Master MS Word Skills 2026 – Ace the Unit Practice and Win at Word!

In Word, the way to insert and format an equation is to use the built‑in equation editor from the Insert tab, or press the keyboard shortcut Alt+= to insert one quickly. When you insert an equation, Word opens the Equation Tools, giving you a toolbox of symbols and templates and letting you build complex expressions. You can type fractions, exponents, square roots, integrals, sums, matrices, and more, and Word will format the math for you with proper spacing and typography. You can switch between Professional (the polished, publication-style look) and Linear (plain text-like) formats to suit your needs. The shortcut Alt+= is handy for speed, and the Insert > Equation path is the standard, supported way to access the editor and its formatting options. Other routes don’t open the full equation editor in the same way, so they won’t give you access to the full set of symbols and templates or the automatic formatting features.