution first and then the editor, which detects it automatically. There is no real-time collaborative editing; to work with a supervisor or co-author, keep the project in Git.

Related tools

For working in the browser with no installation — Overleaf. For visual writing on top of LaTeX — LyX. For managing your bibliography — JabRef.

Overleaf

Overleaf (Digital Science)

Browser LaTeX editor with no installation, cloud compiling and ready templates — the free plan is limited to a 10-second compile and one collaborator.

Architecture Civil Engineering Electrical & Electronics Mechanical Engineering Limited Free Version Runs in the Browser General Productivity Notes, Writing & Handwriting

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