This is the hub page for everything LaTeX-related on Purplelink. If you're writing a dissertation, a journal submission, or a conference paper, the guides and tools below cover the workflow end-to-end: compilation, multi-file projects, equations, tables, bibliography management, format conversion, tracked changes, word counts. Every tool runs in your browser against a hosted backend that processes files in memory and discards them when your download finishes — no account, no install, no retention.
Compile and render
Getting a LaTeX manuscript to compile reliably is the foundation. Plain pdfLaTeX handles most of what most papers need; XeLaTeX adds OpenType font support; Biber + BibLaTeX modernizes the bibliography engine.
- LaTeX to PDF — upload a
.texfile (or a.zipwith your figures and styles) and get a compiled PDF back, using pdfLaTeX or XeLaTeX. Useful when you're on a machine without a TeX install, or want to compile someone else's project quickly. - Equation Renderer — paste LaTeX math and download a high-resolution PNG. Useful for slides, posters, or anywhere you need a typeset equation outside a LaTeX document.
- LaTeX Table Generator — paste CSV or TSV data and get a clean booktabs LaTeX table with the formatting your editor expects.
Convert between formats
Many journals only accept Word for submission. Many co-authors only write in Word. Some style requirements force Markdown. The conversion tools below handle every direction without losing references or equations.
- LaTeX to Word — convert a
.texmanuscript to a clean double-spaced.docxfor submission. Powered by Pandoc with an academic-manuscript template. Optional anonymize-for-blind-review. - Word to LaTeX — go the other direction: upload a
.docxand download a.texstarting point. Pandoc handles the conversion; you'll usually want to polish formatting and citations after. - Markdown to PDF or Word — for shorter pieces, write in Markdown and export to a typeset PDF or a
.docx. - File to Markdown — convert PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, CSV, or EPUB to clean Markdown. Useful when you want to start a paper from an outline that exists in another format.
- Guide: converting LaTeX to Word for submission →
Manuscript revisions and tracked changes
Co-authors and reviewers expect to see what changed between drafts. LaTeX doesn't have built-in Word-style track changes, but latexdiff generates a PDF with deletions struck through and additions in color — and our tool runs it for you against any two .tex versions.
- LaTeX Diff — upload two versions and get a tracked-changes PDF.
- Guide: showing changes between two LaTeX versions →
Word counts and submission limits
Most journals impose word-count limits, and counting words in a LaTeX file is harder than it sounds — comments, math, captions, and bibliography all need different treatment.
- Word Counter — live word, character, sentence, and reading-time stats in your browser.
- Guide: counting words in a LaTeX document →
Citations and bibliographies
BibTeX is its own world, deep enough to warrant a dedicated hub: BibTeX and citations →
Quick links to the most-used tools and guides in that hub:
- BibTeX Validator — check for missing fields, dead DOIs, and AI-hallucinated citations.
- BibTeX Builder — fetch entries from DOIs or arXiv IDs.
- Citation Generator — format any reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, or IEEE.
- Guide: fix common BibTeX errors →
- Guide: IEEE vs APA vs MLA vs Chicago →
Coming: ModernTex
The tools above run in a browser. If you write LaTeX manuscripts seriously on a Mac, the native experience matters — and that's what ModernTex is for. A native macOS editor built around the academic manuscript workflow: multi-file projects, synchronized PDF preview, plain-language compile errors, BibTeX autocomplete that searches by author or title, revision snapshots, and submission-readiness checks. Currently in development; the waitlist gets one email at launch.
About these tools
Every web tool listed here is free, runs without an account, and processes files in memory only. The backend container is recreated per-request and never writes your file to durable storage. If you need stronger guarantees, the entire codebase is observable: most validation logic ships open-source, and the tools page itself documents the backend architecture. Files you upload are also covered under the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy.