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How do I make equations stop disappearing on a PDF?

Anonymous
2023-12-31T00:18:41+00:00

I am currently making some examinations for my students, but when I was exporting the document to a PDF, some parts of the equations were missing in the PDF. For example, in the document it has the cosA function written, but in the PDF, it only displays as co and nothing else.

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Anonymous
2023-12-31T18:24:08+00:00

Hi Shane,

Thanks for writing us here in Microsoft Community.

I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing issues with your equations disappearing in your documents when exported as PDF. I understand where you're coming from, but I’m here to help. One possible reason why equations disappear on a PDF is that they are not embedded properly in the document or there might be an issue with the font used in your equations.

I'd like to ask few questions from you to better assist you with your concern.

  1. May we know what version of Word are you using?
  2. Is it happening to all converted documents as PDF with equations, or just a specific file?
  3. What PDF reader are you using?

Here are some troubleshooting you can try to see if it will address the issue.

  1. Make sure that you're using the latest version of the software you're using to create the document.
  2. Check the settings of the PDF export function to ensure that it's set to export equations correctly.
  3. Save your document as a PDF using the "Save as" option, not the "Print to PDF" option. This will ensure that the equations are embedded as objects and not as images.
  4. Check the PDF settings and make sure that the fonts and symbols used in the equations are embedded as well. You can do this by opening the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat and going to File > Properties > Fonts. If you see any fonts or symbols with "(Not Embedded)" next to them, you need to embed them manually or use a different font or symbol.
  5. Embed the font: To embed the font in your PDF, open the Word document and go to File > Options > Save. Under Preserve fidelity when sharing this document, select Embed fonts in the file. Then, click OK and save the document. Now, when you export the document to PDF, the font should be embedded in the PDF.
  6. If the issue persists, you can try saving the document as a different file format, such as a Word document or a Rich Text Format (RTF) document, and then exporting it to a PDF.
  7. If none of the above steps work, you can try converting your equations to images and inserting them into your document. However, this may affect the quality and resolution of your equations, so use this method as a last resort.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if the issue persists.

Best regards,

Froilance T.

Microsoft Moderator

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-01T15:51:13+00:00

    Hello Shane,   We are happy to hear that the problem you had with your document files has been resolved. We’re glad we were able to help you!To help other customers searching for help on related issues, please feel free to mark the response you found most helpful by clicking “Yes” on the bottom of that post. This will ensure the helpful responses are most visible when searching (and you can vote more than once if the solution was spread over multiple posts). Thanks again for choosing Microsoft!

    Sincerely, 
    Froilance T.

    Microsoft Moderator

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-01-01T15:23:37+00:00

    Hello,

    Thanks so much for your help. I saved the document as a PDF rather than printing it as a PDF, and the equations are untouched. Thank you! My students will now get exam papers with properly written equations.

    Shane

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