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How to copy a formula from a PDF as LaTeX

pdfeditor.page · · Updated · 2 min read

Open the PDF at pdfeditor.page, select the formula and choose Copy as LaTeX. The LaTeX is checked to render before it’s copied, and drawn beside its source so you can compare the two.

Two panels. Select the formula: S = 4πr² is selected, under a toolbar whose Σ button, Copy as LaTeX, is highlighted. Checked and copied as LaTeX: the formula rendered, its LaTeX source S=4\pi r^2, and Looks wrong? Edit.
Select a formula, and it’s copied as LaTeX and rendered back to check.

Copy a formula in four steps

  1. Open your PDF. Choose it at pdfeditor.page.
  2. Select the formula. Drag across it; on a phone, press and hold its first character, then drag.
  3. Choose Copy as LaTeX (LaTeX on a phone). It appears when the formula is text, not a picture.
  4. Check the drawing. If it reads wrong, Looks wrong? Edit lets you fix it.

Good to know

  • Recognise formula (Formula on a phone) reads a scan or a Snapshot picture on your device. It downloads 50 MB once and may make mistakes.
  • One formula at a time. A selection over two lines or two pages isn’t read, and a font it can’t read truthfully is refused.
  • Studying it? Turn the formula into a flashcard. Beyond the editor, there are 45 single-purpose tools at pdfeditor.page/tools.

Questions

Is the LaTeX always right?

It always renders, but whether it’s the formula on the page is for you to judge, which is why it’s drawn beside the source.

Is my PDF uploaded?

Not without an account, and both ways of reading a formula run on your device.

Try it

Open a PDF and select a formula. No sign‑up, no install.

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