Long story short, I have limited install rights on my Mac. I believe the only limitation is that I can only write files inside my user directory. I also have limited read rights to files outside my user directory. So, is there a way to install LaTeX on a Mac without root access? I do know about online alternatives such as ShareLaTeX, but my internet coverage is spotty on occasion and I compile frequently to see what the final result is since I'm not very good at using LaTeX.
1 Answer
according to this tutorial it should be possible, you just need to manually install files in your home directory:
intalling TeXLive without root access
Since installing MacTeX without root access requires some non trivial cutomizations, I sugget you to install TeXLive instead, with this easy method (I'll add a tutorial for MacTex when I have more time):
1) Download the TeXLive install script
2) extract the tar archive with your preferred software
3) run the install script with ./install-tl
4) you'll be prompted with this screen
======================> TeX Live installation procedure <=====================
=======> Note: Letters/digits in <angle brackets> indicate menu items <=======
=======> for commands or configurable options <=======
Detected platform: <your platform>
<B> platforms: 1 out of 18
<S> installation scheme (scheme-full)
84 collections out of 85, disk space required: 3739 MB
Customizing installation scheme:
<C> standard collections
<L> language collections
<D> directories:
TEXDIR (the main TeX directory):
!! default location: /usr/local/texlive/2012
!! is not writable, please select a different one!
TEXMFLOCAL (directory for site-wide local files):
/usr/local/texlive/texmf-local
TEXMFSYSVAR (directory for variable and automatically generated data):
/usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-var
TEXMFSYSCONFIG (directory for local config):
/usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-config
TEXMFVAR (personal directory for variable and automatically generated data):
~/.texlive2012/texmf-var
TEXMFCONFIG (personal directory for local config):
~/.texlive2012/texmf-config
TEXMFHOME (directory for user-specific files):
~/texmf
<O> options:
[ ] use letter size instead of A4 by default
[X] allow execution of restricted list of programs via \write18
[X] create all format files
[X] install macro/font doc tree
[X] install macro/font source tree
<V> set up for portable installation
Actions:
<I> start installation to hard disk
<H> help
<Q> quit
the most interesting part is <D>
, you need to move all the directories starting with /usr
in a convenient place in your home folder. To do this, just type d
and press enter, you'll be prompted with this second screen:
===============================================================================
Directories setup:
!! The default location as given below is forbidden or
!! can't be written to.
!! Either change the destination directory using <1> or create it
!! outside this script.
<1> TEXDIR: /usr/local/texlive/2012
support tree: /usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf
<2> TEXMFLOCAL: /usr/local/texlive/texmf-local
<3> TEXMFSYSVAR: /usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-var
<4> TEXMFSYSCONFIG: /usr/local/texlive/2012/texmf-config
<5> TEXMFVAR: ~/.texlive2012/texmf-var
<6> TEXMFCONFIG: ~/.texlive2012/texmf-config
<7> TEXMFHOME: ~/texmf
Note: ~ will expand to $HOME (or to %USERPROFILE% on Windows)
Actions:
<R> return to main menu
<Q> quit
just type 1
and enter the directory where you want to install texlive, e.g. <your home>/Library/texlive/2012
. After you change the first directory, all the other will be moved accordingly. After setting the directories return to the main installation screen R
and the start the installation with I
. Done.
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6It is worthwhile to make this standalone irrespective of the mac-wiki link with some explanation to make it newbie friendly. Mar 31, 2013 at 0:44
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Could you clarify? I'm not quite sure what the wiki page's instructions are. It seems to be just stating that it is possible to install in the user directory. I don't believe it actually says how. Mar 31, 2013 at 2:16
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sorry, I thought the wiki instructions were straightforward, I'll update my answer with more details asap.– Old NickMar 31, 2013 at 9:43
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Sorry it took so long to reply, but this works perfectly. Thank you so much! Apr 12, 2013 at 19:50
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1another possibility:
TEXLIVE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/path/you/want/texlive ./install-tl
. Note that the defaultscheme-full
leads to a 5.7 gig download! thesmall
scheme sits at a more reasonable 180 mb Dec 25, 2018 at 0:38