Getting Started: Setting Up Overleaf

Historically, using LaTeX was a pain because you had to download massive software packages onto your computer.

Overleaf changed that. It’s a free, cloud-based website that lets you use LaTeX directly inside your web browser. Think of it like Google Docs, but for professional printing. It works on anything—even a school Chromebook.

Get Started with Overleaf

Create an Account: Head to Overleaf.com and sign up for a free account. (If your school email gives you access to a premium account, use that!)
Start a Project: On your dashboard, click the green New Project button and select Blank Project. Name it something like "Tech Writing Practice."
Learn the Screen: Your screen will split into three main areas:

Left Side (File List): This is your folder. It’s where you will upload images, charts, and your bibliography files later on.
Middle (The Editor): This is where you write your text and type your LaTeX commands.
Right Side (PDF Preview): This shows you what your actual paper looks like. Every time you change something in the middle, you click the green Recompile button to update the PDF.

Typing your first document in Overleaf

To see how it works, delete whatever is inside the middle pane of your new project, paste this short snippet in, and hit Recompile:

\documentclass{article} \title{My First Technical Writing Project} \author{Your Name} \begin{document} \maketitle \section{The Introduction} Hello, world! This is my first time using LaTeX. Instead of fighting with margins, I am just writing code. \end{document}

Look at the right side of your screen. You will see a perfectly centered title, your name, the current date, and a bold section header. You didn't have to highlight anything or change any font settings—LaTeX did it all for you.