# Installing pandoc

The simplest way to get the latest pandoc release is to use the installer.

<a href="https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/releases/latest"
  class="btn btn-primary" id="downloadInstallerBtn">
  Download the latest installer
</a>

For alternative ways to install pandoc, see below
under the heading for your operating system.

## Windows

There is a package installer at pandoc's [download page].
This will install pandoc, replacing older versions, and
update your path to include the directory where pandoc's
binaries are installed.

If you prefer not to use the msi installer, we also provide
a zip file that contains pandoc's binaries and
documentation.  Simply unzip this file and move the binaries
to a directory of your choice.

Alternatively, you can install pandoc using
[Chocolatey](https://chocolatey.org):

    choco install pandoc

Chocolatey can also install other software that integrates with Pandoc.
For example, to install `rsvg-convert` (from [librsvg], covering formats
without SVG support), [Python] (to use Pandoc filters), and
[MiKTeX] (to typeset PDFs with [LaTeX]):

    choco install rsvg-convert python miktex
    
Or, you can install pandoc using
[winget](https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs):

    winget install --source winget --exact --id JohnMacFarlane.Pandoc

Using multiple installation methods can result in two separate
installations of pandoc; it is recommended to properly uninstall
pandoc before switching to an alternative installation method.

By default, Pandoc creates PDFs using LaTeX.  We recommend
installing it via [MiKTeX]. With the option `--pdf-engine`,
you however can specify other programs for this task.

## macOS

There is a package installer at pandoc's [download page].
If you later want to uninstall the package, you can do so
by downloading [this script][uninstaller]
and running it with `perl uninstall-pandoc.pl`.

Alternatively, you can install pandoc using
[Homebrew](https://brew.sh):

     brew install pandoc

Homebrew can also install other software that integrates with Pandoc.
For example, to install [librsvg] (its `rsvg-convert` covers formats
without SVG support), [Python] (to use Pandoc filters), and
[BasicTeX] (to typeset PDFs with [LaTeX]):

     brew install librsvg python homebrew/cask/basictex

Note: On unsupported versions of macOS (more than three releases old),
Homebrew installs from source, which takes additional time and disk space
for the `ghc` compiler and dependent Haskell libraries.

We also provide a zip file containing the binaries and man
pages, for those who prefer not to use the installer.  Simply
unzip the file and move the binaries and man pages to
whatever directory you like.

By default, Pandoc creates PDFs using LaTeX.  Because a full [MacTeX]
installation uses four gigabytes of disk space, we recommend
[BasicTeX] or [TinyTeX](https://yihui.org/tinytex/)
and using the `tlmgr` tool to install additional packages
as needed.  If you receive errors warning of fonts not found:

    tlmgr install collection-fontsrecommended

With the option `--pdf-engine`, you however can specify other programs
for this task.

## Linux

Check whether the pandoc version in your package manager is
not outdated. Pandoc is in the [Debian], [Ubuntu], [Slackware],
[Arch], [Fedora], [NiXOS], [openSUSE], [gentoo] and [Void] repositories.

To get the latest release, we provide a binary package for amd64
architecture on the **[download page]**.

The executable is statically linked and
has no dynamic dependencies or dependencies on external
data files.  Note:  because of the static
linking, the pandoc binary from this package cannot use lua
filters that require external lua modules written in C.

Both a tarball and a deb installer are provided.  To install the deb:

    sudo dpkg -i $DEB

where `$DEB` is the path to the downloaded deb.  This will
install the `pandoc` executable and man page.

If you use an RPM-based distro, you may be able to install
the deb from our download page using `alien`.

On any distro, you may install from the tarball into `$DEST`
(say, `/usr/local/` or `$HOME/.local`) by doing

    tar xvzf $TGZ --strip-components 1 -C $DEST

where `$TGZ` is the path to the downloaded zipped tarball.
For Pandoc versions before 2.0, which don't provide
a tarball, try instead

    ar p $DEB data.tar.gz | tar xvz --strip-components 2 -C $DEST

You can also install from source, using the
instructions below under [Compiling from source].
Note that most distros have the Haskell platform in their
package repositories.  For example, on Debian/Ubuntu,
you can install it with `apt-get install haskell-platform`.

By default, Pandoc creates PDFs using LaTeX.  We recommend installing
[TeX Live](https://www.tug.org/texlive/) via your package
manager.  (On Debian/Ubuntu, `apt-get install texlive`.)  With the option
`--pdf-engine`, you however can specify other programs for this task.

## Chrome OS

On Chrome OS, pandoc can be installed using the
[chromebrew](https://github.com/skycocker/chromebrew) package manager
with the command:

```sh
crew install pandoc
```

This will automatically build and configure pandoc for the specific
device you are using.

## BSD

Pandoc is in the [NetBSD] and [FreeBSD ports] repositories.

## Docker

The official Docker images for pandoc can be found at
<https://github.com/pandoc/dockerfiles> and at
[dockerhub](https://hub.docker.com/).

The [pandoc/core](https://hub.docker.com/r/pandoc/core)
image contains `pandoc`.

The [pandoc/latex](https://hub.docker.com/r/pandoc/latex)
image also contains the minimal LaTeX installation needed
to produce PDFs using pandoc.

To run pandoc using Docker, converting `README.md` to `README.pdf`:

    docker run --rm --volume "`pwd`:/data" --user `id -u`:`id -g` pandoc/latex README.md -o README.pdf

## GitHub Actions

Pandoc can be run through
[GitHub Actions](https://github.com/features/actions).  For some
examples, see <https://github.com/pandoc/pandoc-action-example>.

## GitLab CI/CD

Pandoc can be run through [GitLab CI/CD].  For some
examples, see <https://gitlab.com/pandoc/pandoc-ci-example>.

## Compiling from source

If for some reason a binary package is not available for your
platform, or if you want to hack on pandoc or use a non-released
version, you can install from source.

### Getting the pandoc source code

Source tarballs can be found at
<https://hackage.haskell.org/package/pandoc>.  For example, to
fetch the source for version 1.17.0.3:

    wget https://hackage.haskell.org/package/pandoc-1.17.0.3/pandoc-1.17.0.3.tar.gz
    tar xvzf pandoc-1.17.0.3.tar.gz
    cd pandoc-1.17.0.3

Or you can fetch the development code by cloning the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/jgm/pandoc
    cd pandoc

Note:  there may be times when the development code is broken
or depends on other libraries which must be installed
separately.  Unless you really know what you're doing, install
the last released version.

### Quick stack method

The easiest way to build pandoc from source is to use [stack][stack]:

1.  Install [stack][stack]. Note that Pandoc requires stack >= 1.7.0.

2.
        stack setup
        stack install pandoc-cli

    `stack setup` will automatically download the ghc compiler
    if you don't have it.  `stack install` will install the
    `pandoc` executable into `~/.local/bin`, which you should
    add to your `PATH`.  This process will take a while, and
    will consume a considerable amount of disk space.


### Quick cabal method

1.  Install [ghcup](https://www.haskell.org/ghcup/install/).
    This will give you `ghc` and `cabal`.

2.  Update your package database:

        cabal update

3.  Use `cabal` to install pandoc and its dependencies:

        cabal install pandoc-cli

    This procedure will install the released version of pandoc,
    which will be downloaded automatically from HackageDB.
    The `pandoc` executable will be placed in `$HOME/.cabal/bin`
    on linux/unix/macOS and in `%APPDATA%\cabal\bin` on Windows.
    Make sure this directory is in your path.

    If you want to install a modified or development version of
    pandoc instead, switch to the source directory before running
    the above command -- cabal will use the local code for all
    projects mentioned in the `cabal.project`.

4.  You should now be able to run `pandoc`:

        pandoc --help

5.  Cabal does not install the `pandoc.1` man page, but you can
    copy it from the `man/` directory of the source code to
    `/usr/local/share/man/man1/` or wherever man pages go on
    your system.


### Custom cabal method

This is a step-by-step procedure that offers maximal control
over the build and installation.  Most users should use the
quick install, but this information may be of use to packagers.
For more details, see the [Cabal User's Guide].  These instructions
assume that the pandoc source directory is your working directory.
You will need cabal version 2.0 or higher.

1.  Install dependencies:  in addition to the [Haskell platform],
    you will need a number of additional libraries.  You can install
    them all with

        cabal update
        cabal install --only-dependencies

2.  Configure:

        cabal configure --prefix=DIR --bindir=DIR --libdir=DIR \
          --datadir=DIR --libsubdir=DIR --datasubdir=DIR --docdir=DIR \
          --htmldir=DIR --program-prefix=PREFIX --program-suffix=SUFFIX \
          --mandir=DIR --flags=FLAGSPEC --enable-tests

    All of the options have sensible defaults that can be overridden
    as needed.

    `FLAGSPEC` is a list of Cabal configuration flags, optionally
    preceded by a `-` (to force the flag to `false`), and separated
    by spaces.  `pandoc`'s flags include:

    - `embed_data_files`: embed all data files into the binary (default no).
      This is helpful if you want to create a relocatable binary.

    `pandoc-cli`'s flags include:

    - `lua`:  compile in support for Lua filters and custom
      writers.

    - `server`:  compile in support for running in HTTP server
      mode when the executable is renamed (or symlinked as)
      `pandoc-server`.

3.  Build:

        cabal build
        cabal test

4.  Build API documentation:

        cabal haddock --html-location=URL --hyperlink-source


### Creating a relocatable binary

It is possible to compile pandoc such that the data files
pandoc uses are embedded in the binary.  The resulting binary
can be run from any directory and is completely self-contained.
With cabal, add `-fembed_data_files` to the `cabal configure`
or `cabal install` commands.

With stack, use `--flag pandoc:embed_data_files`.



### Running tests

Pandoc comes with an automated test suite.
To run with cabal, `cabal test`; to run with stack, `stack
test`.

To run particular tests (pattern-matching on their names), use
the `-p` option:

    cabal test --test-options='-p markdown'

Or with stack:

    stack test --test-arguments='-p markdown'

It is often helpful to add `-j4` (run tests in parallel)
and `--hide-successes` (don't clutter output with successes)
to the test arguments as well.

If you add a new feature to pandoc, please add tests as well, following
the pattern of the existing tests. The test suite code is in
`test/test-pandoc.hs`. If you are adding a new reader or writer, it is
probably easiest to add some data files to the `test` directory, and
modify `test/Tests/Old.hs`. Otherwise, it is better to modify the module
under the `test/Tests` hierarchy corresponding to the pandoc module you
are changing.

### Running benchmarks

To build and run the benchmarks:

    cabal configure --enable-benchmarks && cabal build
    cabal bench

or with stack:

    stack bench

To use a smaller sample size so the benchmarks run faster:

    cabal bench --benchmark-options='-s 20'

To run just the markdown benchmarks:

    cabal bench --benchmark-options='markdown'


[Arch]: https://archlinux.org/packages/?q=pandoc
[Cabal User's Guide]: https://cabal.readthedocs.io/
[Debian]: https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=pandoc
[Fedora]: https://packages.fedoraproject.org/pkgs/pandoc/pandoc/
[FreeBSD ports]: https://www.freshports.org/textproc/hs-pandoc/
[GHC]:  https://www.haskell.org/ghc/
[GitLab CI/CD]: https://about.gitlab.com/stages-devops-lifecycle/continuous-integration/
[Haskell platform]: https://hackage.haskell.org/platform/
[MacPorts]: https://trac.macports.org/browser/trunk/dports/textproc/pandoc/Portfile
[MacTeX]: https://tug.org/mactex/
[BasicTeX]: https://www.tug.org/mactex/morepackages.html
[LaTeX]: https://www.latex-project.org
[MiKTeX]: https://miktex.org/
[librsvg]: https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/LibRsvg
[Python]: https://www.python.org
[NetBSD]: https://pkgsrc.se/converters/pandoc
[NixOS]: https://search.nixos.org/packages?query=pandoc
[Slackware]: https://www.slackbuilds.org/result/?search=pandoc&sv=
[Ubuntu]: https://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=pandoc
[download page]: https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/releases/latest
[gentoo]: https://packages.gentoo.org/package/app-text/pandoc
[haskell repository]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Haskell_Package_Guidelines#.5Bhaskell.5D
[openSUSE]: https://software.opensuse.org/package/pandoc
[source tarball]: https://hackage.haskell.org/package/pandoc
[stack]: https://docs.haskellstack.org/en/stable/install_and_upgrade.html
[cabal-install]: https://hackage.haskell.org/package/cabal-install
[Void]: https://voidlinux.org/packages/?arch=x86_64&q=pandoc
[uninstaller]: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jgm/pandoc/main/macos/uninstall-pandoc.pl