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LaTeX on a Chromebook

The ways to write LaTeX on a Chromebook in 2026, ranked by effort: in Chrome with nothing to install, or a real TeX Live on Linux.

In Chrome, nothing to install

  1. LaTeX.to: A free online LaTeX editor that compiles to PDF in Chrome, with no login and no compile timeout, so a Chromebook needs nothing beyond the browser it ships with. Open a folder from the Files app or import a project as a zip, or start from one of the templates, then compile with pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX, ConTeXt and more, with BibTeX, biblatex and Biber. No real-time collaboration. Open LaTeX.to
  2. Overleaf: The hosted editor runs in Chrome on a Chromebook as on any laptop, with real-time collaboration and its free plan's 10 second compile timeout and one collaborator per project. The Overleaf alternatives page has the rest of the hosted editors.
  3. TeXlyre: Free and open source, compiles pdfTeX, XeTeX and LuaTeX in the browser and keeps projects in the browser's storage. Only those three engines, so no ConTeXt.

Installed in the Linux environment

  1. TeX Live from TUG: The current TeX Live installed with install-tl in the Linux terminal, with tlmgr for packages. TUG's ChromeOS page has the setup steps; the full installation is over 7 GB, the small scheme about 600 MB.
  2. Debian's TeX Live with TeXstudio: sudo apt install texlive texstudio gives you the TeX Live that Debian stable ships (a year or two behind, and without tlmgr) and the most common desktop editor, in one command. Texmaker installs the same way.
  3. Visual Studio Code with LaTeX Workshop: Install the .deb for your Chromebook's architecture (amd64 or arm64) in the Linux environment, add the extension, and you have the PDF preview, SyncTeX and build recipes over either TeX Live above.
  4. VerbTeX: The Android app, on a Chromebook with Google Play, compiles pdfLaTeX, XeLaTeX and LuaLaTeX offline in its Local Mode without any Linux setup. The free version stops at two projects.

FAQ

Can you install LaTeX on a Chromebook?

Yes, through the Linux development environment in ChromeOS settings, which gives you a Debian terminal where TeX Live installs like on any Linux machine. A Chromebook without that setting, which a school or company can disable, compiles in the browser instead.

Does Overleaf work on a Chromebook?

Yes, Chrome on a Chromebook is a desktop browser, so Overleaf runs as on any laptop, with the free plan's 10 second compile timeout and one collaborator per project.

Is there a free LaTeX editor for a Chromebook without Linux?

LaTeX.to compiles in Chrome with no login and nothing installed, TeXlyre is open source and compiles in the browser too, and Overleaf's free plan works within its limits.

How much space does TeX Live take on a Chromebook?

Over 7 GB for the full installation from TUG and about 600 MB for the small scheme, inside the disk you give the Linux environment. The browser editors keep only what a document used, and LaTeX.to's Reset cache row under the settings gear gives it back.

Does LaTeX.to work on a school Chromebook?

If Chrome can open latex.to, yes: nothing is installed and no account is created, so a managed device needs only the site not to be blocked.

Last updated September 2026.

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