Leaving Overleaf? How to Export Your Projects Without Breaking Anything

Time to Move On?

The breaking point is different for everyone:

• Your thesis hit the compile timeout for the third time this week
• You're traveling and need to work offline
• The free tier queue during NeurIPS deadline week is... not fast
• IT asked uncomfortable questions about where your HIPAA data is going

Whatever brought you here, you've decided to try something else. Good news: migration takes about 5 minutes per project, and everything you have works exactly the same in a local-first editor.

Here's the step-by-step process.

Before You Start

What You'll Need

• Access to your Overleaf account
• A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari)
• Your projects ready to export

What Gets Transferred

When you export from Overleaf, you get:

• All .tex source files
• Images and figures
• Bibliography files (.bib)
• Custom style files (.sty, .cls)
• Any other files in your project

Everything you need to compile your document comes along for the ride.

Step 1: Export from Overleaf

Single Project Export

1. Open your project in Overleaf
2. Click the Menu button (top left)
3. Select Download → Source
4. Save the ZIP file to your computer

That's it. You now have a complete copy of your project.

Bulk Export (Multiple Projects)

If you have many projects, you can export them all:

1. Go to your Overleaf project list
2. Select multiple projects using the checkboxes
3. Click Download to get them as ZIP files

Alternatively, if you've connected Overleaf to GitHub or Dropbox, your projects may already be synced there.

Step 2: Import into Thetapad

Method 1: Drag and Drop

The simplest approach:

1. Open Thetapad in your browser
2. Go to My Projects
3. Drag your ZIP file onto the project list
4. Wait for the import to complete

Your project appears with all files intact.

Method 2: Create and Upload

If you prefer more control:

1. Click New Project
2. Choose Import from ZIP
3. Select your exported file
4. Name your project
5. Click Import

Method 3: GitHub Import

If your Overleaf project syncs to GitHub:

1. Click New Project
2. Choose Import from GitHub
3. Authorize access to your repository
4. Select the repository containing your project
5. Click Import

This also sets up ongoing sync with your GitHub repo.

Step 3: Verify Compilation

After importing, always verify that your document compiles correctly:

1. Open the imported project
2. Click the Compile button (or press Ctrl/Cmd + Enter)
3. Check that the PDF renders properly
4. Review any warnings or errors

Common Issues and Fixes

Missing packages

Some packages may need to be available. Thetapad includes most common packages, but if something is missing:

• Check the error message for the package name
• Most standard packages (amsmath, graphicx, hyperref, etc.) are included
• Custom packages should be in your project folder

Font issues

If your document uses custom fonts:

• Standard LaTeX fonts work out of the box
• For custom fonts, include the font files in your project
• Consider using system-available alternatives

Bibliography not compiling

If references aren't appearing:

• Ensure your .bib file was included in the export
• Check that \bibliography{} points to the correct filename
• Run compilation twice (BibTeX needs multiple passes)

Step 4: Set Up Your Workflow

Now that your project is imported, optimize your workflow:

Enable Auto-Compile

For instant feedback as you type:

1. Open Settings
2. Enable Auto-compile on save
3. Adjust the delay if needed

Configure Keyboard Shortcuts

Thetapad supports common shortcuts:

• Ctrl/Cmd + Enter - Compile
• Ctrl/Cmd + S - Save
• Ctrl/Cmd + / - Toggle comment
• Ctrl/Cmd + B - Bold (in math mode)

Set Up Collaboration

If you work with co-authors:

1. Click Share on your project
2. Copy the collaboration link
3. Send it to your collaborators
4. They can join and edit in real-time

No accounts required for collaborators—they just need the link.

Tips for a Smooth Transition

Keep Overleaf as Backup (Initially)

Don't delete your Overleaf projects right away:

• Keep them for a few weeks as backup
• Compare outputs to ensure nothing is missing
• Delete only after you're confident in the migration

Start with a Simple Project

If you have many projects, start with a simple one:

• Choose a single-file document first
• Verify everything works
• Then migrate more complex projects

Check Your Bibliography

Bibliography files sometimes cause issues:

• Open your .bib file and check for encoding issues
• Ensure special characters are properly escaped
• Verify that all cited keys exist in the file

Test Offline Mode

One of the main benefits of local-first editing is offline support:

1. Disconnect from the internet
2. Make some edits
3. Compile your document
4. Verify everything works offline

What About My Overleaf History?

Overleaf's version history doesn't export directly. However:

• Your current project state is fully preserved
• Future version control happens through Git (if enabled)
• Consider committing your imported project to Git immediately

To enable Git tracking:

1. Open your project
2. Go to Settings → Version Control
3. Enable Git sync
4. Your changes are now tracked

Migrating Team Projects

For projects with multiple collaborators:

1. Coordinate the switch - Agree on a transition date
2. Export the latest version - Make sure all changes are saved
3. Import to the new editor - One person does this
4. Share with the team - Send the new collaboration link
5. Deprecate the old project - Mark the Overleaf version as archived

Communication is key—make sure everyone knows where the "live" version is.

Conclusion

Migrating from Overleaf is simpler than you might expect:

1. Export as ZIP
2. Import into Thetapad
3. Verify compilation
4. Continue working

The whole process takes minutes, not hours. And once you're set up, you'll enjoy faster compilation, offline access, and complete privacy.

Your LaTeX skills transfer completely—only the editor changes. Welcome to local-first editing!