Many document editing tools are available in the market today as handling digital documents has become a vital part of our lives, there are two kinds of methods that these Latex ones use primarily and they are:
- WYSIWYG: what you see is what you get.
- WYSIWYM: what you see is what you mean.
Because of the vast choices, we are sharing 9 of the best Latex editors compatible with Windows 11 and Linux with a GUI. Most are free and some are paid!
Let’s get in!
About Latex Editors
Latex is a popular markup-level text editing tool in academia and is used to separate word formatting from content entry tasks. This helps when you are stuck in a mathematical equation, or other scientific papers and their publishing.
These help to format text beforehand via mark-level instructions. As soon as the content is added the document gets ready to export in PDF. It has been popular due to the handling of mathematical equations from the start and is the core reason behind its development.
Top 9 Best Latex Editors for Windows 11 and Linux (Free/Paid)
TexnicCenter – Open source editor
This is developed primarily for Windows and uses the MikeTeX typesetting distribution due to which Microsoft processes all the latex documents very easily. The best thing is that it comes in free and is open source. It is rich in features name it and have it.
It offers users with powerful GUI editor along with support for auto-completion and many other UTF-8 character encodings. Master navigation is what it has been following due to which users can easily navigate such documents.
What users love the most are its pre-defined snippets which if you are a computer scientist would help you to create complex formulas and documentation easily. It has all the basic features which include highlighting, bracket matching, and spell-checking. It is worth trying.
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TexMaker – All file formats supported
This is popular software that is widely used by those who love open-source applications. It is multi-platform. The reason, why it makes part of the list, is because of its availability for all the major platforms. You can set basic settings in the configuration windows of the latex document before starting work.
Through the “quick start” window users can set up all the spell-checking and other settings related to layout. The best feature is the structure view which allows users to distribute their docs into different sections and provide labels to each. It helps in inserting tables, math formulas, cross-references, pictures and much more.
Once all is done you can now extract this as PDF, HTML, or even ODF file format, it also users to trace down all their errors while in the compilation stage.
- You shall see all warnings and the actions to be needed to be displayed.
- Fold or unfold your documents easily.
- Best to create a structured bibliography.
TeXstudio – Math formulas included
This is the open-source multi-platform editor. It is an extension of text work and has been upgraded with more support and features.
It has additional features which include document word count, frequency count analysis and many more.
- Syntax highlighting, reference checking, multi-cursors.
- It has 1000 plus mathematical formulas included.
- It helps newbies to set up a file and place images or even tables in the document.
- Drag and drop images.
- Format the tables already created with the help of Table Auto-Formatter.
Authorea – Scripting and templates provided
This is a web-based online editor and offers many features to its users such as:
- Ready-to-use templates, document revision history, chat feature, auto-creation of a reference page, easily insert images, links, tables and much more.
- HTML, Markdown, and Latex.
- Creation of Index pages, exporting documents as PDF, sharing on social media platforms, and performing quick edits, you can toggle on or off comments and word count.
- Insert mathematical formulas, images as well and tables.
ALSO CHECK: 7 PDF Software and Adobe Reader Alternatives for Windows 11.
Lyx – Used on all Linux distros
This is a popular option mentioned on the list which is rich in features. It is open-source and supports Windows, macOS, as well as Linux. It supports the “what you see is that you mean” approach. It offers users with simple GUI interface.
It uses the following tools:
- Integrated equation editor.
- Reference indexing.
Though it is used for mathematical documents but is great to create structured novels or any script using advanced markup tools. It also supports academic article referencing, link overlay and the ability to create a master thesis with the help of branched-out nodes.
- You can author scientific papers along with reference lists and citations. Lyx only offers this unique feature.
- Drag and drop equations and also edit them with the help of advanced mathematical tools.
- Users get access to algorithms, theorems, and many equations.
It is again great for newbies and those who have less knowledge. This is a great yet solid editor for Windows, Mac and Ubuntu.
Texworks – The fastest Latex Editor
This one is based on another open-source editor which is called Texshop. This multi-platform tool provides users with a GUI approach to Latex editing.
It comes with an in-built PDF viewer but this also carries an auto-synchronization feature.
It has similar functions to the latex editor which include:
- Auto-completion, auto-correction, Unicode support and much more.
Though it does not carry a lot of features but does the work without much of a hassle.
It is great as it provides users with:
- Code folding, insertion of graphics or tables, interaction with external editors, powerful in-built PDF viewer and exportation.
ALSO CHECK: 10 Free DVD Burning Software for Windows 11 (64-bit).
Papeeria – A cloud-based solution
This is an online editor which carries a big library of templates. We can use all its editing features online through the web-based user interface.
Along with templates they carry:
- Technical paper layouts, scientific magazines, journal articles, CV and much more.
All you need to do it select one layout and begin editing your content without any worries about how would you format as that would be taken care of.
The best thing is that users can easily collaborate on a latex doc and with other members on the document and then sync the changes on Google Drive, Dropbox or even Github.
Using the plot builder feature you can visually build up a complex plot. Have access to this one directly from the web browser.
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Overleaf – Prefered by students
This is another great online editor that is trusted by more than 210,000 academia throughout the world. Through this, you can easily create your documents.
It carries many templates from a lab report to a thesis to resume formal letters. You can easily start with an easy template and develop professionally formatted documents.
It has many features as you can collaborate with members of the team on both technical and academic documents. Such collaboration brings transparency to the editing of work which is put in collectively by all the authors involved in the process of development. With help of a custom-generated link, you can easily share your final document on different social media networks and Git accounts.
You have the option to make this link “read-only” or “read and write” depending on the person.
- An important aspect is a mathematical formula.
- Overleaf provides a real-time preview of the text once it gets entered.
- Carries error control and notation support which makes co-authors have familiarity with “what you see is what you get” editors to start with this tool easily.
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Kile – A fully integrated program
This one got developed by KDE for those who do not know this is a highly respected yet popular international free software community that is used to develop open-source software for all its users. It is user-friendly. The best part is that all their software as well as an application that includes Kile is free to both download and use which is great.
Though this is a new editor in the Windows store still it has made great progress and due to its graphical interface and interactive preview mechanism through which users can see editing results.
It is fast and users get the chance to view, compile as well as convert all their documents within the blink of an eye. Easily start with new documents all thanks to its huge assortment of wizards and templates.
It has many other features which include:
- Insert standard tags easily, citations and references can be easily inserted when using projects, support for inverse and forward search, chapter support, quick preview, advanced editing commands and much more.
Final Verdict
As the world is now moving fully towards being digital so are the documents. Word formatting is key when you are writing or editing a form, page, or article online. This is why we have listed the 9 best Latex Editors available for Windows 11 and work on Linux too!
