TeXworks

TeXworks is an open-source application software, available for Windows, Linux and OS X. It is a Qt-based graphical user interface to the typesetting system TeX and its extensions LaTeX, ConTeXt, and XeTeX. TeXworks is targeted at the direct generation of PDF output. It has a built-in PDF viewer using the poppler library; the viewer has auto-refresh capability and also features SyncTeX support (which allows the user to synchronize the PDF viewer position with the source and vice versa with a single click).

Its developer Jonathan Kew (who also developed XeTeX) deliberately modelled TeXworks on Dick Koch’s award-winning application software TeXShop for OS X to lower the entry barrier to the TeX world for those using desktop operating systems other than OS X. Kew argued against complex user interfaces like that of TeXnicCenter or Kile, which he described as intimidating for new users.

TeXworks requires a TeX installation: TeX Live, MiKTeX, or MacTeX. MiKTeX 2.8 (and 2.9) comes bundled with TeXworks, even in the base installation.

One limitation of TeXworks is that it does not by itself support multi-stage typesetting like for example PNG or SVG output via intermediate DVI. This is a design choice because such workflows are considered too advanced for the beginning user. The user has to write a shell or batch script to use such workflows with TeXworks.