Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: Error exporting PDF file in jupyter notebook: pgfkeys '/tcb/size' error

Error exporting PDF file in Jupyter Notebook: pgfkeys '/tcb/size' error. XeTeX version 3.1415926-2.5-0.9999.3 (TeX Live 2013) restricted \ wite18 enabled.

Quick Answer: The issue is caused by the 'pgfkeys /tcb/size' command in your LaTeX code, which is not compatible with XeTeX. Try replacing it with '\setlength{\tcb@width}{10cm}' or adjust the size to a value that works for you.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 💡 Why You Are Getting This Error
  2. 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
  3. 💡 Conclusion

Error exporting PDF file in Jupyter Notebook: pgfkeys ‘/tcb/size’ error

This error occurs when attempting to export a Jupyter Notebook as a PDF file, resulting in an error message that prevents the conversion from proceeding.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary cause of this error is due to the presence of pgfkeys ‘/tcb/size’ in the LaTeX code. This key is used to specify the size of the tcb environment, which is part of the tcolorbox package.
  • An alternative reason for this error could be the version of XeTeX being used, as it may not support certain features required by the Jupyter Notebook's PDF exporter.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Updating XeTeX and removing pgfkeys ‘/tcb/size’

  1. Step 1: Update XeTeX to the latest version available on the system.
  2. Step 2: Remove any instances of pgfkeys ‘/tcb/size’ from the LaTeX code in the Jupyter Notebook.
  3. Step 3: Verify that the updated LaTeX code and XeTeX version resolve the error.

Disabling tcolorbox package

  1. Step 1: Disable the tcolorbox package by commenting out or removing it from the LaTeX preamble.
  2. Step 2: Re-run the nbconvert command to see if the PDF export is successful without the tcolorbox package.

💡 Conclusion

To resolve the error exporting a PDF file in Jupyter Notebook, update XeTeX and remove pgfkeys ‘/tcb/size’ from the LaTeX code. If updating XeTeX is not feasible, disabling the tcolorbox package can be an alternative solution.

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