[OS X TeX] Where Should 'Package' Files be Stored?

[Herbert Schulz]

On Jan 10, 2012, at 2:06 PM, Charlie Ros5e wrote:

> 
> Gentlefolk ....
> 
> I'm going to have to download some packages (e.g., amssymb, graphicx, cancel, latexsym, etc.). Where shall I store these files so they'll be accessible to TexShop? I've looked on the internet and various TexShop user documents, but have found nothing. A note I left for myself back in 2007 reads:
> 
>   "LaTeX will find any file in    ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex    or a subdirectory of this folder."
> 
> Is this still true?
> 
> I'm running TexShop ver. 2.43 on OS X ver. 10.6.8. If this path *is* still true, will it also be true for earlier versions of TexShop and OS X ... and which earliest versions?
> 
> With many thanks ..... !

Howdy,

How old is your TeX distribution? If you have any reasonably recent version of TeX Live installed via MacTeX all of the packages you name should already be installed. In general the full TeX Live has almost everything that most folks ever use except for custom packages. I typically try to typeset the document and only worry about installing things if I get errors.

Again, if you are using TeX Live installed via MacTeX ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex/ is still the place to put personal packages.

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)