proTeXt - MiKTeX-based distribution for Windows

proTeXt aims to be an easy-to-install TeX distribution for Windows, based on MiKTeX. After downloading, a wizard (available in several languages) guides the installation.

Download and install

You can download the self-extracting protext.exe file from CTAN; it is well over 2GB. That link will automatically choose a nearby CTAN mirror. If problems with the download, please manually choose a mirror from the list.

If such a large download is problematic for you, proTeXt is also included in the TeX Collection, which you can get by becoming a TeX user group member. On the other hand, if you have plenty of bandwidth and want to burn your own DVD, you can download proTeXt as a giant ISO image.

Once you have the distribution, you can start the installation by running Setup.exe (if it does not open automatically). At present, proTeXt includes only 32-bit binaries, but runs fine on 64-bit systems.

New users can find starting points for actually using TeX in this introduction to the TeX system.

Other tools

proTeXt adds the TeXStudio front end to MiKTeX. If you want to see the exact contents of the distribution, the .exe file is also a zip file; you can inspect it via unzip (on any platform).

To use ConTeXt within proTeXt or MiKTeX, you also need to install a Perl for Windows such as ActivePerl, and Ruby. (Later versions than the ones linked to here will most likely work too.) The contextgarden wiki has more information on MiKTeX and ConTeXt.

All past releases of proTeXt have been publicly archived.

How you can help

1. Please report problems and suggestions to the (public) protext@tug.org mailing list, after checking the list of known bugs. Before posting, please be aware that although email addresses are obscured, the archives of the mailing list are publicly viewable, so others can learn from the history.
2. We encourage proTeXt users to join their local TeX user group to support this and other TeX activities. We also encourage a donation to MiKTeX development if possible. And Thomas would be grateful for any donations to AIDS-Hilfe Hagen, an AIDS support organization in his city.
3. If you like, you can also review this list of general tasks in the TeX community, not specific to proTeXt.

Credits

proTeXt's creator and principal maintainer is Thomas Feuerstack, while MiKTeX was created and continues to be maintained by Christian Schenk. Many thanks to both.