FatalDocument Structure
Two \documentclass Commands
! LaTeX Error: Two \documentclass or \documentstyle commands.
What this error means
A LaTeX document can only have one \documentclass declaration. If LaTeX encounters a second one, it reports this error. This usually happens when two files are accidentally merged or a template is incorrectly concatenated.
Common causes
- Two .tex files were merged without removing one \documentclass
- A \input{} file contains its own \documentclass
- Template duplication during copy-paste
How to fix it
Remove the duplicate \documentclass. Each LaTeX document must have exactly one class declaration, and all other content should be after \begin{document}. Input files should not contain \documentclass.
Code examples
Causes the error
\documentclass{article}
\documentclass{report} % Second class — error!
\begin{document}
Hello
\end{document}Fixed
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Hello
\end{document}Related errors
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