Using MathType Web: Overview

MathType Web is a browser-based editor for mathematical and chemical notation. This section covers the editor shared by MathType for Microsoft 365, MathType for Google Workspace, and integrations with HTML editors, learning management systems, and other web applications.

What is MathType Web?

MathType Web is a visual equation editor: the editing area displays your expression as you write it, while the toolbar provides symbols, templates, and formatting controls.

You can use the keyboard, toolbar, handwritten input, or supported LaTeX and MathML code. ChemType, its chemistry mode, adds symbols and editing behaviour for chemical notation.

The main editing features are shared across products. How you open the editor, insert equations, and edit existing content depends on your application. Installation, activation, and compatibility are covered in the Getting started section, which includes dedicated articles for each MathType product.

Why does it matter?

MathType Web helps you build notation that ordinary text cannot easily represent, such as fractions, roots, scripts, matrices, and aligned expressions. You can combine structures, adjust their layout, and choose the input method that suits your task.

The skills you learn in one integration also help you work in another. Product-specific guides cover differences in conversion, numbering, and accessibility. How accessible equation information is stored and read depends on the application and assistive technology.

How does it work?

Open MathType from your application, build or edit an expression, and confirm it to insert the equation or apply your changes. The folders below guide you through the shared editor features and product-specific workflows.

Introductory tutorials

Learn the editor through four guided examples, progressing from basic input to more complex layouts:

1. Create your first equation with MathType Web — enter notation and use basic templates.
2. Build a trigonometric expression with MathType Web — combine symbols and structures.
3. Create a piecewise function with MathType Web — arrange expressions into cases.
4. Align equations with the MathType Web Contextual tab — arrange and align mathematical content.

Creating and editing equations

Type notation and insert templates with spaces for each part of an expression. Combine or nest these structures, then adjust their appearance:

• Create and edit equations in MathType Web — fractions, roots, scripts, fences, and nested structures.
• Create and edit matrices in MathType Web — dimensions, cell contents, and layout.
• Create and edit arithmetic and polynomial operations in MathType Web — aligned operations, carries, and result lines.
• Format equations in MathType Web — text styles and formatting controls.
• Insert special characters in MathType Web — characters beyond those displayed directly in the toolbar.

This folder also covers other input methods and editing environments:

• Use handwritten input in MathType Web — write expressions by hand and review their recognition.
• Using ChemType — create chemical notation.
• Use MathType Web on mobile devices — switch between handwriting and the toolbar and understand touch-based editing limitations.

Interface and controls

The toolbar organizes tools into tabs. Contextual controls depend on the current structure or cursor position, while keyboard features help you navigate and enter notation efficiently.

• Toolbar and icons in MathType Web — tabs, symbols, templates, and editing controls.
• Contextual tab in MathType Web — controls for matrices, fences, arithmetic operations, and other structures.
• MathType Web Contextual tab examples — practical uses of contextual controls.
• Navigate the MathType Web editor using a keyboard — move through the interface and mathematical structures.
• Keyboard shortcuts in MathType Web — shortcuts for editing, inserting notation, and accessing controls.
• Autoformat in MathType Web — automatic character replacements and delimiter pairing.
• MathType Web Publishers tab reference — controls for mathematical interpretation and publishing.

The toolbar can also be enlarged to make its symbols and controls easier to see and select. Depending on the integration, an administrator can configure it at 1.5 or 2 times its default size.

Copying and converting equations

Confirm your expression using Insert, Update, Accept, or OK, depending on the integration. How equations are stored and reopened depends on the application; exchanging them also depends on the formats supported by the source and destination.

• Use LaTeX and MathML with MathType Web — supported code input and output workflows.
• Copy and paste equations in MathType Web and other applications — exchange equations, including with Microsoft Word's built-in equation editor and MathType 7.

Using MathType for Microsoft 365

These guides cover conversion tools, dedicated code input windows, and accessibility in Microsoft 365:

• Convert MathType 7 equations to MathType for Microsoft 365.
• Open the LaTeX input window in MathType for Microsoft 365.
• Open the MathML input window in MathType for Microsoft 365.
• Accessibility in MathType for Microsoft 365 in Word.
• Improve the readability of MathType equations with NVDA.

Using MathType for Google Workspace

These guides cover transferring, numbering, and referencing equations, and accessibility in Google Workspace:

• Move MathType equations between Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
• Number and reference equations with MathType for Google Docs.
• Accessibility in MathType for Google Workspace.

Using MathType for HTML editors

In an HTML editor, the integration determines how equations are inserted, stored, and displayed. See Accessibility in MathType for HTML editors for accessibility information, and the technical documentation for implementation, deployment, and configuration.

Feature availability

Available tabs, controls, and input methods depend on the product and configuration. Administrators may customize the toolbar, and some workflows are specific to an application. If a documented feature is unavailable, consult your product's usage documentation. Mobile support and accessibility also depend on your environment.

Related articles

• Getting started
• MathType for Microsoft 365: Overview.
• MathType for Google Workspace: Overview.
• MathType for HTML editors.