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Table of Contents
This document describes the MiKTeX installation procedure. The latest version of this document is available from CTAN (PDF, HTML).
Four steps are necessary to install MiKTeX:
Check to see if the prerequisites are met.
Choose a package set.
Download MiKTeX.
Install MiKTeX.
MiKTeX runs on all current Windows platforms.
MiKTeX Setup Wizard does not install any operating system components (such as comctl32.dll). It is taken for granted, that all required system components exist, either because they are a part of the operating system, or because they were installed by an operating system update (service pack).
The following system components are required by MiKTeX:
- comctl32.dll
Version 5.80.2614.3600 (or later) of the Common Controls DLL must be installed. This is the case if the operating is Windows Me or Windows XP. For older operating systems, it might be necessary to get the DLL from Microsoft.
- wininet.dll
Version 4.70.0.1300 (or later) of the Internet Extensions DLL must be installed. It is a part of Internet Explorer 4.0 (or later).
MiKTeX Setup Wizard displays a message and quits, if one of the required system components is missing.
You can choose between three package sets: “Small MiKTeX”, “Large MiKTeX” and “Total MiKTeX”.
- “Small MiKTeX”
This is a basic MiKTeX system which gets you started.
- “Large MiKTeX”
This gives you the most important macro packages and fonts.
- “Total MiKTeX”
This includes all available packages.
Choose “Small MiKTeX”, if you are downloading MiKTeX over a slow Internet connection or if you want to conserve disk space. It is possible to configure MiKTeX in such a a way, that missing packages are automatically installed later (during run-time).
You can download MiKTeX either with the help of MiKTeX Setup Wizard (setup.exe), or manually with the help of an FTP client. This installation guide covers the wizard method, because it is the recommended method for most users. See the MiKTeX FAQ, for a detailed description of the FTP method.
Download the latest version of the wizard from the SourceForge.net download server.
Start the wizard (setup.exe).
You will be presented with the welcome page:
Click to advance to the next page.
Click on the Download only radio button:
Click to go to the next page.
Click on the package set that you wish to download:
Click to go to the next page.
Choose a download location:
MiKTeX Setup Wizard will download packages from a remote package repository. Choose a repository which is located in the closest network proximity to your location.
Click to go to the next page.
Specify the location of the local package repository:
Downloaded packages will be stored in the local package repository, a directory on your computer.
Later you will run the wizard again to install MiKTeX from here.
Click to go to the next page.
Review the download settings:
Click , if you want to change the settings. Click to start the download process.
Two progress bars indicate the progress of the download operation:
Click when the download is complete.
You will see the final wizard page:
Click to close the wizard.
You install MiKTeX with the help of MiKTeX Setup Wizard:
Download the latest version of the wizard from the SourceForge.net download server.
Login as Administrator, if you want to set up a shared MiKTeX system.
Make sure that no MiKTeX application is running.
Start the wizard (setup.exe).
You will be presented with the welcome page:
Click to go to the next page.
Click on the Install radio button:
Click to go to the next page.
Click on the package set you wish to install:
Click to go to the next page.
Choose if you want to set up a shared MiKTeX system or if you want to run MiKTeX privately:
Click to go to the next page.
Specify the location of the local package repository:
MiKTeX will be installed from a local package repository, i.e., a directory on your computer which mirrors the contents (or parts of it) of a remote package repository. You have created the local package repository during the download stage.
Click to go to the next page.
Accept the suggested installation directory or enter your own choice:
Click to go to the next page.
Accept the suggested program folder name or enter your own choice:
Click , to go to the next page.
Accept the suggested path to the local TEXMF directory or enter your own choice:
Click to go to the next page.
Choose if you want to incorporate additional TEXMF directories:
You can safely defer the decision. TEXMF directories can be configured later with the help of MiKTeX Options.
Click to go to the next page.
Review the setup settings:
Click , if you want to change the settings. Click to start the installation process.
Two progress bars indicate the progress of the installation process:
Click when the installation is complete.
You will see the final wizard page:
Click to close the wizard.
MiKTeX Setup Wizard logs all actions into the DebugView window. You need to download and install DebugView, if you intend to troubleshoot setup related problems.
To download DebugView, visit the DebugView page and follow the download/installation instructions.
To create a trace, start DebugView prior to the setup wizard.
In addition, the wizard reports some actions into a log file. The name of the log file is setup-currentdate.log. Search for this file in the config directory (usually C:\texmf\miktex\config\).