To insert an equation in your document, on the Insert tab, in the Symbols group,click the arrow next to Equation:

These equation editor shortcut as termed as Math AutoCorrect and are available in versions of Microsoft Word 2007 and above. Equation editor shortcut has a potential to save a lot of time and effort. For e.g., to get Greek letter, you can type alpha instead of going to Symbols in Insert Tab and searching for. WP List of mathematical symbols uses 'middle dot' for multiplication. WP Multiplication article uses cdot for scalar multiplication. WP says the matrix dot product should be written using the 'bullet operator' character, like ' a ∙ b '. The WP Dot product article uses the LaTeX cdot character for dot products. Here is a link to the Microsoft website for a solution. The short answer is, for older versions of Word (2007, 2010, 2013), you need to buy a new font. Out of the box, Office 2010 and 2013 have only Cambria with all of the math characters that are needed for the Equation Editor: 'If you're really serious about changing the font, you may have to purchase an add-on from Microsoft called Kutool.'

You can use the vertical scroll bar in the Gallery to display additional equations(how to add an equation into the Gallery, seeHow to add your own equation to the Equation gallery).If you see what you want, click it to insert it at the current insertion point in the document.If you add it into an otherwise empty paragraph, the equation defaults to appearing inDisplay mode. If the equation is on the same line as text, it appears in Inline mode:

To add your own equation, do one of the following:

• On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click the arrow next to Equation,and then click Insert New Equation,
• On the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click the Equation button,
• Or simply press Alt+=.

Word for Microsoft 365 opens the Equation tab:

Word for Microsoft 365 provides two formats of equations: Professional and Linear:

By default, uses the Professional present, but if you ever need Linear, do one of the following:

• Select the equation(s) you want to change, on the Equation tab, in the Conversionsgroup, in the Convert drop-down list, choose the appropriate option:
• Click the down arrow to the left of the equation, then select the appropriate option from the contextmenu:

• Equation tab contains dozens of equation templates. Within each button on thetoolbar, there are several tools available. Simply click on a button to see the tools containedin each. How to create an equation step-by-step, see:

  • Normal or Gaussian distribution in the tipHow to insert an equation with fractions, square roots and exponents:
  • Gauss's law, also known as Gauss's flux theorem in the tipHow to insert an equation with integral:
  • Electromagnetic tensor in the tipHow to insert an equation with matrix:
  • One of De Morgan's law in the tipHow to insert a Boolean algebra equation:
  • The formula of limit in the tipHow to insert an equation with a limit:
  • Euler's formula in the tipHow to insert an equation with trigonometric functions:
  • A system of linear equations in the tipHow to insert an equation with a system of linear equations or linear system:

  For more details about equations, seeSetting font size and styles in an equationandAdjusting spacing and alignment in an equation.

  See also this tip in French:Comment insérer des équations dans Microsoft Word.

Miscellaneous

It seems a lot of people can't find how to get certain symbols or characters into their documents, so I hope to offer every method here.

InsertSymbol

This is one of the easiest methods. If you use the symbol a lot, you may want to memorize the shortcut key for it, or create a shortcut key or AutoCorrect entry for it. This is Word's Symbol dialog.

Word's Symbol dialog also has a Special Characters tab that you shouldn't miss if you use Word a lot. One of the most commonly looked for symbols here is the Paragraph return, also called a Pilcrow.

Microsoft Word Equation Editor Tutorial - BGU

Special for Excel

Excel lovers can download a special Excel Insert Character dialog created by Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP and owner of PeltierTech. Thanks very much, John!

Character Map

If you can't find your symbol or character using the Symbol dialog, try the Character Map, which comes with Windows. To use it, hit StartRun and type 'charmap' (without the quotes) and hit Enter.

Shortcut Keys

Both the above methods may show keystrokes to use, such as the one above displays:

Keystroke: Alt+0182

Creating, Numbering And Cross Referencing Equations With ...

To use this keystroke, hold your Alt key while typing the numbers on the number keypad. It won't work using the regular keypad. Once you type the last number, your symbol or character should appear.

Dot Product In Microsoft Word Equation Generator

Equation Editor

For even more symbols, usually of a scientific or mathematic nature, or for creating Arithmetic problems, use the Equation Editor. Don't expect to jump right in and become an expert. It takes a bit of time. My experience has been, too, that every time I try to edit the fonts, I mess it up even more. Try to live with them the way they are.

Cached

To access the Equation Editor, hit InsertObject, choose Microsoft Equation 3.0. This brings up the toolbar. You can create an equation, which looks a lot like a graphic in your document. To edit the equation later, just double-click it. To create another, you can copy the first one, and paste it, then double-click it to change it.