MathPix
Mathpix Best Practices for Accessible Math
A working reference for faculty, staff, and remediation teams who use Mathpix to convert math and STEM content into accessible, editable formats. Mathpix is a conversion tool, not a compliance guarantee — the review step is where accessibility is actually earned.
1. Start from the best source you can get
- Ask for the publisher or author source first (Word, LaTeX, or HTML). Converting is always second-best to real math you already have.
- Use Mathpix when the only version you have is an image, a scan, or a PDF.
- Never rebuild an equation as a picture. Images of equations cannot be read, magnified, or navigated by assistive technology.
2. Capture clean snips
- Crop tightly to one expression or one region. Page numbers, headers, and stray text degrade recognition.
- Zoom in before you snip. Higher resolution in, higher accuracy out.
- Printed math converts more reliably than handwriting. Mathpix does recognize handwritten math, chemistry, tables, and code across 100+ languages, but budget more review time for handwritten pages.
- Snip whole documents instead of equation-by-equation when you have a full PDF chapter — Mathpix converts the PDF to Mathpix Markdown, then exports it.
3. Match the export format to where the content is going
|
Destination |
Export from Mathpix |
What to check |
|---|---|---|
|
Microsoft Word |
DOCX export |
Equations arrive as MathML and stay editable in the equation editor. |
|
Canvas or other LMS |
LaTeX (or MathML in HTML) |
Paste LaTeX into the built-in equation editor rather than uploading a picture. |
|
Web page / HTML |
HTML with MathML |
Confirm the math renders as MathML, not as an image fallback. |
|
LaTeX or Overleaf |
LaTeX / Overleaf export |
Best route for large STEM documents and future reuse. |
|
Data tables |
XLSX or CSV |
Rebuild real header rows after export. |
Format support confirmed on
4. Read back every conversion before you ship it
- Compare each converted equation against the original, symbol by symbol. Look hardest at exponents, subscripts, nested fractions, radicals, matched parentheses, and units.
- Check the surrounding prose too. OCR drops words, merges text, and loses headings and lists even when the math is perfect.
- Mathpix publishes no accuracy guarantee or built-in verification step, so your human review is the quality control.
- Correct in the destination tool (Word's equation editor, the Canvas editor) so the fix stays as real math.
5. Fix the document, not just the equations
- Apply real heading styles, list structure, and table header rows to the converted file.
- Write alt text for graphs, diagrams, and figures that describes what is shown without giving away the answer students are meant to work out.
- Confirm reading order follows the visual order, especially in multi-column source material.
6. Distribute in a format that keeps the math
- Word, Canvas pages, and HTML with MathML are your accessible deliverables. Treat PDF as a print or distribution copy.
- PDF math support is still uneven: PDF/UA-1 generally relies on a text fallback such as alt text, while PDF/UA-2 can carry MathML. Always keep the structured source file.
- Test the finished file with a screen reader and a math-capable reader before you publish it.
Quick check before you publish
- Every equation is real math (MathML or a native equation object), not an image.
- Each converted expression has been read back against the original and corrected.
- Headings, lists, and table header rows are applied in the converted file.
- Figures and graphs have alt text that describes without answering.
- Document title and language are set in file properties.
- The file has been tested with a screen reader or math-capable reader.