MacTeX

MacTeX is the TeX Users Group's full TeX distribution for macOS, combining TeX Live with Mac graphical applications and configuration. It suits students, researchers, publishers and other users who typeset LaTeX or TeX documents locally and want a comprehensive collection of packages, fonts and tools.

Main features

• Install the full TeX Live distribution, including TeX, LaTeX and related engines and packages.
• Typeset documents with engines such as pdfTeX, XeTeX and LuaTeX.
• Use TeXShop for source editing and PDF preview, BibDesk for bibliographies and LaTeXiT for equations.
• Manage TeX Live package updates and active distribution selection with TeX Live Utility.
• Include Mac-specific documentation and configuration alongside the shared TeX Live tools.
• Keep annual TeX Live installations in separate year directories when needed.

Install and start

Install this full Mac cask with brew install --cask mactex, or download the official notarized PKG and follow Apple's installer. This is a system-wide distribution installer, not simply a single app dragged into Applications; installation can require administrator authorization. Its large archive and installed package collection need substantial free disk space.

After installation, open /Applications/TeX/READ ME FIRST.pdf. Launch TeXShop from /Applications/TeX, create or open a .tex document and choose the appropriate typesetting engine. Save and typeset a small sample to check the editor and distribution. BibDesk manages bibliography data; it does not replace the typesetting engine.

For command-line tools, restart your terminal window after the cask installation so the updated paths take effect. MacTeX's standard active command path is /Library/TeX/texbin. If you keep multiple annual distributions, use TeX Live Utility's Configure > Change Default TeX Live Version to select the active one. A new annual installation can retain older distributions; account for the extra space and keep a stable toolchain when a project requires reproducible output.

Full MacTeX, TeX Live and smaller alternatives

TeX Live is the underlying cross-platform distribution; MacTeX packages it for macOS with GUI applications and Mac configuration. The MacTeX PKG is not a Windows or Linux installer, even though TeX Live is available on those platforms through other distributions.

The full package includes TeXShop, LaTeXiT, BibDesk, TeX Live Utility and hintView. Current official GUI documentation says the bundled TeXShop 5.57 works on the supported systems; a separate TeXShop 5.58 Liquid Glass package is recommended for Tahoe users. Do not assume that separate package is already included in this dated cask.

Upstream offers BasicTeX as a smaller distribution and separate GUI applications. The Homebrew mactex-no-gui cask is an alternative without the GUI collection. This cask conflicts with both basictex and mactex-no-gui; choose the appropriate cask instead of installing all three. Upstream's ability to retain multiple TeX distributions is distinct from these Homebrew conflict rules.

Ghostscript and this cask

The official March 24, 2026 MacTeX PKG updates Ghostscript to 10.07.0. However, this Homebrew cask deliberately deselects the PKG's bundled Ghostscript, libgs and mutool choices and declares the Homebrew ghostscript formula as a dependency. It selects the TeX Live and GUI components. Therefore, the full upstream installer contents and Homebrew installation choices are not identical; do not assume every optional upstream Ghostscript extra is installed by this cask.

The March 24 package removes the unsigned LuaMetaTeX executable to satisfy Apple's notarization requirements. LuaTeX remains. If you rely on ConTeXt/LuaMetaTeX or specialized dvisvgm features, read the official current guidance rather than assuming every upstream engine and optional dependency is present.

Requirements, storage and updates

MacTeX 2026 requires macOS 11 Big Sur or later and runs natively on Intel and Apple Silicon using universal binaries. Older annual MacTeX distributions and the separate Unix TeX Live installer have different requirements; those do not lower the requirement of this current MacTeX package.

The current mactex-20260324.pkg download is 6,865,013,189 bytes, confirmed with an HTTP HEAD request and matching this catalog. This is archive transfer size, not installed disk usage; allow additional space for extraction, the full distribution, projects and any retained annual installations. No universal RAM or exact installed-space requirement was verified. The full installed distribution can typeset local documents without a cloud account or online subscription. Downloads, package updates and any document-specific network resources need internet access.

TeX Live Utility updates packages within the selected annual distribution; it is not the same as installing the next annual MacTeX distribution. Package and engine changes can affect output, so review updates and preserve an appropriate toolchain for ongoing work. Process only trusted document sources and review shell-escape requirements before enabling external command execution.

Cost and licenses

MacTeX is available without fees for personal and professional use. No TUG membership, cloud login or paid account is required for ordinary local typesetting. Optional donations and memberships support the community. The distribution contains software from many authors, each with its own license; it is not covered by one blanket app license. Review component licenses before redistribution, especially when charging for a collection or bundling third-party software.

Sources: Official MacTeX overview, Current download and March 24 changes, Package contents, Cost and licensing, GUI programs, TeX Live guide.