Oct 12, 2025

LaTeX on Ubuntu ARM: Quick Setup & Reference Guide

A streamlined guide to setting up LaTeX on Ubuntu ARM servers and using it with VS Code

What is LaTeX?

LaTeX (pronounced “LAH-tech” or “LAY-tech”) is a high-quality typesetting system designed for the production of technical and scientific documents. Unlike traditional word processors like Microsoft Word, LaTeX uses a markup language approach where you write plain text with formatting commands, and the system compiles it into beautifully formatted PDFs.

Why Use LaTeX?

Professional Typography: Produces publication-quality documents with superior typography
Mathematical Expressions: Unmatched support for complex mathematical formulas and equations
Consistent Formatting: Automatic handling of numbering, cross-references, and citations
Version Control Friendly: Plain text files work perfectly with Git and other version control systems
Academic Standard: Widely used in academia, research, and scientific publishing
Separation of Content and Style: Focus on writing while LaTeX handles the formatting

LaTeX vs. Overleaf

While Overleaf is a popular online LaTeX editor, setting up LaTeX locally with VS Code offers several advantages:

Offline Access: Work without internet connection
Better Performance: No upload/download delays
Full Control: Complete customization of your environment
Integration: Seamless integration with your existing development workflow
Privacy: Keep sensitive documents on your local machine
Cost: Free alternative to Overleaf’s premium plans

What is LaTeX?

Why Use LaTeX?

LaTeX vs. Overleaf
Quick Installation

Prerequisites

Installation (10 minutes)
Install VS Code Extension
VS Code Configuration
Recommended Project Structure

.gitignore

Basic Document Template
Two-Column Layout Template
LaTeX Command Cheat Sheet

Document Structure

Text Formatting
Lists
Mathematics
Figures
Tables
Code Listings
Citations & References
Essential Packages
Emoji Support

Setup for Emoji

Multi-File Projects with Emoji
Common Emoji Categories
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
Common Issues & Solutions

Auxiliary Files in Root Directory

1. Emojis Not Rendering
1. Build Fails with “Package not found”
1. PDF Not Updating
1. SyncTeX Not Working
1. Bibliography Not Appearing
1. Permission Denied Error
1. Font Cache Issues
1. Memory Issues (Large Documents)
1. Unicode/Special Characters Not Working
Changing Fonts

Using Sans Serif Fonts (Arial, Roboto, etc.)

With pdfLaTeX (limited options)
Check Available Fonts
Quick Test Document
Useful Resources

Quick Installation

Prerequisites

# Verify requirements
df -h /usr/local          # Need 5GB+ free space
sudo -v                   # Confirm sudo access
code --version            # Verify VS Code installed

Installation (10 minutes)

# 1. Update and install LaTeX
sudo apt update
sudo apt install texlive-full

# 2. Install fonts for emoji and symbols
sudo apt install fonts-noto-color-emoji fonts-noto fonts-dejavu fonts-liberation

# 3. Refresh font cache
fc-cache -fv

# 4. Verify installation
pdflatex --version
lualatex --version
fc-list | grep -i emoji

Install VS Code Extension

# In VS Code Quick Open (Ctrl+P):
ext install James-Yu.latex-workshop

VS Code Configuration

Create .vscode/settings.json in your project root:

{
  // === Build Configuration ===
  "latex-workshop.latex.autoBuild.run": "onSave",
  "latex-workshop.latex.outDir": "./build",
  "latex-workshop.latex.autoClean.run": "onBuilt",

  // === CRITICAL: Force custom recipes ===
  "latex-workshop.latex.recipe.default": "lastUsed",
  "latex-workshop.latex.recipes": [
    {
      "name": "latexmk (lualatex)",
      "tools": ["lualatexmk"]
    },
    {
      "name": "latexmk (pdflatex)",
      "tools": ["pdflatexmk"]
    },
    {
      "name": "pdflatex ➞ bibtex ➞ pdflatex × 2",
      "tools": ["pdflatex", "bibtex", "pdflatex", "pdflatex"]
    }
  ],
  "latex-workshop.latex.tools": [
    {
      "name": "lualatexmk",
      "command": "latexmk",
      "args": [
        "-synctex=1",
        "-interaction=nonstopmode",
        "-file-line-error",
        "-lualatex",
        "-output-directory=%OUTDIR%",
        "%DOC%"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "pdflatexmk",
      "command": "latexmk",
      "args": [
        "-synctex=1",
        "-interaction=nonstopmode",
        "-file-line-error",
        "-pdf",
        "-output-directory=%OUTDIR%",
        "%DOC%"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "pdflatex",
      "command": "pdflatex",
      "args": [
        "-synctex=1",
        "-interaction=nonstopmode",
        "-file-line-error",
        "-output-directory=%OUTDIR%",
        "%DOC%"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "bibtex",
      "command": "bibtex",
      "args": ["%DOCFILE%"]
    }
  ],

  // === CRITICAL FIX: Prevent files in root ===
  "latex-workshop.latex.build.forceRecipeUsage": true,

  // === PDF Viewer ===
  "latex-workshop.view.pdf.viewer": "tab",

  // === Formatting ===
  "latex-workshop.formatting.latex": "latexindent",
  "latex-workshop.linting.chktex.enabled": true,

  // === IntelliSense ===
  "latex-workshop.intellisense.package.enabled": true,
  "latex-workshop.intellisense.citation.backend": "bibtex"
}

Critical Setting: "latex-workshop.latex.build.forceRecipeUsage": true ensures auxiliary files go to build/ directory.

Recommended Project Structure

my-latex-project/
├── .vscode/
│   └── settings.json          # VS Code configuration
├── .gitignore                 # Exclude build files
├── main.tex                   # Main document
├── references.bib             # Bibliography
├── sections/                  # Document sections
│   ├── introduction.tex
│   ├── methodology.tex
│   └── conclusion.tex
├── figures/                   # Images and figures
│   └── diagram.pdf
└── build/                     # Auto-generated files (ignored by git)
    ├── main.pdf
    ├── main.aux
    └── main.log

.gitignore

# Build directory
build/

# LaTeX auxiliary files (if any escape to root)
*.aux
*.log
*.out
*.toc
*.lof
*.lot
*.fls
*.fdb_latexmk
*.synctex.gz
*.bbl
*.blg
*.bcf
*.run.xml
*.nav
*.snm
*.vrb

# Editor files
.vscode/
*.swp
*~

Basic Document Template

% main.tex
\documentclass[12pt,a4paper]{article}

% Essential packages
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{hyperref}

% Document information
\title{Your Document Title}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\section{Introduction}

Your content here.

\end{document}

Two-Column Layout Template

% two_column.tex
\documentclass[12pt, twocolumn]{article}

% Essential packages
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{amsmath, amssymb, amsthm}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{wrapfig}              % Wrap text around figures
\usepackage{parskip}              % Better paragraph spacing
\usepackage{xcolor}               % Colors
\usepackage{tikz}                 % Graphics and diagrams

\title{Two-Column Document}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\section{Introduction}

This document uses a two-column layout, common in academic papers and journals. The text flows naturally between columns.

\subsection{Colored Text}

You can add \textcolor{blue}{colored text} or \textcolor{red}{highlight important} information easily.

\section{Figures in Two Columns}

% Figure spanning one column
\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{image.pdf}
  \caption{Single column figure}
  \label{fig:single}
\end{figure}

% Figure spanning both columns
\begin{figure*}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{wide-image.pdf}
  \caption{Full-width figure spanning both columns}
  \label{fig:wide}
\end{figure*}

\section{TikZ Example}

\begin{tikzpicture}
  \draw[thick,->] (0,0) -- (2,0) node[right] {$x$};
  \draw[thick,->] (0,0) -- (0,2) node[above] {$y$};
  \draw[blue,thick] (0,0) circle (1cm);
  \fill[red] (0,0) circle (2pt);
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

LaTeX Command Cheat Sheet

Document Structure

\documentclass{article}              % article, book, report, beamer
\usepackage{packagename}             % Include package
\title{Title} \author{Name} \date{\today}
\maketitle                           % Generate title

\section{Section}                    % Numbered section
\section*{Unnumbered Section}        % Unnumbered
\subsection{Subsection}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection}

Text Formatting

\textbf{Bold}  \textit{Italic}  \underline{Underline}
\texttt{Monospace}  \emph{Emphasis}

% Font sizes
\tiny \small \normalsize \large \Large \LARGE \huge \Huge

Lists

% Unordered
\begin{itemize}
  \item First
  \item Second
\end{itemize}

% Ordered
\begin{enumerate}
  \item First
  \item Second
\end{enumerate}

% Description
\begin{description}
  \item[Term] Definition
\end{description}

Mathematics

% Inline math
$E = mc^2$

% Display math
\[ E = mc^2 \]

% Numbered equation
\begin{equation}
  E = mc^2
\end{equation}

% Common symbols
\alpha \beta \gamma \sum \int \frac{a}{b} \sqrt{x}
x^2  x_i  \leq \geq \neq \approx \infty

Figures

\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/image.pdf}
  \caption{Figure caption}
  \label{fig:label}
\end{figure}

% Reference: See Figure~\ref{fig:label}

Tables

\begin{table}[htbp]
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{|l|c|r|}
    \hline
    Left & Center & Right \\
    \hline
    Data & Data & Data \\
    \hline
  \end{tabular}
  \caption{Table caption}
  \label{tab:label}
\end{table}

Code Listings

% Inline code
Use \texttt{print("Hello")} for output.

% Basic code block
\begin{verbatim}
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")
\end{verbatim}

% Advanced with listings package
\usepackage{listings}
\usepackage{xcolor}

% Configure style
\lstset{
  language=Python,
  basicstyle=\ttfamily\small,
  keywordstyle=\color{blue},
  commentstyle=\color{gray},
  stringstyle=\color{red},
  numbers=left,
  numberstyle=\tiny\color{gray},
  stepnumber=1,
  frame=single,
  breaklines=true,
  showstringspaces=false
}

% Use in document
\begin{lstlisting}
def fibonacci(n):
    """Calculate Fibonacci number"""
    if n

## Emoji Support

### Setup for Emoji

Use LuaLaTeX engine (specify in VS Code or with magic comment):

```text
% !TEX program = lualatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\newfontfamily\emojifont{Noto Color Emoji}[Renderer=HarfBuzz]
\newcommand{\emoji}[1]{{\emojifont #1}}

\begin{document}

Regular text with emoji: \emoji{😀 💖 🎉 ✅ 🚀}

Math and emoji: The result is correct \emoji{✅} and $E=mc^2$

\end{document}

Multi-File Projects with Emoji

In main.tex:

% !TEX program = lualatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\newfontfamily\emojifont{Noto Color Emoji}[Renderer=HarfBuzz]
\newcommand{\emoji}[1]{{\emojifont #1}}

\begin{document}
\input{sections/introduction}
\end{document}

In sections/introduction.tex:

\section{Introduction}
Use emoji directly: \emoji{🌟}

Common Emoji Categories

% Status & Feedback
\emoji{✅ ❌ ⚠️ ℹ️ ✓}

% Math & Science
\emoji{🔬 🧪 📊 📈 💡}

% Actions
\emoji{🎯 🚀 ⚡ 🔥 💪}

% Academic
\emoji{📚 📖 ✏️ 🎓 📝}

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut	Description
Build Document	Ctrl+Alt+B	Compile LaTeX file
View PDF	Ctrl+Alt+V	Open PDF preview
Build & View	Ctrl+Alt+J	Compile and show PDF
Clean Files	Ctrl+Alt+C	Remove auxiliary files
Kill Process	Ctrl+Alt+K	Stop compilation
SyncTeX Forward	Ctrl+Alt+J	Jump from source to PDF
SyncTeX Backward	Ctrl+Click in PDF	Jump from PDF to source

Common Issues & Solutions

1. Auxiliary Files in Root Directory

Problem: Files appear in project root instead of build/ folder.

Solution:

// Add to .vscode/settings.json
"latex-workshop.latex.build.forceRecipeUsage": true

Then clean and rebuild:

rm *.aux *.log *.pdf *.synctex.gz 2>/dev/null
# Reload VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window")

2. Emojis Not Rendering

Checklist:

✅ Using LuaLaTeX? Add % !TEX program = lualatex at top
✅ Fonts installed? Run fc-list | grep -i emoji
✅ Proper setup? Include fontspec and HarfBuzz renderer
✅ Using \emoji{} command for all emojis?

Quick fix:

sudo apt install fonts-noto-color-emoji
fc-cache -fv

3. Build Fails with “Package not found”

Solution:

# Install missing package
sudo apt install texlive-

# Or install everything
sudo apt install texlive-full

4. PDF Not Updating

Solutions:

Save file again (Ctrl+S)
Manual build (Ctrl+Alt+B)
Kill and rebuild (Ctrl+Alt+K, then Ctrl+Alt+B)
Close PDF viewer and reopen
Reload VS Code window

5. SyncTeX Not Working

Fix: Ensure -synctex=1 is in build args (already in config above)

6. Bibliography Not Appearing

Solution: Build sequence matters

# Run in order:
pdflatex main.tex    # First pass
bibtex main          # Process bibliography
pdflatex main.tex    # Second pass (add citations)
pdflatex main.tex    # Third pass (resolve references)

Or use recipe: “pdflatex ➞ bibtex ➞ pdflatex × 2”

7. Permission Denied Error

Solution:

# Check permissions
ls -la build/

# Fix if needed
chmod -R u+w build/

8. Font Cache Issues

Solution:

fc-cache -fv
sudo fc-cache -fv  # If above doesn't work

9. Memory Issues (Large Documents)

Solutions:

Use \include{} instead of \input{} for chapters
Compile individual chapters during editing
Increase LaTeX memory in texmf.cnf (advanced)

10. Unicode/Special Characters Not Working

Solution: Use XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX instead of pdfLaTeX:

% !TEX program = lualatex  % or xelatex
\usepackage{fontspec}

Changing Fonts

Using Sans Serif Fonts (Arial, Roboto, etc.)

With LuaLaTeX or XeLaTeX, you can use any system font:

% !TEX program = lualatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}

% Set main font to sans serif
\setmainfont{Arial}                    % or Roboto, Helvetica, etc.
% Alternative: Use system fonts
% \setmainfont{Liberation Sans}        % Open-source Arial alternative
% \setmainfont{Roboto}                 % Modern sans serif

% Or just switch to Computer Modern Sans
\renewcommand{\familydefault}{\sfdefault}

\begin{document}
This text will be in Arial (or your chosen font).
\end{document}

With pdfLaTeX (limited options)

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\renewcommand{\familydefault}{\sfdefault}  % Use sans serif
\usepackage{helvet}                         % Helvetica-like font

\begin{document}
Sans serif document with pdfLaTeX.
\end{document}

Check Available Fonts

# List all installed fonts
fc-list : family | sort | uniq

# Search for specific font
fc-list | grep -i arial
fc-list | grep -i roboto

Quick Test Document

Create test.tex to verify everything works:

% !TEX program = lualatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{listings}
\usepackage{xcolor}

% Set custom fonts
\setmainfont{Liberation Sans}              % Sans serif main font (Arial-like)
\setmonofont{Liberation Mono}              % Monospace font
\newfontfamily\emojifont{Noto Color Emoji}[Renderer=HarfBuzz]
\newcommand{\emoji}[1]{{\emojifont #1}}

% Configure code style
\lstset{
  basicstyle=\ttfamily\small,
  keywordstyle=\color{blue}\bfseries,
  commentstyle=\color{gray}\itshape,
  stringstyle=\color{red},
  numbers=left,
  numberstyle=\tiny\color{gray},
  frame=single,
  breaklines=true,
  showstringspaces=false
}

\begin{document}

\title{LaTeX Test Document}
\author{Test User}
\date{\today}
\maketitle

\section{Text Formatting}
\textbf{Bold}, \textit{italic}, and \texttt{monospace} text.

This document uses Liberation Sans (sans serif font similar to Arial).

\section{Mathematics}
Inline math: $E = mc^2$

Display math:
\[ \int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2} \]

\section{Emoji Test}
Status: \emoji{✅} Working! \emoji{🎉}

\section{Lists}
\begin{itemize}
  \item First item
  \item Second item
\end{itemize}

\section{Code Example}

Inline code: \texttt{print("Hello")}

Python code block:
\begin{lstlisting}[language=Python]
def calculate_sum(numbers):
    """Calculate sum of numbers"""
    total = 0
    for num in numbers:
        total += num
    return total

# Test function
data = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = calculate_sum(data)
print(f"Sum: {result}")
\end{lstlisting}

\section{Font Comparison}

% Switch between fonts
{\fontspec{Liberation Serif} This is Liberation Serif (default serif).}

{\fontspec{Liberation Sans} This is Liberation Sans (sans serif).}

{\fontspec{Liberation Mono} This is Liberation Mono (monospace).}

\end{document}

Build with Ctrl+Alt+B or save to auto-build.

Useful Resources

Official Documentation: LaTeX Project
LaTeX Mathematical Symbols: Mathematical Symbols
Package Search: CTAN
Symbol Search: Detexify
Table Generator: TablesGenerator
LaTeX Workshop Docs: GitHub Wiki
Stack Exchange: TeX.SE

Last updated: October 2025 | For Ubuntu ARM with TeX Live

LaTeX on Ubuntu ARM: Quick Setup & Reference Guide

What is LaTeX?

Why Use LaTeX?

LaTeX vs. Overleaf

Table of Contents

Quick Installation

Prerequisites

Installation (10 minutes)

Install VS Code Extension

VS Code Configuration

Recommended Project Structure

.gitignore

Basic Document Template

Two-Column Layout Template

LaTeX Command Cheat Sheet

Document Structure

Text Formatting

Lists

Mathematics

Figures

Tables

Code Listings

Multi-File Projects with Emoji

Common Emoji Categories

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Common Issues & Solutions

1. Auxiliary Files in Root Directory

2. Emojis Not Rendering

3. Build Fails with “Package not found”

4. PDF Not Updating

5. SyncTeX Not Working

6. Bibliography Not Appearing

7. Permission Denied Error

8. Font Cache Issues

9. Memory Issues (Large Documents)

10. Unicode/Special Characters Not Working

Changing Fonts

Using Sans Serif Fonts (Arial, Roboto, etc.)

With pdfLaTeX (limited options)

Check Available Fonts

Quick Test Document

Useful Resources