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I need to install a LaTeX package on my MikTeX system.

Specifically, I am trying to make biblatex work, but I always get the error message: 

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

I have changed the options to have the "Quick Build" command that includes biblatex too.

Code/commands are correct because it's working under Overleaf.

Riccardo Ozzola
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  • You have not installed the package biblatex on your machine. If and how that can be done depends on your TeX system. What OS do you run? What TeX distribution (TeX live or MikTeX?; note that TeXmaker is an editor and not a distribution) do you use? How did you install TeX (your TeX distribution)? – moewe Apr 10 '19 at 09:40
  • On MikTeX you should be able to install biblatex (and Biber!) using the MikTeX Console (https://miktex.org/howto/miktex-console). On a user-controlled TeX live system this can be done via tlmgr. On a Linux distribution-installed TeX (apt-get texlive) you need to figure out which distribution package provides biblatex. – moewe Apr 10 '19 at 09:42
  • I'm working under Windows with TeXmaker – Riccardo Ozzola Apr 10 '19 at 09:42
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    Texmaker is an editor not a texsystem. Which texsystem are you using (look at the first line of your log-file). – Ulrike Fischer Apr 10 '19 at 09:44
  • I'm sorry, I mean to write MikTeX – Riccardo Ozzola Apr 10 '19 at 09:55
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    Open the console (https://miktex.org/howto/miktex-console) go to "Packages" and install biblatex as well as Biber (the package will be called biber-windows-x64 or similar, you'll find it when you search for "biber"). Then update your system. You may have to update your system twice: Once in user and once in admin mode. – moewe Apr 10 '19 at 09:57
  • Related: https://tex.stackexchange.com/q/108447/9057 – Schweinebacke Apr 10 '19 at 10:17

1 Answers1

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Many MikTeX users will probably have enabled the "Install missing packages on the fly" feature of MikTeX that automatically downloads and installs missing packages when a document is compiled. (See https://miktex.org/howto/miktex-console under Automatic package installation.)

With that feature enabled it is usually not necessary to install a package semi-automatically.

Packages can be installed semi-automatically in MikTeX using the MikTeX Console (https://miktex.org/howto/miktex-console).

Before you install new packages it may be a good idea to properly update your installation. If you haven't updated in a really long time you risk ending up with incompatible package versions. See How do I update my TeX distribution? and How should one maintain and update a MiKTeX installation? for more details.

Let's say you want to install the biblatex package. (As an aside: When you install biblatex you should also install Biber. And you should absolutely make sure to update your entire distribution before or after the installation to avoid version troubles.)

  1. Open the MikTeX Console. During the installation MikTeX will probably have placed an icon for the Console somewhere on your desktop or your start menu. It is also easy to find the Console by typing "Console" into the search field.

    Windows start menu: "Console" in search field

  2. If you open up the Console you may be greeted with a screen asking you to choose your mode of operation. If you are running a multi-user installation, you can choose to run the Console as admin (which lets you install packages for all users) or as user (which lets you install packages only for the current user). Note that user-installed packages take precedence over globally installed packages. So the admin mode is not "more powerful" than the user mode. For this reason many people advocate installing MikTeX in a single-user installation. That avoids the two modes.

    MikTeX Console: Operation mode

  3. After you have chosen you operation mode you will be greeted with the welcome screen.

    MikTeX Console welcome screen

    On the left you will find a tab reading "Packages", click on that.

  4. Type the name of the package you want to install into the search field and hit enter. The Console will list all relevant search hits. Move to the package you want to install. If it is not installed already, there will be no "Installed on" date.

    MikTeX Console: search result for <code>biblatex</code>

  5. Right-click on the package you want to install (you can select several packages at once if you like).

    MikTeX Console: right click menu on <code>biblatex</code>

    Select "Install package"

  6. A confirmation dialogue pops up telling you how many packages are going to be installed and uninstalled.

    MikTeX Console confirmation dialogue

    Select OK to continue.

  7. The packages will be installed. You can see the progress.

    MikTeX Console install <code>biblatex</code> progress

  8. When the installation is completed, the button on the bottom right switches from "Cancel" to "Close".

    MikTeX Console: Install report. Done.

  9. The package list now shows a date in the "Installed on" column for the package(s) just installed.

    MikTeX console: Package list with <code>biblatex</code> newly installed.

moewe
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