How to use LaTeX templates: download, apply and write

Key points of this article

Compile the PDF from the original template first, confirm that the environment and files are complete, and then start replacing the content. This can avoid most errors.
The main file is usually the .tex file in the template, and the text, pictures, and reference files must maintain the original folder structure.
Only change the title, text and references, and try not to leave the introduction area alone; compile every change to make it easier to locate problems.
Reused page and font settings can be extracted into separate style files, making it easier to maintain when making your own templates.
Check the compilation errors one by one from top to bottom. Common reasons are missing macro packages, mismatched brackets and wrong file paths.

If you have just downloaded a LaTeX template, and when you open it, the screen is full of backslashes and curly braces, and you don’t know where to start, this article is for you. What many people are stuck on is not the LaTeX syntax itself, but rather confusion about which files the template consists of, which parts can be modified, and how to compile it into PDF after modification.

This article talks about the usage of general LaTeX templates, which is suitable for various documents such as papers, reports, resumes, handouts, and assignments. The details of a specific template (such as a resume template or a Chinese thesis template) are introduced in a special article. Here we only talk about common methods.

After reading, you should be able to do three things: confirm whether the template file is complete and whether it can be compiled; apply your own content in the order of "compile it as it is, then replace it block by block"; and write your own chapters, formulas, and references based on the template.

How to open and apply the template after getting it? One sentence conclusion

First, let the original template be successfully compiled into PDF on your computer or online editor, and then replace the content block by block. This is a less error-prone sequence.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
I only want to change personal information and text, but don’t want to touch the format.	Replace text in the main text file, leaving the introduction area unchanged	The format has been determined by the template. The fewer changes, the less likely it is to report errors.
No LaTeX environment installed, just an ordinary computer	Upload the entire template folder and compile it with an online LaTeX editor	It saves the steps of installing the distribution locally and is suitable for trial first.
I have a Word draft in hand and want to convert it to LaTeX format.	First organize the chapters, charts and formulas, and then import the template section by section.	It is easy to lose formulas and table numbers if you apply them directly.
Need to be handed over to a tutor or colleague for revision	Also keep the .tex, .bib and image folders and attach the compiled PDF	If any file is missing, the other party may fail to compile.
The finished product is to be sent to people who are not familiar with LaTeX	Export to PDF or Word before sending and check formulas and cross-references	The other party may not have a compilation environment

If you are used to editing on the web, the UniDoc web editor (app.unidoc.top) supports round-trip conversion between LaTeX and Word and can be an option. If you need to sign, fill in a form or black out the compiled PDF, you can use the PDF editing function in the desktop client (download.omnidoc.top).

Template structure overview

Most LaTeX templates are composed of the following parts. If you understand what each of them is responsible for, you will know where to change it.

Part	Write what you want	Length suggestion
Introduction Section	Document types, macropackages, page and font settings, custom commands	Usually, no changes are needed; add 3–5 rows of macropackets as needed
Title and author information	Cover content such as title, author, date, and affiliation	A few lines are enough
and rectifies the literary integrity	Main content such as introductions, methods, and results is often broken down into independent documents by chapter	Each chapter starts with 1–2 paragraphs, then gradually expands
Charts and formulas	Images, tables, formulas, and their numbering and labels	Each chart is accompanied by one paragraph of explanatory text
References	Citation entries (usually placed in .bib files) and reference style	Selection is based on submission or school requirements
Appendix	Add data, code, or longer tables	Optional

How to write each section

Introduction Area: Understand first, make fewer changes

The introductory area is located before the main text and usually begins with a document type declaration, such as \documentclass{article}, followed by a string of \usepackage commands used to load macropackages. Beginners should try to understand only the text and avoid arbitrary editing. If you need to add new features, such as inserting colored text, only add the corresponding macropacket, then recompile and confirm.

Title and Author: Replace placeholder content

The cover information in the template is usually written in spaced format, such as \title{[Thesis Title]} and \author{[Author's Name]}. Replace the text inside square brackets with your own content. Compile every time you make a change, and format issues can be immediately detected.

Main Article Section: Split by chapter, replaced chapter by chapter

When the main text is long, a common approach is to place each chapter in a separate .tex file, which the main file calls with \input or \include. When replaced, one chapter is processed first, and after compilation passes, the next chapter is processed. Chapter titles are generated by the template's commands, such as \section{[ChapterName]}, and you only need to replace the text inside the parentheses.

Charts and Formulas: Paths and Numbering Should Be Aligned

Images should be placed in the image folder specified by the template, and relative path references should be used in the body, such as \includegraphics{figures/[image filename]}. This way, you can copy the entire folder to another computer and still find the images. Each chart must be labeled, and the main text uses a citation command to point to it. The numbers will update automatically, so you don't need to manually change the numbers.

References: Unified management using .bib files

References are usually written separately in .bib files, with each entry having an identifier (i.e., a citation key). In the main text, cite commands (such as \cite{[Document Identifier]}) are used. If a question mark appears in the references section after compilation, it means the identifier does not match or the .bib file was not loaded. Just verify each item one by one.

Create your own template: extract duplicate settings

If you want to create templates for your own course or unit, the key is to centralize reused settings. Page margins, fonts, title styles, etc., can be written into a separate style file (usually .sty, and the entire document class can use .cls), while only the main file retains its content. This way, when switching projects in the future, you only need to copy the style file without having to reset it every time. After completing the creation, test all commands with a short document, then hand them over to others.

Layout in the editor

Extract the template, keep the folder structure unchanged, and locate the main file (usually named like main or thesis, with the extension .tex).
Open the main file in an editor that supports LaTeX, compile it as-is, and confirm it can generate a PDF.
Modify the title, author, and other cover information, and recompile each time you make a change.
Replace the main text by chapter, place images in image folders, and write references into .bib files.
After compiling correctly, check whether the table of contents, page numbers, chart numbers, and cross-references are correct. If necessary, compile two to three times to stabilize the references.
Export PDF for archiving; If you need to sign, fill out forms, or shade PDFs, use the PDF editing function in the desktop client.

Common Writing Issues

To fix an error, I casually deleted the macropacket in the intro, causing the subsequent command to be missing.
Directly writing Chinese content into the English template without configuring Chinese support, resulting in garbled text or compilation failure.
Write the image path as an absolute path, so you won't find the file on a different computer.
Only modified the PDF without changing the source file; the next compiled version reverts to the original content.
Mixing full-width symbols into formulas or parentheses, such as full-width brackets and full-width commas, can easily cause errors.
The main text contains a citation command but no corresponding .bib entry, and a question mark appears in the references.
Too many changes at once, and after errors, it's impossible to determine which part is responsible.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the LaTeX template?

LaTeX templates are source files and related resources that pre-write pages, fonts, titles, and chapter formats. When applying, mainly fill in your own content; the formatting effect is determined by the template.

2. Is it normal for the downloaded template to open with all the code?

Normal. LaTeX source files are plain text markups, and only after compilation do they become formatted PDFs, so what you see when opened is a mix of commands and body text.

3. Can you use a template without LaTeX installation?

Yes, you can. You can upload and compile the entire template folder using the online LaTeX editor, or use the UniDoc web editor to handle it.

4. What to do if there is a compilation error?

From the error information above, common causes include missing macropackages, mismatched parentheses, or incorrect file paths. If you only change one place each time and recompile, positioning will be much faster.

5. Can templates be directly converted to Word?

You can use editors that support back-and-forth conversion between Word and LaTeX, or export PDFs first and then process them. After conversion, formulas, tables, and cross-references must be checked item by item.

📝 Summary

The key to using LaTeX templates is to compile them as-is, then replace them block by block, using the introduction area as a stable base. Once you master the template structure and compilation order, whether you're using existing templates or creating new ones for yourself, you can avoid detours.

Open OmniDoc to edit, convert, or translate your LaTeX documents