# IguanaTex for PowerPoint: LaTeX equations with editable outputs > IguanaTex is a free PowerPoint add-in for Windows and Mac that inserts LaTeX equations into presentations. Its Picture and Shape outputs depend on LaTeX, Ghostscript, and ImageMagick, with SVG support varying across PowerPoint editions. **Jonathan-LeRoux/IguanaTex** — A PowerPoint add-in to insert LaTeX equations into PowerPoint presentations on Windows and Mac - Repository: https://github.com/Jonathan-LeRoux/IguanaTex - Website: http://www.jonathanleroux.org/software/iguanatex/ - Stars: 1,462 · Forks: 83 - Language: VBA - License: NOASSERTION - Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/jonathan-leroux-iguanatex ## IguanaTex's equation insertion scope IguanaTex solves a narrow presentation problem: putting LaTeX equations into Microsoft PowerPoint on Windows and Mac. It is intended for users who already work with LaTeX and need equation content inside slide decks, rather than people seeking a general-purpose equation editor for every office application. The README describes the add-in as free software distributed with its source code. The add-in is distributed through the repository's Releases page. That page contains the installable `.ppam` add-in and the `.pptm` source version. The distinction matters because `.ppam` is the PowerPoint add-in package intended for loading, while `.pptm` is the editable source presentation described by the project. The repository itself is primarily VBA code, with exported modules, forms, classes, and Mac-specific files visible in its top-level layout. IguanaTex is not simply a LaTeX editor inside PowerPoint. Its output model depends on external document and image tools. The Windows requirements list TeXLive or MiKTeX, GhostScript, and ImageMagick. On Mac, the requirements list MacTeX, plus a Ghostscript library for SVG and Shape support. TeX2img is optional and is used on Windows for vector output through EMF. ## IguanaTex's Windows and Mac dependency chain The repository structure reflects a PowerPoint-hosted VBA application rather than a standalone command-line renderer. VBA modules and forms provide the user interface and application logic, while files under `AppleScript/` and classes such as `MacFileSystemObject.cls` indicate that macOS integration is handled separately from ordinary VBA functionality. For Picture output, the README describes a conversion chain that begins with a LaTeX engine and an intermediate PDF file. Except when the selected engine is `Latex (DVI)`, the generated result is PDF. IguanaTex then needs GhostScript and ImageMagick to convert that intermediate PDF into PNG before inserting it into PowerPoint as a Picture object. On Windows, the add-in expects the full path to either `gswin32c.exe` or `gswin64c.exe`, and the full path to ImageMagick's `magick.exe`. The Shape path is different. The README says that SVG conversion to Shape is required by IguanaTex, and that SVG support depends on the PowerPoint edition and version. It also describes TeX2img as an optional Windows component for vector graphics through EMF. EMF is presented as available on all PowerPoint versions and as producing fully modifiable shapes, while SVG is tied to newer PowerPoint capabilities. This architecture has a practical consequence. Installing the add-in alone does not establish that every output mode is available. The LaTeX installation, conversion programs, PowerPoint version, and selected output format have to be considered together. ## Installing IguanaTex on Windows The Windows procedure begins with downloading the `.ppam` file from the repository's Releases page. Save it in a Trusted Location. The README gives `%appdata%\Microsoft\Addins` as an example, with the concrete path written as `C:\Users\user_name\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\Addins`. If Windows displays a malware warning, the documented workaround is to right-click the file, open Properties, and choose Trust. The README also suggests that downloading the `.pptm` source version, trusting it, opening it in PowerPoint, and using Save As to create a `.ppam` file may work better in some cases. After the file is in place, load it through PowerPoint. Open `File` > `Options` > `Add-Ins`, change the lower `Manage:` selection to `PowerPoint Add-Ins`, press `Go...`, select `Add New`, choose the `.ppam` file, and close the dialog. These are documented interface actions rather than a command-line installation process. IguanaTex also needs a temporary folder with read and write access. The default is `C:\Temp\`. Create that directory if permissions allow, or select another writable location from `Main Settings`. A relative path such as `.\` points to the presentation folder itself. The README does not document a command for creating the folder, so no shell command is supplied here. Finally, configure the full paths to GhostScript and ImageMagick in `Main Settings`. Use the `...` buttons to select the files so Windows expands user-specific paths correctly. The README specifically requires the command-line variants `gswin32c.exe` and `gswin64c.exe`, noting the final `c`. ## Mac requirements and PowerPoint edition boundaries Mac support covers Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. The README lists Office 365, Office 2021, PowerPoint 2019, and PowerPoint 2016, with PowerPoint 2016 requiring version `16.16.7 190210` or later. MacTeX supplies the LaTeX environment. For SVG and Shape support, the documented Ghostscript packages are `Ghostscript-10.04.0.pkg` and `Ghostscript-10.04.0-Extras.pkg`. The README adds that this separate Ghostscript requirement should no longer be necessary once MacTeX 2025 is released. The most important Mac limitation concerns volume-licensed installations. LTSC versions do not support SVG conversion to Shape, which the README identifies as required by IguanaTex. This means that a PowerPoint version can be listed as supported while a particular output workflow remains unavailable. Office 365 and recent retail versions are described as having broader SVG support, including support in Office 2019 and Office 2021. The Windows documentation contains a similar warning. SVG support is confirmed for PowerPoint 2021 at version 2108 and above, with support in PowerPoint 2019 described as likely but unconfirmed. Volume-licensed versions at version 1808 are specifically said not to support the SVG-to-Shape conversion. These are not merely historical compatibility notes. They determine whether a user can request a Shape output at all. A presentation may work with a Picture while failing when the user changes the output mode to Shape. ## Picture and Shape output choices The README gives an unusual operational recommendation: Picture generation is often faster and more robust, so it can be convenient to create a display in Picture mode first and convert it to Shape later while preserving its size. That workflow makes sense for users who need to check the equation visually before committing to editable vector output. Picture output has a defined dependency chain. LaTeX produces an intermediate PDF, and GhostScript and ImageMagick are needed to turn it into PNG for insertion. The exception is the `Latex (DVI)` engine, which the README identifies as not requiring that PDF-to-PNG route. Shape output has stricter requirements. SVG conversion to Shape requires PowerPoint support that is absent from some volume-licensed editions. The optional Windows `TeX2img` path uses EMF instead, and the README identifies the trade-off: EMF is available on all PowerPoint versions and can produce fully modifiable shapes, but SVG is the newer route described for recent editions. The README does not claim that every LaTeX package, font, or document class works equally well in both output modes. That distinction should guide evaluation. If the slides only need a stable visual equation, Picture output has fewer compatibility gates. If editors must manipulate vector components inside PowerPoint, test Shape output against the exact PowerPoint edition before distributing the presentation. ## Source layout, licensing, and maintenance status The repository is organized for tracking VBA source rather than presenting only a compiled installer. `ExportVBA.bas` exports VBA code, while forms such as `AboutBox.frm`, `BatchEditForm.frm`, `LatexForm.frm`, `RegenerateForm.frm`, and `LoadVectorGraphicsForm.frm` indicate that the project includes configuration, batch editing, LaTeX entry, regeneration, and vector-loading interfaces. Utility modules include `Macros.bas`, `Utils.bas`, `ShellWait.bas`, and `RegistryAccess.bas`. The `change.log` file provides a repository location for release history, although the README does not describe its full contents. The project is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-09-06. Recent releases include `v1.62.1` on 2025-01-30, `v1.62` on 2024-12-05, and `v1.61` on 2024-03-28. The README also identifies a Google Group for staying up to date, but it does not specify a release-monitoring automation or support SLA. The license is not a standard GitHub-classified license. GitHub reports it as `Other`, and the repository contains `LICENSE.txt`. The README says that IguanaTex is distributed for free with source code, but it does not reproduce the custom terms. Anyone considering organizational deployment should read `LICENSE.txt` rather than infer permissions from the phrase “free.” The repository's current maintenance record does not by itself establish compatibility with every future PowerPoint release. ## IguanaTex troubleshooting boundaries and first-use limits The README includes guidance for situations where IguanaTex does not work as expected and also provides a debugging section. It therefore does not support a reliable first-use walkthrough for entering an equation, selecting a LaTeX engine, choosing Picture or Shape output, or resolving a particular conversion error. Those actions should not be invented into an installation tutorial. The documented setup can still be verified directly. On Windows, confirm that the `.ppam` file is in a Trusted Location, that PowerPoint lists it under PowerPoint Add-Ins, that the temporary folder is writable, and that `Main Settings` resolves to the actual `gswin32c.exe`, `gswin64c.exe`, or `magick.exe` file. On Mac, confirm MacTeX is installed, check the PowerPoint version, and verify the Ghostscript library requirement when SVG or Shape output is needed. The first meaningful compatibility test should therefore be a small presentation using a known equation and the required output mode. The repository documentation does not specify a sample equation or a button sequence for that test, so it does not justify a more detailed claim about the insertion interface. The distinction between Picture and Shape is the first concrete boundary to verify. ## Conclusion Adopt IguanaTex when the requirement is specifically LaTeX equations inside PowerPoint and the available PowerPoint version supports the required conversion path. Do not assume that Picture, SVG, or editable Shape output will work identically in every Office edition, especially volume-licensed LTSC installations. Check the PowerPoint version, LaTeX distribution, external executable paths, temporary-folder permissions, and the custom LICENSE.txt before adding it to a managed presentation workflow. The last recorded push was on 2026-09-06, and the project is not archived. ## FAQ ### What is IguanaTex used for in PowerPoint? IguanaTex is a PowerPoint add-in for inserting LaTeX equations into presentations on Windows and Mac. It supports Picture and Shape output, subject to the documented LaTeX, conversion-tool, and PowerPoint-version requirements. ### What does IguanaTex need on Windows? The Windows requirements list TeXLive or MiKTeX, GhostScript, and ImageMagick. IguanaTex also needs a temporary folder with read and write permissions, and the full paths to `gswin32c.exe` or `gswin64c.exe` and `magick.exe` must be configured in `Main Settings`. ### Can IguanaTex create editable vector shapes in PowerPoint? Shape output is possible, but the README says SVG conversion to Shape requires PowerPoint support. Volume-licensed LTSC versions do not support that conversion, while the optional Windows `TeX2img` path uses EMF for vector graphics. ## Sources - [Issues](https://github.com/Jonathan-LeRoux/IguanaTex/issues) - [Jonathan-LeRoux/IguanaTex on GitHub](https://github.com/Jonathan-LeRoux/IguanaTex) - [Project website](http://www.jonathanleroux.org/software/iguanatex/) - [README](https://github.com/Jonathan-LeRoux/IguanaTex/blob/master/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/Jonathan-LeRoux/IguanaTex/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/jonathan-leroux-iguanatex