How to write LaTeX math equations in Confluence

Confluence has no native way to write a math formula — no equation editor, no LaTeX support, nothing in the toolbar. Most teams end up pasting a screenshot from Word or a LaTeX renderer, which looks fine until someone needs to edit it, search for it, or view it on mobile. Here’s how to add real, editable math equations to a Confluence page instead.

1. Insert the macro

In any Confluence page, type /math or /easy while editing. This inserts the Easy Math Equations macro and opens an equation editor directly on the page — no separate app window, no export/import step.

2. Choose inline or display mode

• Inline math sits inside a sentence, like this: \(E = mc^2\). Use it when the formula is short and part of a paragraph.
• Display math breaks onto its own line and centers the equation — the right choice for anything with a fraction, sum, or integral that needs room to be readable:

\[\frac{d}{dx} \int_a^x f(t) \, dt = f(x)\]

3. Write the formula

The editor has a visual math-field — type sqrt, sum, int, alpha, pi, infty, >=, or != and it converts to the matching symbol (√, ∑, ∫, α, π, ∞, ≥, ≠) as you go, so you don’t need to memorize LaTeX command syntax to get started.

If you already know LaTeX, you don’t need the shortcuts at all — the math-field accepts pasted LaTeX directly. Copy an equation from a paper, a LaTeX renderer, or another Confluence page, paste it into the field, and it renders immediately.

4. Rendering is MathJax-compatible

Under the hood, equations are typeset the same way MathJax renders LaTeX elsewhere on the web, so the output matches what you’d expect from any standard LaTeX math renderer — proper fractions, matrices, Greek letters, and operators, not an approximation built out of Unicode characters.

5. Export to Word or PDF

Confluence’s built-in Word and PDF export renders the equation exactly as it appears on the page — same layout, same symbols, no broken fonts or dropped characters. If your page ends up in a spec document or a PDF handout, the math travels with it.

6. Keep formulas searchable and accessible

Because the equation lives on the page as a macro — not as an image — it stays part of the page’s content: no alt-text workarounds needed for accessibility, and no “screenshot of a formula” problem when someone tries to copy a value out of it later.

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That covers the common cases — inline notation, multi-line equations, and formulas carried over from LaTeX or MathML. For keyboard shortcuts, the full symbol list, and answers to questions like “do my equations leave Atlassian’s servers?”, see the Easy Math Equations FAQ.

Try it: Easy Math Equations for Confluence.