Setting Bracket Clearance Spacing in the Equation Editor

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 29, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Mathematical equations can get complex, at times, and they often use exotic symbols to express relationships between portions of the equation. For instance, it is not uncommon to use brackets within an equation. The Equation Editor allows you to control the clearance between the equation and the overhangs of the square brackets surrounding the equation. These square brackets are sometimes referred to as fences. Setting this clearance value is done as follows:

Choose Spacing from the Format menu. The Equation Editor displays the Spacing dialog box.
Click on the Fence overhang box (you will need to scroll down some in the list of spacing settings). The Equation Editor changes the Spacing dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Spacing dialog box.

Enter a clearance value in points.
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (946) 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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Transposing Two Words

A common editing task is to transpose two adjacent words, so that their order is changed. While the task is common, there ...

Discover More

Converting Radians to Degrees

When applying trigonometry to the values in a worksheet, you may need to convert radians to degrees. This is done by ...

Discover More

Changing the Comment Indicator Color

Add a comment to a worksheet, and you'll notice that Excel places a small, red triangle at the upper-right corner of the ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Starting the Equation Editor

The Equation Editor is a tool you can use to create complex mathematical formulas and insert them in your documents. ...

Discover More

Setting Superscript Height in the Equation Editor

The Equation Editor makes it easy to create and add equations to your documents. Here's how to adjust where the ...

Discover More

Choosing an Equation Style

You can define styles for different characters used in the Equation Editor. It is not as full-featured as styles in Word, ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is two less than 5?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.