Fixing LaTeX Compile Timeouts: A Complete Guide

The Timeout Problem

You're finishing your thesis. You hit compile. The progress bar moves... and stops.

"Compile timed out. Please try again."

Your document doesn't compile. Your deadline is tomorrow. What now?

Understanding Compile Timeouts

Why Timeouts Exist

Cloud LaTeX services share server resources among thousands of users. To prevent one person's complex document from hogging the server, they impose time limits:

| Platform | Free Tier | Paid Tier | |----------|-----------|-----------| | Overleaf | 20 seconds | 4 minutes | | Other cloud | Varies | Varies | | Local/Thetapad | No limit | No limit |

What Happens During Compilation

LaTeX compilation isn't just "save as PDF." It involves:

1. First pass: Read document, collect references
2. Bibliography: Process citations (bibtex/biber)
3. Second pass: Insert resolved references
4. Third pass: Update page numbers, table of contents
5. Image processing: Convert and embed figures
6. Font handling: Subset and embed fonts

Each step takes time. Complex documents might need 5-6 passes.

Diagnosing the Problem

Step 1: Identify What's Slow

Add timing information to your compilation:

\usepackage{tikz}
% At various points in your document:
\message{^^J*** Starting section 1 ***^^J}
% ... content ...
\message{^^J*** Finished section 1 ***^^J}

Check the compilation log to see where time is spent.

Step 2: Common Culprits

Large images (most common)

% Problematic: 50MB high-res image
\includegraphics{massive-photo.png}
 
% Better: optimized image
\includegraphics{optimized-photo.jpg}

Complex TikZ/PGF diagrams

% Problematic: regenerates every compile
\begin{tikzpicture}
  % complex diagram with hundreds of elements
\end{tikzpicture}

Large bibliographies

% Problematic: 500+ references all processed
\bibliography{massive-library}

Font issues

% Problematic: loading many font families
\usepackage{many-fonts}

Package conflicts

% Problematic: packages fighting each other
\usepackage{packageA}
\usepackage{packageB}  % conflicts with A

Solutions by Problem Type

Fix 1: Optimize Images

Problem: Large, uncompressed images take forever to process.

Solution:

# Resize and compress images before importing
# For PNG:
convert input.png -resize 1200x1200 -quality 85 output.png
 
# For PDF (vector graphics):
gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 \
   -dPDFSETTINGS=/ebook -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH \
   -sOutputFile=output.pdf input.pdf

Best practices:

• Maximum 300 DPI for print, 150 DPI for screen
• Use JPEG for photos, PNG for diagrams, PDF for vector
• Resize to actual display size in the document

Fix 2: Externalize TikZ

Problem: TikZ diagrams regenerate on every compile.

Solution: Externalize them (compile once, cache result):

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{external}
\tikzexternalize[prefix=tikz/]  % Store in tikz/ folder
 
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  % This only compiles once, then uses cached PDF
  \draw (0,0) circle (1);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

For complex diagrams, the speedup can be dramatic—from 30 seconds to 1 second.

Fix 3: Split Your Document

Problem: Monolithic documents take too long.

Solution: Use \include and \includeonly:

% main.tex
\documentclass{book}
 
% Only compile specific chapters while drafting
\includeonly{chapters/introduction}
% \includeonly{chapters/methods,chapters/results}
 
\begin{document}
\include{chapters/introduction}
\include{chapters/methods}
\include{chapters/results}
\include{chapters/conclusion}
\end{document}

Work on one chapter at a time, compile full document for final check.

Fix 4: Draft Mode

Problem: Images slow everything down.

Solution: Use draft mode while writing:

\documentclass[draft]{article}  % Images shown as boxes
 
% Or for specific packages:
\usepackage[draft]{graphicx}  % Image placeholders
\usepackage[draft]{hyperref}  % Faster links

Remove draft for final compilation.

Fix 5: Optimize Bibliography

Problem: Large .bib file with hundreds of unused references.

Solution:

# Keep only cited references
# Use biber or extract used keys
biber --output_format=bibtex --output_resolve \
      main.bcf -O used-refs.bib

Or create a project-specific .bib with only relevant entries.

Fix 6: Font Optimization

Problem: Multiple font packages loading slowly.

Solution:

% Instead of multiple packages:
% \usepackage{times}
% \usepackage{helvet}
% \usepackage{courier}
 
% Use a single package that sets all:
\usepackage{newtxtext,newtxmath}
 
% Or use system fonts with XeLaTeX/LuaLaTeX
% (often faster):
\usepackage{fontspec}
\setmainfont{Times New Roman}

Fix 7: Reduce Passes

Problem: LaTeX making too many passes.

Solution: Limit passes when possible:

% In preamble:
\usepackage{bookmark}  % Reduces hyperref passes
 
% Use latexmk for smart compilation
% (only reruns when necessary)

Configure your editor to use latexmk:

latexmk -pdf main.tex

Platform-Specific Solutions

For Overleaf Users

If you're hitting Overleaf's limits:

1. Upgrade your plan (4 minutes instead of 20 seconds)

2. Use an older TeX Live: Settings → Compiler → TeX Live Version Older versions sometimes compile faster.

3. Split into subfiles: Use the subfiles package to compile chapters independently.

4. Clear cache: Sometimes helps—Logs and Output Files → Clear cached files.

For Local/Thetapad Users

You don't have timeouts! But you still want fast compilation:

1. Use SSD storage: Disk I/O often limits speed.

2. Install native TeX Live: Faster than containerized versions.

3. Enable parallel compilation:

latexmk -pdf -pdflatex="pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode" main.tex

4. Use XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX for font-heavy docs.

Emergency Fixes

When You Need to Compile Now

Quick fix 1: Binary search

Comment out half your document:

\begin{document}
\input{chapter1}
%\input{chapter2}  % Commented out
%\input{chapter3}
\end{document}

If it compiles, the problem is in chapters 2-3. Narrow down.

Quick fix 2: Remove all images

\usepackage[demo]{graphicx}  % Replaces all images with boxes

If it compiles fast, images are the problem.

Quick fix 3: Disable slow packages

%\usepackage{tikz}  % Temporarily disable
%\usepackage{minted}  % Code highlighting is slow

Find which package is the culprit.

Last Resort: Compile Elsewhere

If cloud timeout is unavoidable:

1. Download your project (Export → Source)
2. Compile locally (install TeX Live or use Thetapad)
3. No timeout — take as long as needed
4. Upload compiled PDF for sharing

Prevention: Best Practices

During Writing

1. Compile frequently: Catch slowdowns early
2. Use draft mode: Full images only for final compile
3. Optimize images before importing: Not after
4. One chapter at a time: Use \includeonly

Document Structure

% Good: modular structure
main.tex          % Minimal, just includes
preamble.tex      % All packages
chapters/
  intro.tex
  methods.tex
  results.tex
figures/          % Optimized images

Pre-Submission Checklist

• [ ] All images optimized (appropriate size and format)
• [ ] TikZ figures externalized
• [ ] Bibliography contains only cited works
• [ ] Draft mode disabled
• [ ] Full document compiles within time limit
• [ ] Test on fresh compile (clear cache)

Moving Beyond Timeouts

The fundamental issue: shared cloud infrastructure has limits.

Options:

1. Optimize within limits: The techniques above
2. Pay for higher limits: Overleaf Professional ($30/mo for 4 min)
3. Remove limits entirely: Local compilation or Thetapad

For thesis-length documents or anything with complex graphics, local-first editing eliminates timeout anxiety entirely.

Conclusion

Compile timeouts are frustrating but fixable. The usual culprits:

• Large images (most common)
• Complex TikZ diagrams
• Massive bibliographies
• Font processing
• Package conflicts

Optimize these, and most documents will compile within limits. For complex documents that genuinely need more time, consider tools without arbitrary timeout restrictions.

Your document compiling shouldn't be a race against the clock.

Experiencing persistent timeout issues? Consider migrating to Thetapad—no compile time limits, ever.