Frequently Asked Questions

<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <title>Frequently Asked Questions</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/MiKTeXorg.min.css?v=aV27AIW5a71kc_PA_BoC_BvVJK26cDQUK2z5btu235A" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/lib/datatables.net-bs4/css/dataTables.bootstrap4.min.css?v=ztPjgaG8n3bcMdIldOQIejiusYMjfpwcY62pCZ3UEWs" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/lib/datatables.net-responsive-bs4/css/responsive.bootstrap4.min.css?v=MRgxLFi7YW_KsPn1w8yIG43dERulfAnU0-NeWvTu4rY" /> </head> <body style="margin-top: 80px; margin-bottom: 80px;"> <header> <nav class="navbar navbar-expand-sm navbar-dark bg-dark fixed-top"> <div class="container"> <a class="navbar-brand" href="/"><img src="/images/miktex2022.svg" width="30" height="30" alt="MiKTeX"></a> <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#navbarSupportedContent" aria-controls="navbarSupportedContent" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation"> <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span> </button> <div id="navbarSupportedContent" class="navbar-collapse collapse"> <ul class="navbar-nav mr-auto"> <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/download">DOWNLOAD</a></li> <li class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" id="navbarDropdownDocs" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">DOCS</a> <div class="dropdown-menu" aria-labelledby="navbarDropdownDocs"> <a class="dropdown-item" href="/docs">Articles</a> </div> </li> <li class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" id="navbarDropdownPackages" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">PACKAGES</a> <div class="dropdown-menu" aria-labelledby="navbarDropdownPackages"> <a class="dropdown-item" href="/packages">Browse</a> <a class="dropdown-item" href="/repositories">Repositories</a> <div class="dropdown-divider"></div> <a class="dropdown-item" href="/pkg">Packaging</a> </div> </li> <li class="nav-item dropdown"> <a class="nav-link dropdown-toggle" href="#" id="navbarDropdownHelp" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false">HELP</a> <div class="dropdown-menu" aria-labelledby="navbarDropdownHelp"> <a class="dropdown-item" href="/faq">FAQ</a> <a class="dropdown-item" href="/support">Support</a> </div> </li> <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/giveback">GIVEBACK</a></li> </ul> <ul class="navbar-nav"> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </header> <div class="container"> <main role="main"> <div id="cookieConsent" class="alert alert-info alert-dismissible fade show" role="alert"> This website uses cookies to personalize content and ads. <a href="/privacy">Learn More</a> <button type="button" class="accept-policy close" data-dismiss="alert" aria-label="Close" data-cookie-string=".AspNet.Consent=yes; expires=Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:22:09 GMT; path=/; secure; samesite=none"> <span aria-hidden="true">Accept</span> </button> </div> <script> (function () { var button = document.querySelector("#cookieConsent button[data-cookie-string]"); button.addEventListener("click", function (event) { document.cookie = button.dataset.cookieString; }, false); })(); </script> <h1 class="display-4">Frequently Asked Questions</h1> <p class="leads">Answers to frequently asked questions.</p> <h2>General</h2> <div id="accordion2" class="mb-3"> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2058"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion2" href="#collapse2058" aria-controls="collapse2058"> What is MiKTeX? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2058" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2058"> <div class="card-body"> <p>MiKTeX is an implementation of TeX/LaTeX and related programs for Windows, macOS and Linux.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/what-is-miktex"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>Installation</h2> <div id="accordion4" class="mb-3"> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2062"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2062" aria-controls="collapse2062"> Which operating system is required for running MiKTeX? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2062" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2062"> <div class="card-body"> <p>MiKTeX runs natively on Windows, macOS and selected Linux distributions. Please check <a href="/kb/prerequisites">this KB article</a>, for detailed information.</p> <p>A <a href="/howto/miktex-docker">Docker image</a> is also available. This allows you to run MiKTeX on any computer that supports Docker.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/os-support"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2064"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2064" aria-controls="collapse2064"> How do I install MiKTeX on Windows? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2064" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2064"> <div class="card-body"> <p>It is recommended that you download the Basic MiKTeX Installer. This allows you set up a basic MiKTeX installation. Please see <a href="/howto/install-miktex">this tutorial</a>.</p> <p>You can download the Basic MiKTeX installer <a href="/download">here</a>.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/install-miktex-win"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2063"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2063" aria-controls="collapse2063"> How do I install MiKTeX on macOS? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2063" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2063"> <div class="card-body"> <p>MiKTeX is distributed as a macOS disk image. You can read the <a href="/howto/install-miktex-mac">tutorial</a>, to learn more.</p> <p>The disk image can be downloaded <a href="/download">here</a>.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/install-mac"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2065"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2065" aria-controls="collapse2065"> How do I install MiKTeX on Linux? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2065" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2065"> <div class="card-body"> <p>MiKTeX is available for selected Linux distributions. Please read <a href="/howto/install-miktex-unx">the tutorial</a>, for more information.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/install-miktex-unx"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2075"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2075" aria-controls="collapse2075"> I want it all! How can install all packages? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2075" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2075"> <div class="card-body"> <p>You can install all packages which are not currently installed:</p> <ol> <li>start <code>MiKTeX Console</code></li> <li>click <code>Packages</code></li> <li>sort the list view by column <code>Installed on</code> to make the following step easy</li> <li>select all packages which are not installed</li> <li>click the add button to start the installation</li> </ol> <footer> <a href="/faq/total-miktex"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2080"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2080" aria-controls="collapse2080"> Is it possible to install MiKTeX and TeX Live side-by-side? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2080" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2080"> <div class="card-body"> <p>MiKTeX and TeX Live can be installed in parallel if you observe the following.</p> <h3><code>bin</code> directories should be distinct</h3> <p>MiKTeX and TeX Live shouldn't share the same <code>bin</code> directories. On Windows, this is usually not an issue.</p> <p>On Mac/Linux, you can run this test before installing MiKTeX:</p> <pre><code>tlmgr=$(which tlmgr) if [ -z $tlmgr ]; then echo TeX Live is not installed echo OK to install MiKTeX for yourself or system-wide elif [ "$(dirname "$tlmgr")" == "/usr/local/bin" ]; then echo OK to install MiKTeX for yourself elif [ "$(dirname "$tlmgr")" == "~/bin" ]; then echo OK to install MiKTeX system-wide else echo OK to install for yourself or system-wide fi </code></pre> <h3>Switching between MiKTeX and TeX Live</h3> <p>You have to adjust the environment variable <code>PATH</code> in order to switch between MiKTeX and TeX Live. Alternatively, you can use absolute path names.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/miktex-and-texlive"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2092"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2092" aria-controls="collapse2092"> Can I install MiKTeX using the command line? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2092" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2092"> <div class="card-body"> <p>On Windows you can use the standalone version of the MiKTeX Setup Utility:</p> <pre><code>miktexsetup --package-set=basic download miktexsetup install </code></pre> <p>Visit the <a href="/download">download page</a> page to get the MiKTeX Setup Utility for Windows.</p> <p>On a Mac, you simply mount the disk image file:</p> <pre><code>sudo hdiutil attach miktex-*.dmg </code></pre> <p>On Linux, the system package manager tools are command-line oriented anyway.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/setup-cli"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2099"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion4" href="#collapse2099" aria-controls="collapse2099"> How can I uninstall MiKTeX on Windows using the command line? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2099" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2099"> <div class="card-body"> <p>It is possible to remove MiKTeX from your computer using the command line. Open a command prompt window as administrator and execute these commands:</p> <pre><code>rmdir /S /Q "%PROGRAMFILES%\MiKTeX 2.9" rmdir /S /Q "%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\MiKTeX 2.9" rmdir /S /Q "%PROGRAMDATA%\MiKTeX" rmdir /S /Q "%APPDATA%\MiKTeX" rmdir /S /Q "%LOCALAPPDATA%\MiKTeX" rmdir /S /Q "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9" rmdir /S /Q "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9" rmdir /S /Q "%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9" reg delete HKCU\Software\MiKTeX.org reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\MiKTeX.org </code></pre> <footer> <a href="/faq/uninstall-miktex-win-cli"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>Maintenance</h2> <div id="accordion5" class="mb-3"> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2068"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion5" href="#collapse2068" aria-controls="collapse2068"> How do I update my MiKTeX installation? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2068" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2068"> <div class="card-body"> <p>You can use <a href="/howto/miktex-console">MiKTeX Console</a> to get the latest package updates.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/update-miktex"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2069"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion5" href="#collapse2069" aria-controls="collapse2069"> Which is the best directory to keep my .sty files? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2069" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2069"> <div class="card-body"> <p>If you want to install your own <code>.sty</code> files, then you should copy the files into the directory <code>tex/latex/mystuff</code> relative to a new <a href="/kb/texmf-roots">TEXMF root directory</a>.</p> <p>Example (Mac/Linux):</p> <ol> <li>Create a new TEXMF root: <code>mkdir ~/mytexmf</code></li> <li>Create a sub directory: <code>mkdir -p ~/mytexmf/tex/latex/mystuff</code></li> <li>Copy your <code>.cls</code> and/or <code>.sty</code> files to <code>~/mytexmf/tex/latex/mystuff</code></li> <li>Register the TEXMF root directory <code>~/mytexmf</code></li> </ol> <p>The last step can be carried out in <a href="/howto/miktex-console">MiKTeX Console</a>.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/local-additions"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2074"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion5" href="#collapse2074" aria-controls="collapse2074"> How can I set up a local package repository? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2074" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2074"> <div class="card-body"> <p>You can create a scheduled a task (cron job) which uses the setup utility to manage a local package repository. See <a href="/howto/local-repository">this article</a>, for the details.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/local-repository"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2076"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion5" href="#collapse2076" aria-controls="collapse2076"> How can I update MiKTeX executables on Mac/Linux? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2076" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2076"> <div class="card-body"> <p>New MiKTeX binaries for Mac and Linux will be made available from time to time (say, 6 times a year).</p> <h4>Mac</h4> <p>If a new disk image (<code>.dmg</code>) is available, you can use it to reinstall the executables. Your MiKTeX configuration will not be affected.</p> <h4>Linux</h4> <p>You get new MiKTeX executables via your package management system. Either automatically, or manually:</p> <pre><code>sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade miktex </code></pre> <footer> <a href="/faq/binary-updates-mac-unx"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>Running pdfTeX, LuaTeX and XeTeX</h2> <div id="accordion6" class="mb-3"> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2071"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion6" href="#collapse2071" aria-controls="collapse2071"> How can I set the output file name? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2071" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2071"> <div class="card-body"> <p>You can use option <code>--job-name=NAME</code> to set the name of the output file.</p> <p>For example, you would run</p> <pre><code>pdflatex --job-name=dog cat.tex </code></pre> <p>to create the PDF file <code>dog.pdf</code> (instead of <code>cat.pdf</code>).</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/output-file-name"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2072"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion6" href="#collapse2072" aria-controls="collapse2072"> How can I change the output directory? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2072" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2072"> <div class="card-body"> <p>You can use the option <code>--output-directory=NAME</code> to specify an alternative location for all output files.</p> <p>For example, you would run</p> <pre><code>pdflatex --output-directory=/tmp mydoc.tex </code></pre> <p>to create the output <code>file /tmp/mydoc.pdf</code>.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/output-directory"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>Troubleshooting</h2> <div id="accordion7" class="mb-3"> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2073"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion7" href="#collapse2073" aria-controls="collapse2073"> Where does MiKTeX write the diagnostic messages? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2073" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2073"> <div class="card-body"> <p>The MiKTeX executables log their actions into <code>.log</code> files. The location of the log files depends on your OS platform. You can use <a href="/howto/miktex-console">MiKTeX Console</a>, to find out the log directory.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/log-files"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2070"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion7" href="#collapse2070" aria-controls="collapse2070"> 'X' is an unknown package </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2070" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2070"> <div class="card-body"> <p>If you find that a package is not in the package repository (and thus cannot be installed by MiKTeX): there are two possible reasons.</p> <ol> <li>It is a new package of which the MiKTeX maintainers are not aware of.</li> <li>The package's license doesn't meet the requirements of the <a href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">Debian Free Software Guidelines</a>.</li> </ol> <footer> <a href="/faq/package-missing"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>Getting Help</h2> <div id="accordion1" class="mb-3"> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2066"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion1" href="#collapse2066" aria-controls="collapse2066"> Where can I get free support? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2066" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2066"> <div class="card-body"> <p>Please visit <a href="/support">this page</a> for an overview of available support options.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/get-free-support"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2067"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion1" href="#collapse2067" aria-controls="collapse2067"> Where can I get professional support? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2067" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2067"> <div class="card-body"> <p>Please visit <a href="/support">this page</a>, if you want to get professional support (for an appropriate fee).</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/get-professional-support"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2>Legal</h2> <div id="accordion3" class="mb-3"> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2060"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion3" href="#collapse2060" aria-controls="collapse2060"> Am I allowed to redistribute MiKTeX? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2060" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2060"> <div class="card-body"> <p><em>The following text is an adaption of the “TeX Live licensing, copying, and redistribution” statement found <a href="http://tug.org/texlive/copying.html">here</a>.</em></p> <p><strong>If you want to redistribute and/or modify MiKTeX, please see the <a href="/copying">copying conditions</a>.</strong></p> <p>As a general statement, the MiKTeX maintainers agree (at least within the shared purpose of working on MiKTeX) with the general principles and philosophy of the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-intro.html">free software movement</a>.</p> <p>Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, all the software in MiKTeX meet the requirements of the Free Software Foundation's <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">definition of free software</a>, and the <a href="https://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">Debian Free Software Guidelines</a>. In the rare cases of conflict, we generally follow the FSF. Furthermore, the material in MiKTeX should not require nonfree software to be useful.</p> <p>In short, this means that all the material in MiKTeX may be freely used, copied, modified, and/or redistributed, subject to (in many cases) the sources remaining freely available.</p> <p>Of course, you must not yourself claim copyright (especially with a proprietary license) on MiKTeX just because you redistribute it. Again, see the copying conditions for more information.</p> <p>Donald Knuth released his original TeX and METAFONT programs, and Computer Modern fonts, to the public domain: <a href="ftp://tug.org/historic/files/programs/tex/tex-copyright-page.jpg">TeX copyright page</a>, <a href="ftp://tug.org/historic/files/programs/mf/mf-copyright-page.jpg">MF copyright page</a>, <a href="ftp://tug.org/historic/fonts/cm/cm-copyright-page.jpg">CM copyright page</a>, <a href="http://tug.org/TUGboat/tb11-4/tb30knut.pdf">article by DEK</a>.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/redistribute-miktex"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="card-header" id="heading2061"> <div class="card-title"> <a role="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion3" href="#collapse2061" aria-controls="collapse2061"> Am I allowed to make profit with MiKTeX? </a> </div> </div> <div id="collapse2061" class="collapse" aria-labelledby="heading2061"> <div class="card-body"> <p>Yes, see the <a href="/copying">copying conditions</a>.</p> <footer> <a href="/faq/make-money-miktex"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-link"></i> Permalink</a> </footer> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> </div> <footer> <nav class="navbar navbar-expand-sm navbar-light bg-light fixed-bottom"> <div class="container"> <span class="navbar-text">© 2023 Christian Schenk</span> <button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#navbarSupportedContent2" aria-controls="navbarSupportedContent2" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation"> <span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span> </button> <div id="navbarSupportedContent2" class="navbar-collapse collapse"> <ul class="navbar-nav ml-auto"> <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/copying">License</a></li> <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/datenschutzerklaerung">Datenschutzerklärung</a></li> <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/widerrufsbelehrung">Widerrufsbelehrung</a></li> <li class="nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="/impressum">Impressum</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </footer> <script src="/lib/jquery/jquery.min.js?v=o88AwQnZB-VDvE9tvIXrMQaPlFFSUTR-nldQm1LuPXQ"></script> <script src="/lib/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.min.js?v=QjIXq_h3XOotww-h_j4cXiTcNZqA8cN60pqGCUv-gdE"></script> <script src="/js/MiKTeXorg.min.js?v=3A1XecezJQiQfG940gV-KhPe9rPJLScvQNKR9mmWcWg"></script> <script defer src="/js/fontawesome.min.js"></script> <script defer src="/js/packs/brands.min.js"></script> <script defer src="/js/packs/solid.min.js"></script> </body> </html>

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