How to Download and Install the memoir Class in MiKTeX

The LaTeX memoir document class is distributed in a package named memoir. If you use MiKTeX, you usually do not need to download and place class files yourself: install the package through MiKTeX Console, then use memoir in your document.

The instructions below are for Windows, where MiKTeX Console is commonly used. The same package is also available from CTAN for other TeX distributions or for inspecting the distribution files.

Install memoir through MiKTeX Console

1. Open MiKTeX Console from the Start menu.
2. Select the mode that matches how MiKTeX was installed. Choose user mode for a per-user installation or administrator mode for a shared system-wide installation. If the console opens in a mode that does not show or manage your TeX installation, close it and start the matching mode.
3. Open Packages and search for memoir.
4. Select the package and choose Install. If MiKTeX asks whether to install missing packages when a document is compiled, you can also allow that option; the first compilation that needs memoir can then prompt MiKTeX to install it.

Package lists and interface labels can differ slightly between MiKTeX versions. If memoir does not appear in the search, check that MiKTeX Console is connected to a package repository and refresh the package database or update MiKTeX before searching again.

Check that the class works

Save this complete test as memoir-test.tex:

\documentclass{memoir}

\begin{document}
Hello from the memoir class.
\end{document}

Compile it with your usual LaTeX editor or a command such as pdflatex memoir-test.tex. A successful run creates a PDF. The key line is \documentclass{memoir}: it asks LaTeX to load the memoir class, so it tests the installation directly.

If LaTeX reports File 'memoir.cls' not found, the class is not available to the LaTeX installation doing the compilation. Install the package in the same MiKTeX installation and mode used by your editor. Having multiple TeX distributions installed can cause an editor to run a different pdflatex than expected.

Downloading from CTAN instead

The memoir package page on CTAN provides the distribution files and documentation. Use this route if you need the files directly, want to inspect the manual, or are using a TeX system other than MiKTeX. For a standard MiKTeX setup, the package manager is generally easier and keeps the files in the location MiKTeX expects.

A download is not necessarily installed just because the archive has been saved or extracted. In particular, avoid copying individual files into a random TeX directory: LaTeX may not find them, and later updates can become difficult to manage. If you must install a local copy, follow MiKTeX’s guidance for a local TeX tree and refresh its file-name database after placing the files. Do not mix files from a manual copy with a package-manager installation unless you have a specific reason.

Common mistakes

• Searching for memoir.cls in the package manager: Search for the package name, memoir; the class file is supplied by that package.
• Installing in the wrong mode: A package installed for one user or MiKTeX mode may not be available to another. Use the same installation context as the compiler.
• Assuming the editor installs LaTeX packages: Editors such as TeXworks or TeXstudio call a TeX distribution. Install the package in MiKTeX, not merely in the editor.
• Downloading a source archive and stopping there: The archive must be installed in a place MiKTeX searches. For ordinary use, installing from MiKTeX Console is less error-prone.
• Using a different TeX distribution at compile time: If MiKTeX Console says the package is installed but LaTeX still cannot find it, check which pdflatex command your editor is invoking.