Overleaf-VS Code

Work on Overleaf projects in VS Code with real-time, bidirectional synchronization: your edits reach Overleaf, and collaborators’ edits appear in your editor. Compile on your Overleaf server and view the PDF beside your source.

This extension is built on the source code of Overleaf Workshop, developed by iamhyc and the Overleaf Workshop contributors.

Published by AstroJulio. Overleaf-VS Code is independently maintained and is not an official Overleaf product.

Real-time collaboration and offline editing

Real-time, bidirectional synchronization: edit collaboratively across VS Code and Overleaf, with shared editing, chat, and comments synchronized while connected.
Keep editing offline: continue working on previously opened, cached documents when your connection drops. Offline edits are retained locally and automatically synchronized on reconnection. Compatible local and remote edits are merged; overlapping changes that cannot be merged safely require conflict resolution.

Open the project and the documents you need while online before going offline. Live chat, remote updates, and server compilation require a connection. Offline editing lets you keep contributing to a shared project; collaborators receive those changes after reconnection.

Get started

You need desktop VS Code 1.80 or later, an Overleaf account with access to a project, and an internet connection for initial setup and server features. Server compilation does not require a local TeX installation. Compatible self-hosted Overleaf servers are also supported.

Install Overleaf-VS Code by AstroJulio from Extensions.
Select Overleaf-VS Code in the Activity Bar. In Projects, right-click www.overleaf.com → Login to Server → Login with Cookies.
Sign in to Overleaf in your browser and open its project dashboard. Open the browser's developer tools → Network, then reload the dashboard.
Select the authenticated project request. Under request headers, copy the Cookie value. Paste it into Overleaf-VS Code's masked login input and press Enter. Treat this value like a password.
Expand the server, right-click your project → Open Project in Current Window, then open the main .tex file.
In the Command Palette, run Overleaf-VS Code: Compile Project, then Overleaf-VS Code: View Compiled PDF.

For another server, run Overleaf-VS Code: Add New Server before signing in. To create a project, right-click the signed-in server → New Project → Example Project.

Edit, compile and read

Compile-on-save is enabled by default. You can also compile with ⌘⌥B on macOS or Ctrl+Alt+B on Windows/Linux. Open the PDF with ⌘⌥V or Ctrl+Alt+V.

Use Overleaf-VS Code: Jump to PDF to navigate from source to PDF; double-click the PDF to return to source. Overleaf-VS Code: Set Root Document and Overleaf-VS Code: Set Compiler change the server build settings.

Collaborate in real time with shared project editing, Chat, and comments in Review synchronized with Overleaf while connected. Available actions depend on your server and project permissions. LaTeX completion, formatting, and project search are also included.

Settings and local copies

Search Overleaf-VS Code in Settings to adjust compile-on-save, the output folder, PDF colors, scrolling and page spreads.

Right-click a project → Open Project Locally ... to work with a synchronized local copy. Server compilation still needs a connection. Offline local compilation requires LaTeX Workshop and a working local TeX installation.

Source and license

Overleaf-VS Code uses the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. The installed extension includes the corresponding source for this exact version, build instructions and original license notices.

Run Developer: Open Extensions Folder, open astrojulio.orbitleaf-<version>, then open source/README.md. The source archive is in source/; the extension license and dependency notices are in LICENSE.txt and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.