Convert LaTeX maths to native Word equations
Convert LaTeX formulas, including align, cases and matrices, into native Word equations in one go. Editable in Word and LibreOffice, no images, no add-ins.
Step by step
- Put your formulas in Markdown, wrapped in $...$ for inline and $$...$$ for display maths. \( \) and \[ \] work too.
- Paste the text into Mathfold.
- Check the preview. Every formula is typeset with the same engine that writes the Word file.
- Download Word. Each formula is a native equation object you can edit.
Native equations, not pictures
There are two ways to get maths into Word. You can paste pictures of formulas, which look fine until someone needs to change a sign, and which print blurry. Or you can use native equations, which Word lays out itself, scales with the font and lets you edit. Mathfold always produces native equations.
$$
A = \begin{pmatrix} 1 & 2 \\ 3 & 4 \end{pmatrix}, \quad
|x| = \begin{cases} x & x \ge 0 \\ -x & x < 0 \end{cases}
$$
$$\sum_{k=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{k^2} = \frac{\pi^2}{6}$$How the main routes compare
| Word's LaTeX input | Pandoc | Mathfold | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native, editable equations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Converts a whole document at once | No, one equation at a time | Yes | Yes |
Reads ChatGPT's \( \) and \[ \] |
Not applicable | Needs an extension flag | Yes |
| Repairs copied formulas without backslashes | No | No | Yes |
| Wide tables on landscape pages | Manual | Manual | Automatic |
| Mermaid diagrams | No | Needs a filter | Yes |
| Install needed | Word | Command line tool | None, runs in the browser |
Pandoc is an excellent free tool if you are comfortable on the command line. Mathfold is built for the case where the text comes from an AI chat and should look right without any flags.
Checking the result
Open the .docx in Word and click a formula: the Equation tab appears, which means it is a real equation. In LibreOffice Writer, double-click it to open the formula editor. The PDF uses the same typesetting, so a formula looks the same in both files.
Questions
Are the equations images?
No. They are Office Math (OMML) objects, the format Word uses for its own equation editor. You can click into them, change a symbol, and Word reflows the formula.
Does Word not already accept LaTeX?
Recent Microsoft 365 versions of Word let you type LaTeX into an equation box, one equation at a time. Mathfold converts a whole document at once, including the text, tables and headings around the formulas.
Which LaTeX commands are supported?
The maths you meet in practice, including fractions, roots, sums, integrals, limits, accents, \text, \operatorname, \mathbb, \mathbf, Greek letters, delimiters with \left and \right, and the align, aligned, gather, cases, matrix, pmatrix and bmatrix environments. Unknown commands are reported, not dropped.
Can I convert a whole .tex file?
Mathfold reads Markdown, not full LaTeX documents with \documentclass and packages. Paste the content with the maths in dollar delimiters, or use a LaTeX to Markdown step first.