How to Make a Fraction in Word

You probably know that if you want to type in half, or three quarters, you can just do so and you will see that Microsoft Word makes it look good with superscript. However, is there a way of inserting equations into word and actually making them look good? Follow me through these easy to follow steps and I’ll show you exactly how to get it done. Ready? Let’s go!

How to Insert Sum Formula in Word

In fact, Word has a special menu that you can use in order to make a fraction in Word. In order to access it do the following.

1. Select Insert on the Ribbon and then click on Equation:

2. In your document, where the curser is, you will see that an equation box has appeared:

3. As you can see in the screenshot, a new menu called Equation has appeared with a variety of different signs and symbols that you can use in order to insert your sum formula in Word.
4. If you want to have a simple equation such as 5/8 then you should use the fraction button. Click on this button and select the type that you want. Since I want the 5/8 to look exactly the same as ½ would I’m going to choose this option:

5. Here is what you should see on your document now:

6. Instead of the dotted boxes, type in the numbers that you want to appear there. If you see that the box isn’t where you want it, click on the little arrow and select Change to Inline. This will move the equation to where the curser is:

7. Once you click away from the equation box, the fraction now appears as part of the text. I have added some random text just so you can see what it looks like:

8. However, this isn’t really what I’m aiming at. I want it to look like it’s more part of the text. I want it to be superscript and not just fitting on the page:

In order to make this happen there is no quick fix or automatic thing that I can do. However, with the click of a button I do want to be able to achieve this. Therefore I’m going to create a quick style that I can apply to all my fractions. In fact, I’m going to make it look a bit nice (in my opinion, than the way Word automatically does it.

In order to change the way an inserted fraction looks; I’m going to create a unique style button for it. If you want to know more about how these work, see my post where I go through all the ins and outs of styles.

Using Styles and Inserting Fractions

1. On the Home tab in the ribbon, open the Styles box and then click on Create a Style:

2. Give it a name and then click on Modify:

3. You will see the Create New Style pop up box appear:

4. Since I am using Calibri size 11 for the document (and this is what I generally use the whole time,) I’m going to base my new style on this.
5. Click on Format and then on Font to bring up the Font dialog box. Make the following changes:
   1. On the Font tab select Bold.
   2. Change the size to 6.
   3. On the Advanced tab, change the Position to raised and do so by 0.5 pt.
   4. Click OK.

You will see that the main dialog box has these settings now in it:

6. On your document select the fraction that you want to edit. It’s especially important to highlight just the fraction. If you just put your curser anywhere in the paragraph the style will affect the whole paragraph:

7. On your Styles bar, you should see the style that you have just created. My one is called Fraction and that’s the one I’m going to hit:

8. And this is my result:

For me at least, this is how I want it too to look. Clean and clear without getting lost but also not being overpowering.

How to Insert Formula in Word

You are going to use the same method to insert a formula in Word. I’m not a mathematician but you can see in the Equation menu a number of assorted styles and expression types that are available to choose from. Simply click on the different buttons; Fraction, Script, Radical, Integral, Large Operator etc. to see what they can offer for you:

Remember that each box that appears on the page is a space for you to type in a numerical value.

In Summary

In this post I have gone through how to insert equations in Word and the various methods available to do so. As well as this, I have demonstrated how to change the style of the inserted fraction or equation in order to make it blend into your document seamlessly. I hope you have enjoyed this post and as always, if you have any questions or comments, leave them below and I’ll try my best to answer them all. Good luck with inserting formulas, equations, fractions into your Word document!

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