Counter Too Large
! LaTeX Error: Counter too large.
What this error means
A counter (typically a footnote number or enumerate item number) exceeded the maximum value that can be represented in the current format. Roman numerals and alphabetic lists have practical limits.
Common causes
- More than 26 items in an enumerate list using alphabetic numbering
- More than a few thousand footnotes in a document
- A counter manually set to a very large value
How to fix it
For long alphabetically-numbered lists, switch to numeric numbering using the enumitem package. For footnote overflow, use \setcounter{footnote}{0} periodically, or switch to endnotes with the endnotes package.
Code examples
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{enumitem}
\begin{document}
\begin{enumerate}[label=\alph*)]
% ... 27 or more items ...
\end{enumerate}
\end{document}\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{enumitem}
\begin{document}
\begin{enumerate}[label=\arabic*.]
% Numeric — no practical upper limit
\end{enumerate}
\end{document}Related errors
Overfull \hbox (Line Too Wide)
Overfull \hbox (Xpt too wide) in paragraph at lines N--M.
No Line Here to End (Misplaced \\)
! LaTeX Error: There's no line here to end.
Underfull \hbox (Poor Word Spacing)
Underfull \hbox (badness 10000) in paragraph at lines N--M.
Float Used in Non-Outer-Par Mode
! LaTeX Error: Not in outer par mode.
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