What is LaTeX Used For? Top Applications and Use Cases

I spent six hours formatting my final year project report in Microsoft Word. Six. Hours.

The table of contents broke four times. My equations looked like they were drawn by a drunk toddler. Every time I added a figure, the entire document layout would shift unpredictably. I wanted to throw my laptop out the window.

Then my advisor said: “Why aren’t you using LaTeX?”

I rewrote the entire thing in LaTeX over a weekend. The equations looked professional. The formatting stayed consistent. The table of contents generated automatically. I’ve never gone back to Word for serious documents.

If you’re wondering what LaTeX is actually used for and whether it’s worth learning, let me show you the real-world applications where LaTeX absolutely dominates.

What Makes LaTeX Different (And Why It Matters)

Before we dive into use cases, let’s be clear about what LaTeX actually is.

LaTeX (pronounced “LAH-tech” or “LAY-tech”) is a document preparation system that separates content from formatting. You write your text using simple markup commands, and LaTeX handles all the complex typography automatically.

The key difference:

• Word/Google Docs: You format as you write (WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get)
• LaTeX: You focus on content, LaTeX handles formatting automatically

Think of it like this: Word is like manually adjusting every tile in your bathroom. LaTeX is like hiring a professional who follows a blueprint.

Want to understand the basics first? Check out What is LaTeX? for a complete introduction.

When LaTeX Absolutely Dominates

1. Academic Papers and Research Articles

This is where LaTeX became famous, and for good reason.

Why academics love LaTeX:

Math that doesn’t look terrible:
Try writing a complex integral or matrix in Word. It’s painful. LaTeX renders mathematical notation beautifully with simple commands. What takes 20 clicks in Word’s equation editor takes one line in LaTeX.

\int_{0}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}

That renders as a perfect, professional-looking equation. Learn more in our LaTeX Math Commands guide.

Automatic everything:

• Equation numbers update automatically
• Figure and table references never break
• Citations and bibliographies generate themselves
• Table of contents stays in sync

Journal templates:
Major publishers (Elsevier, Springer, IEEE) provide LaTeX templates. You download their template, write your paper, and it’s formatted to their exact specifications automatically. No fighting with margins or spacing.

The reality:
If you’re writing anything with more than three equations, LaTeX saves you hours. If you’re submitting to academic journals, many require or strongly prefer LaTeX submissions.

2. Project Reports and Technical Documentation

Bachelor’s students live in LaTeX for good reason: project reports have insanely specific formatting requirements.

What makes project reports brutal in Word:

• 50-100+ pages with consistent formatting
• Chapter numbering that stays correct
• Dozens of figures and tables with captions
• Bibliography with 30+ citations
• Specific margin requirements (top: 1.5″, bottom: 1″, left: 1.25″, right: 1″… you get the idea)

How LaTeX saves you:
Download your university’s project report template. Write your content. Done. The template handles margins, spacing, headers, page numbering, and everything else automatically.

I’ve seen students spend weeks fighting Word formatting. LaTeX users spend that time on actual project work.

Pro tip: Most universities provide official LaTeX project report templates. Search “[Your University] LaTeX project template” and you’ll likely find one.

3. Books (Academic and Technical)

Authors and publishers use LaTeX for books that need professional typography and complex formatting.

Why book authors choose LaTeX:

Consistent typography:
LaTeX produces book-quality typography automatically. Proper kerning, ligatures, hyphenation, and spacing that would take hours to perfect manually in other tools.

Managing complexity:
Books have footnotes, endnotes, indexes, bibliographies, cross-references between chapters, and consistent heading styles. LaTeX handles all of this automatically.

Multiple formats from one source:
Write once in LaTeX, generate both print PDF and e-book formats. Publishers love this because it means fewer errors and easier production.

Real example:
Most technical programming books (O’Reilly, Apress) are written in LaTeX or similar markup systems. The authors focus on content while the publisher’s templates handle styling.

4. Professional Resumes and CVs

This might surprise you, but LaTeX is excellent for resumes.

Why technical professionals use LaTeX for resumes:

Stand-out typography:
LaTeX resumes look cleaner and more professional than Word templates. The spacing is perfect, the alignment is precise, and the overall aesthetic screams “attention to detail.”

Version control friendly:
Because LaTeX is plain text, you can track changes in Git. Try that with a Word document.

Easy to customize:
Change one variable (like your accent color or font) and the entire resume updates consistently. No hunting through formatting menus.

Templates everywhere:
Sites like Overleaf have hundreds of professional resume templates. Pick one, plug in your information, done.

Want to build one? Check our LaTeX for CVs & Resumes guide or see a real example in Machine Learning Engineer Resume in LaTeX.

5. Technical Documentation and Manuals

Software companies and engineering firms use LaTeX for documentation that needs to stay consistent across hundreds of pages.

What makes LaTeX perfect for technical docs:

Code listings:
LaTeX has excellent packages for displaying code with syntax highlighting. Your code examples look professional, not like copy-pasted text.

Consistent styling:
When you have multiple writers contributing to documentation, LaTeX ensures everyone’s sections look identical. No “this person used Arial, that person used Calibri” nonsense.

Automatic indexing:
LaTeX generates indexes automatically. Mark terms once, and they appear in the index with correct page numbers. Update content, and the index updates automatically.

Version control:
Plain text means you can use Git for collaboration. Track who changed what, merge contributions, and maintain document history.

6. Presentations (Yes, Really)

LaTeX has a package called Beamer that creates professional presentations.

Why researchers use LaTeX for presentations:

Math and code integration:
If your paper is in LaTeX and has complex equations, you can copy those equations directly into your presentation. They render identically.

Consistent branding:
Create a theme once, and all your presentations look consistent. No manually copying slide masters between PowerPoint files.

Professional look:
Beamer presentations have a distinct, academic aesthetic. They look like conference presentations, not corporate sales decks.

Honest take:
For most business presentations, PowerPoint or Google Slides are faster. But for academic or technical talks with heavy math or code, Beamer is unbeatable.

When NOT to Use LaTeX (Let’s Be Honest)

LaTeX isn’t always the answer. Here’s when to skip it:

Short, simple documents:
Writing a 2-page memo? Use Google Docs. LaTeX is overkill.

Heavy collaboration with non-technical people:
If your co-authors don’t know LaTeX and won’t learn, Word with track changes is easier.

Lots of images and visual design:
If you’re creating a marketing brochure or photo-heavy magazine layout, use InDesign or Canva. LaTeX excels at text-heavy documents, not visual design.

Tight deadlines with no LaTeX experience:
If you’ve never used LaTeX and your paper is due in three days, now isn’t the time to learn. Stick with what you know.

The rule of thumb:
If your document has more than 20 pages, complex formatting requirements, or heavy math/code, LaTeX is probably worth it. Otherwise, simpler tools work fine.

Real-World LaTeX Use Cases You Might Not Expect

Beyond the obvious uses, LaTeX pops up in surprising places:

Legal documents:
Law firms use LaTeX for contracts and briefs that need precise formatting, consistent numbering (especially for subsections), and stable layouts that won’t shift.

Financial reports:
Annual reports with complex tables, charts, and regulatory requirements often use LaTeX because it handles tabular data beautifully and maintains consistency.

Sheet music:
There’s a LaTeX-adjacent system called LilyPond for typesetting music. Composers use it for professional-quality sheet music.

Genealogy trees:
LaTeX packages exist for creating family trees with complex relationships and multiple generations.

Getting Started with LaTeX in 2025

The barrier to entry has never been lower.

Online Editors (Start Here)

Overleaf is the easiest way to start. It’s a browser-based LaTeX editor with:

• Real-time preview (you see output as you type)
• Hundreds of templates
• Collaboration features (like Google Docs)
• No installation required

Just sign up, pick a template, and start writing. Seriously, you can have a professional-looking document in 10 minutes.

Learn the Basics

You don’t need to memorize everything. Start with:

1. Document structure – Learn how LaTeX documents are organized
2. Basic formatting – Sections, bold, italic, lists (LaTeX Basic Commands)
3. Math if needed – How to write equations (LaTeX Math Commands)
4. Tables and figures – Inserting and positioning them (LaTeX Table Commands and LaTeX Figure Commands

Our How to Write in LaTeX: Beginner Syntax & Formatting Guide walks you through everything step by step.

Pick an Editor

Once you’re comfortable, choose your editor:

• Overleaf – Best for beginners, collaboration, and zero setup
• TeXShop (Mac) – Clean, native Mac app
• TeXworks (Windows/Linux) – Simple and free
• VS Code with LaTeX Workshop – For programmers who want power

Check our Best LaTeX Editors guide for detailed comparisons.

Use Templates

Don’t start from scratch. CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) and Overleaf have thousands of templates for:

• Academic papers
• Project reports
• Resumes
• Books
• Presentations
• Reports

Find a template close to what you need, modify it, and you’re 80% done.

Need specific templates? See our LaTeX Templates for Project Reports, Articles, Presentations .

Common LaTeX Myths (Debunked)

“LaTeX is too hard to learn”
It has a learning curve, but so does mastering Word’s advanced features. With modern tools like Overleaf, you can be productive in an afternoon.

“You need to be a programmer”
Helpful, but not required. If you can learn basic HTML, you can learn LaTeX. Many successful LaTeX users have zero programming background.

“LaTeX is old and outdated”
LaTeX has been continuously updated. The core system is stable (a feature, not a bug), but packages and tools are modern. Overleaf launched in 2014 and is constantly improving.

“No one uses LaTeX anymore”
Every major academic publisher, most STEM researchers, and thousands of technical writers use LaTeX daily. It’s very much alive.

The Bottom Line: Is LaTeX Worth Learning?

Learn LaTeX if you:

• Write academic papers or technical documents regularly
• Work with complex math or code
• Need consistent formatting across large documents
• Collaborate with others in version control
• Want professional-quality typography

Skip LaTeX if you:

• Only write short, simple documents
• Work primarily with non-technical collaborators
• Focus on visual design over text content
• Need something quick with zero learning curve

For me, learning LaTeX was one of the best professional investments I’ve made. It’s saved me hundreds of hours over the years and made my documents look significantly more professional.

The learning curve is real, but it’s not as steep as you think. And once you get it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main advantage of using LaTeX?
Separation of content from presentation. You focus on writing; LaTeX handles typography, numbering, and formatting automatically with professional-grade quality.

Is LaTeX difficult for beginners?
It has a steeper learning curve than Word because it uses markup commands. However, modern tools like Overleaf and ready-made templates make it accessible for beginners, especially those comfortable with structured thinking.

What’s the difference between LaTeX and Microsoft Word?
Word is WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) with manual, visual formatting. LaTeX is code-based with logical structure. LaTeX excels at consistency, complex math, and stability for long, technical documents. Word is faster for simple documents.

Do publishers still use LaTeX in 2025?
Absolutely. Major scientific and academic publishers (IEEE, Elsevier, Springer, ACM) continue using LaTeX and provide templates because it handles complex equations, maintains consistent typography, and creates stable production workflows.

Can I collaborate on LaTeX documents?
Yes. Overleaf has Google Docs-style real-time collaboration. You can also use Git for version control if you prefer offline editing.

How long does it take to learn LaTeX?
Basic proficiency: 2-4 hours. Comfortable for everyday use: 2-3 days of practice. Advanced features: ongoing learning. But you can be productive immediately using templates.

Ready to Try LaTeX?

Start with one small project. Don’t try to convert your entire workflow overnight.

Suggested first projects:

• A 2-page technical document with a few equations
• Your resume or CV
• A short report with tables and figures
• A simple presentation with Beamer

Pick a template, start writing, and see if LaTeX solves problems you didn’t realize you had.

Got questions about whether LaTeX is right for your specific use case? Drop a comment below and I’ll help you figure it out.