LaTeX Minipage
The minipage environment creates a box of fixed width — great for side-by-side columns.
Quick Answer
\begin{minipage}{.5\textwidth}
Left column content here.
\end{minipage}%
\begin{minipage}{.5\textwidth}
Right column content here.
\end{minipage}Syntax
\begin{minipage}[position]{width}
content
\end{minipage}width — required. Width of the box: .5\textwidth, 8cm, etc.
position — optional. Vertical alignment: t (top), b (bottom), c (centre, default).
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Place two minipages next to each other to create a two-column layout. The % after the first closing brace is critical — it prevents LaTeX from inserting a small gap between the boxes.
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{minipage}[t]{.48\textwidth}
\textbf{Left column}\\
Some content for the left side.
This can be text, equations, or anything else.
\end{minipage}%
\hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{.48\textwidth}
\textbf{Right column}\\
Some content for the right side.
\end{minipage}
\end{document}\hfill pushes the two minipages to opposite sides. Alternatively use \hspace{0.04\textwidth} for a fixed gap.
Side-by-Side Figures
Minipage is the standard way to place two figures next to each other with individual captions.
\begin{figure}[htbp]
\begin{minipage}{.48\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figure1.png}
\caption{First figure}
\label{fig:first}
\end{minipage}%
\hfill
\begin{minipage}{.48\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{figure2.png}
\caption{Second figure}
\label{fig:second}
\end{minipage}
\end{figure}Vertical Alignment
% Align tops of the two minipages
\begin{minipage}[t]{.45\textwidth}
Short content.
\end{minipage}%
\hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{.45\textwidth}
Much longer content that spans
several lines inside the minipage.
\end{minipage}Related Topics
More LaTeX Topics