BasicTex-Installation-Guide-on-macOS

Testing Environment

• macOS 10.14.6
• HomeBrew the package manager

Installation Guide

1. Install basictex from brew and make sure you restart the terminal.

brew cask install basictex

2. Change the repository that is geographically near you. For example, I live in Taipei, so I will use http://ftp.yzu.edu.tw/CTAN/systems/texlive/tlnet/ as my upstream repository. (P.S. Search https://ctan.org/mirrors/ to find the best repository for you)

sudo tlmgr option repository http://ftp.yzu.edu.tw/CTAN/systems/texlive/tlnet/

3. Update tlmgr itself.

sudo tlmgr update --self

4. Then you can start to install whatever packages you miss by this command

sudo tlmgr install <your_package_name>

FAQ

1. How can I know what is my desired package name?

Most of the time, if the reported error is like this:

! LaTeX Error: File `multirow.sty' not found.

Type X to quit or to roceed, or enter new name. (Default extension: sty)

Enter file name:

You probably can directly install it by: sudo tlmgr install multirow.

But if it is not the case, then you might need to use other methods to find your desired package name.

Check https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/974/why-is-the-mactex-distribution-so-large-is-there-anything-smaller-for-os-x for more information.