In some older org files I was updating, I ran into an error involving
dvipng and previews. In the latest org version, this minimum
example will trigger the error:
"""
#+LATEX_COMPILER:xelatex
Here is a formula: $x^2$.
"""
Opening this file, and issuing `org-latex-preview` will trigger an
error:
"org-compile-file: File "/tmp/orgtexrMvaP3.dvi" wasn’t produced
Please adjust ‘dvipng’ part of ‘org-preview-latex-process-alist’."
>From what I can tell, `fontspec` is being included in the preview
snippet, but `latex` is being used by the dvipng default process.
The triggering issue seems to be files that include the
"#+LATEX_COMPILER:xelatex" setting.
Removing this line and previews will load as expected.
Alternatively, (setq-preview-latex-default-process `xelatex) also seems
to address the issue as well, and previews will load.
I am not certain if this is a bug introduced in the way the defaults
have changed (now org uses xelatex by default to support unicode) and
the dvipng default process was left unchanged, or is the current
intentional
behavior.
Happy to look into this more if needed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emacs : GNU Emacs 31.1 (build 2, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
3.24.41, cairo version 1.18.0)
of 2026-09-29
Package: Org mode version 9.8.10 (9.8.10-80c431 @
/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/)
current state:
==============
(setq
org-yank-image-file-name-function 'org-yank-image-autogen-filename
org-persist-before-write-hook '(org-element--cache-persist-before-write)
org-html-format-headline-function
'org-html-format-headline-default-function
org-html-format-drawer-function #[514 "\207" [] 3
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ox-html.elc" . 24591)]
org-latex-format-inlinetask-function
'org-latex-format-inlinetask-default-function
org-speed-command-hook '(org-speed-command-activate
org-babel-speed-command-activate)
org-persist-after-read-hook '(org-element--cache-persist-after-read)
org-confirm-elisp-link-function 'yes-or-no-p
org-latex-format-headline-function
'org-latex-format-headline-default-function
org-latex-format-drawer-function #[514 "\207" [] 3
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ox-latex.elc" . 37886)]
org-mode-hook '(#[0 "\300\301\302\303\304$\207"
[add-hook change-major-mode-hook org-fold-show-all append local] 5]
#[0 "\300\301\302\303\304$\207"
[add-hook change-major-mode-hook org-babel-show-result-all append local]
5]
org-babel-result-hide-spec org-babel-hide-all-hashes)
org-confirm-shell-link-function 'yes-or-no-p
org-odt-format-headline-function 'org-odt-format-headline-default-function
org-archive-hook '(org-attach-archive-delete-maybe)
org-metaup-hook '(org-babel-load-in-session-maybe)
org-occur-hook '(org-first-headline-recenter)
org-html-format-inlinetask-function
'org-html-format-inlinetask-default-function
org-ascii-format-drawer-function #[771 " \207" [] 4
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ox-ascii.elc" . 13302)]
org-bibtex-headline-format-function 'org-bibtex-headline-format-default
org-link-parameters '(("attachment" :follow org-attach-follow :complete
org-attach-complete-link
:preview org-attach-preview-file)
("id" :follow org-id-open :store org-id-store-link-maybe :complete
org-id-complete :insert-description org-id-description)
("eww" :follow org-eww-open :store org-eww-store-link)
("rmail" :follow org-rmail-open :store org-rmail-store-link)
("mhe" :follow org-mhe-open :store org-mhe-store-link)
("irc" :follow org-irc-visit :store org-irc-store-link :export
org-irc-export)
("info" :follow org-info-open :export org-info-export :store
org-info-store-link :insert-description org-info-description-as-command)
("gnus" :follow org-gnus-open :store org-gnus-store-link)
("docview" :follow org-docview-open :export org-docview-export :store
org-docview-store-link)
("bibtex" :follow org-bibtex-open :store org-bibtex-store-link)
("bbdb" :follow org-bbdb-open :export org-bbdb-export :complete
org-bbdb-complete-link :insert-description org-bbdb-describe-link :store
org-bbdb-store-link)
("w3m" :store org-w3m-store-link)
("doi" :follow org-link-doi-open :export org-link-doi-export)
("file+sys")
("file+emacs") ("shell" :follow org-link--open-shell)
("news" :follow
#[514 "\301\300\302 Q \"\207" ["news" browse-url ":"] 6
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ol.elc" . 79308)]
)
("mailto" :follow
#[514 "\301\300\302 Q \"\207" ["mailto" browse-url ":"] 6
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ol.elc" . 79308)]
)
("https" :follow
#[514 "\301\300\302 Q \"\207" ["https" browse-url ":"] 6
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ol.elc" . 79308)]
)
("http" :follow
#[514 "\301\300\302 Q \"\207" ["http" browse-url ":"] 6
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ol.elc" . 79308)]
)
("ftp" :follow
#[514 "\301\300\302 Q \"\207" ["ftp" browse-url ":"] 6
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ol.elc" . 79308)]
)
("shortdoc" :follow org-link--open-shortdoc :store
org-link--store-shortdoc
:complete org-link--complete-shortdoc)
("help" :follow org-link--open-help :store org-link--store-help)
("file" :complete org-link-complete-file :preview
org-link-preview-file)
("elisp" :follow org-link--open-elisp))
org-persist-directory "/tmp/org-persist-lGuxbV"
org-cycle-tab-first-hook '(org-babel-hide-result-toggle-maybe
org-babel-header-arg-expand)
org-agenda-before-write-hook '(org-agenda-add-entry-text)
org-metadown-hook '(org-babel-pop-to-session-maybe)
org-tab-first-hook '(org-babel-hide-result-toggle-maybe
org-babel-header-arg-expand)
org-sort-function 'string-collate-lessp
org--warnings nil
org-babel-pre-tangle-hook '(save-buffer)
org-export-before-parsing-hook '(org-attach-expand-links)
org-link-shell-confirm-function 'yes-or-no-p
org-fold-core-isearch-open-function 'org-fold--isearch-reveal
outline-isearch-open-invisible-function 'outline-isearch-open-invisible
org-src-mode-hook '(org-src-babel-configure-edit-buffer
org-src-mode-configure-edit-buffer)
org-agenda-loop-over-headlines-in-active-region nil
org-link-elisp-confirm-function 'yes-or-no-p
org-odt-format-inlinetask-function
'org-odt-format-inlinetask-default-function
org-src-lang-modes '(("beamer" . LaTeX) ("latex" . LaTeX) ("C" . c) ("C++"
. c++)
("asymptote" . asy) ("beamer" . latex) ("calc" . fundamental) ("cpp" .
c++)
("ditaa" . artist) ("desktop" . conf-desktop) ("dot" . graphviz-dot)
("elisp" . emacs-lisp) ("ocaml" . tuareg) ("screen" . shell-script)
("sqlite" . sql) ("toml" . conf-toml) ("shell" . sh) ("ash" . sh)
("sh" . sh)
("bash" . sh) ("jsh" . sh) ("bash2" . sh) ("dash" . sh) ("dtksh" . sh)
("ksh" . sh) ("es" . sh) ("rc" . sh) ("itcsh" . sh) ("tcsh" . sh)
("jcsh" . sh) ("csh" . sh) ("ksh88" . sh) ("oash" . sh) ("pdksh" . sh)
("mksh" . sh) ("posix" . sh) ("wksh" . sh) ("wsh" . sh) ("zsh" . sh)
("rpm" . sh))
org-cycle-hook '(org-cycle-hide-archived-subtrees
org-cycle-show-empty-lines
org-cycle-optimize-window-after-visibility-change
org-cycle-display-link-previews)
org-persist-before-read-hook '(org-element--cache-persist-before-read)
org-ascii-format-inlinetask-function 'org-ascii-format-inlinetask-default
org-odt-format-drawer-function #[514 "\207" [] 3
("/home/sjt015/.emacs.d/elpa/org-9.8.10/ox-odt.elc" . 19625)]
)
