Choosing What You See in the Equation Editor

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 14, 2026)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


As you enter text and fill equation slots with variables in the Equation Editor, you normally will not be able to see nonprinting characters such as spaces and tabs. If you select Show All from the View menu, however, you will be able to see where these characters occur.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (925) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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