Overleaf + LaTeX: Quick Start

A clean, copy‑pasteable setup guide for students using Overleaf. No installs required.

1) Create your Overleaf account & first project

  1. Go to overleaf.com and sign up (school email recommended for institutional features).
  2. Click New Project → Blank Project. Name it my-first-latex.
  3. Overleaf shows an editor (left) and PDF preview (right). Press Recompile to build.

Everything compiles in the cloud—no local LaTeX install needed.

2) (Optional) Start from a template

Use New Project → Templates. Try search terms like article, IEEE, ACM, thesis, or homework.

  • Templates include common packages and structure.
  • You can still edit everything as normal LaTeX.

3) Minimal LaTeX document

Replace main.tex with the following and click Recompile:

main.tex
\documentclass[11pt]{article}

% Language & encoding
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[english]{babel}

% Layout helpers
\usepackage[a4paper,margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{graphicx}   % images
\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb} % math
\usepackage{hyperref}   % clickable refs

\title{My First LaTeX Document}
\author{Your Name}
\date{\today}

\begin{document}
\maketitle

Hello, world! This is my first document on Overleaf.

\section{Why LaTeX?}
It produces beautiful PDFs and handles references, figures, and equations like $E=mc^2$.

\section{A Display Equation}
\begin{equation}
  \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2}\\,dx = \sqrt{\pi}
\end{equation}

\end{document}

Tip: Red errors usually mean a missing backslash \\ or unmatched braces { }.

4) Structure, math, and lists

Sections

Structure
% Preamble
\usepackage{hyperref}
\hypersetup{colorlinks=true, linkcolor=blue, urlcolor=blue, citecolor=blue}

% Body
\section{Intro}
\subsection{Background}
\subsubsection{Details}

Inline vs display math

Math
Inline: $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$.

Display:
\begin{equation}
  \nabla \cdot \vec{E} = \frac{\rho}{\varepsilon_0}
\end{equation}

Lists

Lists
\begin{itemize}
  \item bullet 1
  \item bullet 2
\end{itemize}

\begin{enumerate}
  \item first
  \item second
\end{enumerate}

5) Figures and tables

Upload images via Files (top left) or drag‑drop. PNG, JPG, and PDF work well. Reference with \\label and \\ref.

Figure example
\usepackage{graphicx}
\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=.7\linewidth]{diagram.png}
  \caption{System diagram}
  \label{fig:system}
\end{figure}
As shown in Figure~\ref{fig:system}, ...
Table example
\begin{table}[h]
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{lcr}
    \hline
    Item & Qty & Price \\\\
    \hline
    Pencil & 3 & $1.50$ \\\\
    Notebook & 1 & $2.00$ \\\\
    \hline
  \end{tabular}
  \caption{Supplies}
  \label{tab:supplies}
\end{table}

Note: File names are case‑sensitive. If your file is diagram.PNG, use that exact name.

6) Citations & bibliography (BibTeX)

Create refs.bib and paste entries in BibTeX format. Cite them in your text:

refs.bib
@article{einstein1905,
  title={Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter K\"{o}rper},
  author={Einstein, Albert},
  journal={Annalen der Physik},
  year={1905}
}
main.tex (bibliography)
\usepackage[numbers]{natbib}  % or use biblatex
\bibliographystyle{plainnat}

In 1905, \citet{einstein1905} proposed...

% Place these near the end of the document
\bibliography{refs}
Using biblatex instead of natbib
biblatex setup
\usepackage[backend=biber,style=numeric]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{refs.bib}

As shown by \cite{einstein1905}...

\printbibliography

If you switch to biber (for biblatex), set the compiler to XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX + Biber in Menu → Settings.

7) Collaboration, history & versions

  • Share: Invite teammates with view or edit permissions.
  • Review: Use comments and tracked changes in the Review panel.
  • History: Menu → History to restore earlier versions.
  • Branches: Duplicate a project to try big changes safely.

8) Exporting & submitting

  • Download PDF: Use the PDF menu (top‑right of preview) → Download PDF.
  • Download source: Menu → Download as ZIP to keep all .tex, images, and .bib files.
  • Journal/Conference: If a template says \\documentclass{IEEEtran} (etc.), keep their instructions unchanged.

9) Troubleshooting

Common errors

  • Undefined control sequence: A command or package is missing. Check spelling and packages.
  • File not found: The filename (and extension) must match exactly. Re‑upload if needed.
  • Label(s) may have changed: Recompile twice so cross‑references update.

Switching compilers

For fonts/Unicode or certain packages, try Menu → Settings → Compiler: XeLaTeX (or LuaLaTeX). Recompile twice.

Stuck? Comment out recent edits to isolate the issue. Errors often point near, not at, the cause.

10) Handy Overleaf tips & shortcuts

  • Autocomplete: Type \\sec then press Tab.
  • Symbols: Click the π icon for math symbols.
  • Split editor: Right‑click a tab → Open in split view.
  • Keyboard: Ctrl/Cmd + S forces recompile; Ctrl/Cmd + L jumps to line.
  • Search in files: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F.
Sample preamble for course reports
report preamble
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[english]{babel}
\usepackage[a4paper,margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{siunitx}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\hypersetup{colorlinks=true, linkcolor=blue, urlcolor=blue, citecolor=blue}

11) Installing LaTeX locally (optional)

Overleaf runs LaTeX in the cloud, but you can also install a full LaTeX distribution on your own computer to compile documents offline.

Note: Local installations are large (often several GB) but useful if you need to work without internet or want custom compiler settings.