The Number tab of the Format Cells dialog box. Make sure the Number tab is displayed.Excel displays the Format Cells dialog box. For instance, if you wanted the cell into which you entered 18/28 to display the fraction with 28 as the denominator, then you could follow these steps: You can, however, change the format used by Excel to display the value in a particular cell. After all, Excel doesn't store fractions, it stores decimal values. Thus, this is what Excel displays in the cell-9/14 instead of 18/28.īecause of the parsing process that Excel follows, there is no way that you can force Excel to remember your fractions exactly as you entered them. The smallest fraction it can do this with is 9/14. Remember-the value in the cell is now 0.642857142857143, and to redisplay the value, Excel sees that it is supposed to use a fraction of up to two digits. With the parsing done, and the new value entered, Excel recalculates and redisplays values. At this point, the fraction no longer exists the number is a decimal value.Īfter you enter any value into Excel, it automatically recalculates your worksheet. In other words, Excel stores the number internally as 0.642857142857143, which is what you get when you divide 18 by 28. The second thing that happens is that Excel converts the number into its decimal equivalent. (See the Number tab of the Format Cells dialog box.) In the case of the fraction 18/28, there are two digits in the denominator, so the cell is automatically formatted as a fraction of up to two digits. First, it formats the cell as a fraction, based on the number of digits in the denominator of the fraction.
When you enter your fraction, Excel does two things during the parsing process. (If you just enter 18/28, then Excel assumes you are entering either a date or text.) Thus, if you wanted to enter a fraction such as 18/28, you would enter 0 18/28 into the cell. You don't even get equation numbering.Excel allows you to enter fractions into cells, provided you preface the entry with a zero and a space. It just does the equations themselves, and nothing else. Many scientific journals will not accept Word documents with the new equation format - even if you save as. For example, typing in (a+b)/(c+d) will result in a nicely-formatted fraction. The Word 2007 equation editor also has a linear equation entry format, which is fairly intuitive and does not require familiarity with LaTeX. However, it's enough for probably anyone but a mathematician, and it's a lot faster than clicking elements with the mouse. You should therefore not expect to get perfect fidelity for super-complex LaTeX equations. Word does not have an embedded TeX processor - it's just doing pattern matching to convert simple LaTeX syntax into the native equation format. Once it appears in the GUI, you can no longer edit it as LaTeX. As you type, Word will build up a graphical representation of the equation. Simply insert a new equation, and then type LaTeX into it. Very few people realize that the built-in equation editor in Word 2007 actually understands LaTeX-style equation entry. See the Microsoft documentation for examples and possible workarounds: For example, the Office 365 Equation Editor does not understand the \begin and \end commands. You have to use the dropdown menu because the Convert button doesn't toggle automatically between Linear and Professional. Open the Convert dropdown menu, and then click Current - Professional.Note: This is not your original LaTeX source, because it has been round-tripped through the Equation Editor's internal format. The equation is converted back to LaTeX format.Open the Convert dropdown menu, and then click Current - Linear.You can also convert back to LaTeX to edit the equation. The LaTeX will be processed into the Equation Editor's native format. Open the Convert dropdown menu and click Current - Professional. In the Equation Editor Design ribbon, go to the Conversions group and click LaTeX. See the second part of this answer if you are running: However, it builds the equation as you go, and you cannot convert an entire LaTeX equation. In older versions of Office, the Equation Editor can understand certain LaTeX components. If you are running Office 365 version 1707 or later, the Equation Editor allows you to convert LaTex into the native format.