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MiKTeX on Windows 11 - ps2eps missing; find ps2epsi.exe

Basic MiKTeX on Windows 11 doesn't include ps2eps. Find ps2epsi.exe in MiKTeX bin (AppData or Program Files), plus steps to test or install ps2eps alternatives.

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Where is the ps2eps executable located after installing basic-miktex-25.12-x64.exe on Windows 11? I can’t find it in the MiKTeX installation.

Basic MiKTeX installations on Windows 11, like the basic-miktex-25.12-x64.exe package, don’t include the ps2eps executable by default—it’s simply not packaged anymore. You’ll find ps2epsi.exe instead, tucked away in the MiKTeX bin directory, usually something like C:\Users[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Programs\MiKTeX\miktex\bin\x64\ps2epsi.exe. This swap happened because MiKTeX ditched ps2eps (which needed Perl and pdfcrop) for the lighter ps2epsi from Ghostscript integration.

Contents

MiKTeX Windows 11 Installation Basics

Ever installed MiKTeX on Windows 11 and wondered why your LaTeX workflow hits a snag right out of the gate? The basic-miktex-25.12-x64.exe is a lightweight download—great for quick setups—but it skips a ton of extras to keep things lean. Clocking in under 200MB, it grabs only core TeX engines and leaves fancier tools for on-demand installation.

Think about it: on modern Windows 11 rigs with their beefy SSDs, who wants a multi-GB TeX Live behemoth? MiKTeX shines here with its package manager that pulls just what you need. After running the installer (double-click, next-next-finish), it lands in a user-specific spot by default—no admin rights drama. Typical path? C:\Users[username]\AppData\Local\Programs\MiKTeX. Poke around miktex\bin\x64 and you’ll spot essentials like pdflatex.exe, but not every utility.

And MiKTeX install habits have evolved. As of early 2026, the basic package prioritizes stability over bloat. Search volumes for “miktex windows” (78 monthly) and “miktex скачать для windows 11” (17) show folks still hunting these files. Pro tip: during setup, check “Install missing packages on-the-fly” to avoid future headaches.

Why ps2eps is Missing from Basic MiKTeX

Here’s the kicker—ps2eps vanished from MiKTeX distributions ages ago. Dig into old threads, and you’ll see why: it relied on Perl interpreters and pdfcrop, which MiKTeX doesn’t bundle anymore. Instead, they point to ps2epsi, a Ghostscript script that’s already baked in.

A SourceForge discussion on LaTeXDraw nails it: “Argh, I do not know why but ps2eps is not provided by Miktex anymore! … I commited a fix to use ps2epsi instead.” Spot on. MiKTeX’s Ghostscript fork (MGS) ships ps2epsi.exe and even batch wrappers, but ps2eps? Nope.

Why the change? Bounding box calculations. CTAN’s ps2eps page explains ps2eps used 144 dpi scans for precision, but ps2epsi (from Ghostscript) handles most PostScript-to-EPS conversions without the Perl hassle. On Windows, batch files in MiKTeX try to invoke ps2eps and fail spectacularly—hence those “command not found” errors in logs.

Basic MiKTeX keeps it simple. No Perl, no extras. Searches for “ps2eps miktex” spike because tools like TikZ externalize or abc2ps expect it. But relax—ps2epsi does 90% of the job.

Locating ps2epsi in Your MiKTeX Install

Ready to hunt? Fire up File Explorer on your Windows 11 machine. Default MiKTeX path post-basic-miktex-25.12-x64.exe install:

  1. Hit Windows key, type %LocalAppData%\Programs\MiKTeX and Enter.
  2. Dive into miktex\bin\x64.
  3. There it is: ps2epsi.exe.

Not seeing it? Your install might be system-wide (rare for basic). Check C:\Program Files\MiKTeX\miktex\bin\x64. Or use PowerShell: Get-ChildItem -Path "${env:LOCALAPPDATA}\Programs\MiKTeX\miktex\bin" -Recurse -Name "*ps2eps*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue. It’ll spit out ps2epsi paths.

A LaTeX.org forum post gripes about this exact confusion: “I can locate a batch file as part of Ghostscript and of MiKTeX… as well as an executable as part of MiKTeX.” Yeah, the .exe lives in bin\x64. Test it: open CMD, ps2epsi --help. If PATH includes MiKTeX (it should post-install), you’re golden.

On Windows 11, UAC and hidden AppData folders trip people up. Unhide them in Explorer View settings. And for 64-bit? Stick to x64 subfolder—32-bit apps won’t cut it.

Using MiKTeX Console for Package Management

MiKTeX Console is your Swiss Army knife. Searches for “miktex console” (15) prove it’s a hot topic. Launch it from Start Menu > MiKTeX Console.

What can it do for ps2eps woes?

  • Check packages: Tasks > Packages. Search “ghostscript”. MGS (MiKTeX Ghostscript) should show installed.
  • Refresh paths: User mode > Refresh file name database.
  • Install extras: Hunt “ps2eps”—it’ll fail, confirming absence. Grab Perl via Tasks > MiKTeX Console > Packages if desperate.

From a TeX Stack Exchange thread, errors scream: “Der Befehl ‘ps2eps’ ist entweder falsch geschrieben…” Console logs point to epstopdf.log in %LocalAppData%\MiKTeX\2.9\miktex\log.

Batch tweak? Edit scripts calling ps2eps to use ps2epsi. Works like a charm, as devs fixed in tools like LaTeXDraw.

MiKTeX updates (15 searches) keep this humming. Run Console > Check for updates weekly—Ghostscript tweaks land there.

Alternatives if You Need ps2eps Specifically

Stuck needing true ps2eps? Don’t sweat. Perl Monks flags Strawberry Perl + ps2eps script as a fix: download from CTAN, drop in PATH.

Steps:

  1. Install Strawberry Perl—lightweight, Windows-native.
  2. cpan Ghostscript::Font::AFM::PFA or grab ps2eps.pl from CTAN.
  3. Add to PATH: C:\Strawberry\perl\bin.

Or Ghostscript standalone: Download GS 10.x, ps2eps lives in bin\ps2eps.bat. But MiKTeX’s ps2epsi mimics it close enough—another Stack Exchange uses dvips + ps2eps in TikZ, swaps seamlessly.

Tex Live fans? “texlive vs miktex” (5 searches) debates rage, but MiKTeX wins on Windows integration. For EPS, Inkscape or ImageMagick (convert -density 300 file.ps file.eps) sidestep entirely.

Troubleshooting Common Issues on Windows

Windows 11 quirks? PATH mangling tops the list. Post-install, restart Explorer or log out/in. CMD test: where ps2epsi. Nothing? Add manually: System Properties > Environment Variables > Path > Edit > New > %LocalAppData%\Programs\MiKTeX\miktex\bin\x64.

Logs lie everywhere. TikZ external? Check \image.ps buildup. ABC package fails? That Stack post shows abcm2ps.ps needing ps2eps—swap to ps2epsi in Makefile.

Antivirus nuking exes? Windows Defender scans MiKTeX bins—add exclusion. Russian users ( “miktex русский” 27) hit encoding snags; Console > Settings > Language > English.

Batch woes? MiKTeX ps2epsi.bat calls Ghostscript guts. Edit if needed: gs -sDEVICE=epswrite ....

PowerShell one-liner for paths: dir "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\MiKTeX\miktex\bin*\ps2*eps*" /s. Boom, locations galore.

Still lost? Forums buzz—latex miktex (64) queries flood Stack Exchange.

Sources

  1. LaTeXDraw Discussion on SourceForge
  2. ps2epsi.exe Discussion on LaTeX.org
  3. ABC Package Issue on TeX Stack Exchange
  4. ps2eps / MiKTeX on Perl Monks
  5. ps2eps Package on CTAN
  6. TikZ EPS Creation on TeX Stack Exchange

Conclusion

Bottom line: Skip chasing ps2eps ghosts in basic MiKTeX on Windows 11—grab ps2epsi.exe from miktex\bin\x64 and call it a day. MiKTeX’s design favors this lean approach, saving headaches down the line. Tweak your scripts, lean on Console for updates, and your LaTeX-to-EPS pipeline hums smoothly.

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MiKTeX on Windows 11 - ps2eps missing; find ps2epsi.exe