Setting Up a Local LaTeX Workflow: MacTeX + TeXstudio (macOS)

Working locally with MacTeX and TeXstudio is faster, more reliable, and more private than cloud-based editors. Here is how to get set up from scratch on macOS.

Step 1 — Download and Install MacTeX 2026

1. Go to https://www.tug.org/mactex/ and download the MacTeX.pkg installer (~5 GB — it includes the full TeX Live distribution plus GUI apps).
2. Open the downloaded .pkg file and follow the installer prompts. MacTeX installs to /usr/local/texlive/2026/.
3. After installation, open Terminal and verify:

   pdflatex --version
   

   You should see output like pdfTeX 3.141592653-....

Tip: If you only need a minimal install, download BasicTeX instead (~100 MB) and add packages on demand via tlmgr.

Step 2 — Install TeXstudio

1. Download the latest release from https://www.texstudio.org/.
2. Move the .app to your /Applications folder.
3. On first launch, TeXstudio auto-detects your MacTeX installation. You can verify under: Preferences → Build → Default Compiler — set to pdfLaTeX (or LuaLaTeX for Unicode/font-heavy documents).

Step 3 — Configure the Build System

In TeXstudio → Preferences → Build:

For IEEE/journal papers using biblatex, switch the bibliography tool to Biber.

Step 4 — Enable SyncTeX (Forward/Inverse Search)

SyncTeX lets you jump from your .tex source to the exact location in the PDF and vice versa.

• Forward search (source → PDF): Press F5 or click the green play button.
• Inverse search (PDF → source): Hold Cmd and click anywhere in the internal PDF viewer — it jumps to the corresponding source line.

This is already enabled by default when using the internal PDF viewer.

Step 5 — Connect Mendeley for BibTeX References

1. In Mendeley Desktop/Reference Manager, go to Tools → Options → BibTeX (Desktop) or Export (web app).
2. Enable Sync BibTeX library and point it to a .bib file in your project folder (e.g., references.bib).
3. In your .tex file, add:

   \bibliography{references}
   

   TeXstudio will auto-complete citation keys as you type \cite{}.

Alternative: Export a .bib file manually from Mendeley via File → Export and place it in your project directory.

Step 6 — Keeping MacTeX Up to Date

MacTeX bundles TeX Live’s package manager tlmgr. To update all installed packages:

sudo tlmgr update --self --all

To install a missing package (e.g., algorithm2e):

sudo tlmgr install algorithm2e

Useful TeXstudio Shortcuts