Documentation / MathType

  • Demos
  • Visit our website
  • Downloads
  • Contact us
  • MathType

    • Wiris Quizzes

      • Learning Lemur

        • CalcMe

          • MathPlayer

            • Store FAQ

              • VPAT for the electronic documentation

                • MathFlow

                  • BF FAQ

                    • Miscellaneous

                      • Home
                      • MathType
                      • MathType Office Tools
                      • Support
                      • MathType Support Notices
                      • Support notices
                      • Support notices

                      Equations are displayed as { EMBED.Equation } in Microsoft Word

                      Reading time: 2min

                      TechNote 73

                      Applicability

                      The information on this page applies to:
                      MathType for Windows and Mac
                      Equation Editor (e.g., Microsoft Equation 3) for Windows and Mac
                      All supported versions of Word for Windows and Mac

                       

                       

                       

                      Issue

                      Many users become alarmed when the equations in their Microsoft Word document is displayed in the cryptic form of { EMBED Equation.DSMT4 } or { EMBED Equation } instead of the actual MathType 7 or Microsoft Equation equations.

                      Reason

                      These representations are a feature in Microsoft Word called Field Codes. They are used to help Word identify objects, such as equations, in your document. You only see them when the option is turned on, in which case they appear on-screen, in print, or both on the screen and in print.

                      Solution

                      On screen

                      Suppose you find that your equations are not displaying on-screen but instead are displaying something like { EMBED Equation } or { EMBED Equation.DSMT4 }, you can change your view settings in Word to correct this. To do so,

                      1. Launch Word.
                      2. Select
                        • Office Button > Word Options > Advanced (Word 2007)
                        • File tab > Options > Advanced (Word 2010 and later)
                        • Word > Preferences > View (Word for Mac)
                      3. Uncheck the "Field Codes" or "Field codes instead of values" box.
                      4. Press OK (Windows) or close Preferences (Mac).

                      At this point, the equations contained within the Word document should display correctly. Other ways you can toggle this property are:

                      • Via keystroke, the Word keyboard shortcut is Alt+F9 (Win) or Option+F9 (Mac).
                      • Via the Word toolbar, the toolbar button in Word looks like "{a}". This is not one of the default buttons but can be added to the Word toolbars by using Word's Customize command. For more information about customizing your Word toolbars, please consult your Microsoft Word online help.

                      Any of the above methods will allow you to toggle the field codes off and on, which will enable you to see the equations.

                      In print

                      If you find your equations are not printing but instead are displaying something like { EMBED Equation } or { EMBED Equation.DSMT4 }, you can change your print settings in Word to correct this. To do this:

                      1. Launch Word.
                      2. Select Word > Preferences (Word for Mac), or Office button (or File tab) Options (Windows).
                      3. Select the Print button (Mac) or Advanced/Print (Windows).
                      4. Uncheck the box for "Field Codes" or "Print field codes instead of their values".
                      5. Press OK.

                      At this point, if you print your document, the objects contained within the Word document should print out correctly.

                      We hope this has been helpful. As always, please let us know if you have questions about this or if you have additional techniques that work. We'd love to hear from you.

                      Was this article helpful?

                      Yes
                      No
                      Give feedback about this article

                      Related Articles

                      • Math accessibility
                      • Substring
                      • Covariance
                      • Installing MathType on a Mac with multiple user accounts for use with Microsoft Office

                      Equations are displayed as { EMBED.Equation } in Microsoft Word

                      TechNote 73 Applicability Issue Reason Solution On screen In print

                      Making people’s STEM work more meaningful

                      MathType

                      • MathType for Office Tools
                      • MathType for Mac
                      • MathType for Microsoft 365
                      • MathType for Google Workspace
                      • MathType for LMS
                      • MathType for XML Editors
                      • Arabic notation
                      • Our products accessibility
                      • MathType is online

                      WirisQuizzes

                      Learning Lemur

                      Solutions for Education

                      • Blackboard Learn
                      • Brightspace by D2L
                      • Canvas
                      • Google Classroom
                      • Moodle
                      • Schoology

                      Solutions for Publishing Houses

                      Solutions for Technical Writers

                      Solutions for Chemistry

                      Integrations

                      • HTML Editors
                      • MathType in WordPress

                      Pricing

                      Company

                      Careers

                      Blog

                      Contact Us

                      Buy Now

                      Plugin Downloads

                      © Wiris 2025

                      • Cookie Settings
                      • Cookie Policy
                      • Terms of Use
                      • Privacy Policy / GDPR
                      • Student Data Privacy
                      • Compliance
                      • Powered by Helpjuice
                      Expand