How to insert Equation in Excel using Equation Editor (Easy Guide)

[Abstract: In this article, you will learn how to insert/add equation in Excel using Equation Editor with two examples.]

If you do mathematics related report or assignment with Excel, you have to know how to use the Equation Editor.

In this tutorial, we shall learn how to use the Equation Editor Effectively.

Click on the Insert Tab. In the “Symbols” group of commands, you will find a split button: it is Equation.

Equation command in the Symbols group of commands in the Insert tab.

To insert an Equation Editor, just click on the button, an equation Editor appears.

Excel Equation Editor

You can also insert predefined equations clicking on the drop down part of the Equation command. You see a list of pre-built equations are showing in the drop down list.

Pre-built equations

I insert the Binomial Theorem Equation from the list.

Binomial Theorem Equation

OK.

I don’t need the binomial equation right now.

Step by step process to insert/add an equation using Equation Editor

I am going to create two sample equations step by step to show you the whole process of using an equation editor.

I shall show how to insert these two equations in Excel using Equation Editor.

Inserting First Equation

To follow along me with this article, at first download the working file from this link.

At first I shall create the Volume formula. I click on the Insert tab and then click on the Equation command, the Equation Editor appears.

Excel Equation Editor

When Equation Editor is selected, two contextual tabs appear in the tab list. One is the Drawing Tools Format contextual tab. Equation Editor is a shape. You can format the shape using the commands under the Format contextual tab of Drawing Tools.

The other tab is Equation Tools Design contextual tab. It will help you to insert an equation into the Equation Editor.

Drawing Tools Format and Equation Tools Design contextual tabs

The first command in the Equation Tools Design contextual tab is the Equation command. The built in equations are listed in this drop down list.

Equation drop down in the Design contextual tab.

Then there are some symbols. You can use these symbols in the equation. To see more symbols click on the More button [on the bottom right corner of the Symbols window].

The window is expanded, in the window there is a drop down on the top right corner. Right now “Basic Math” symbols are showing in the window. Click on the drop down.

Except Basic Math, you can also work with these symbol categories.

You can work with several options:

1. Basic Math
2. Greek Letters
3. Letter-Like Symbols
4. Operators
5. Arrows
6. Negated Relations
7. Scripts
8. Geometry

If you select Greek Letters, you will  get two types of Greek Letters: Lower case Greek letters, and upper case Greek Letters.

Greek Letters

If you select Letter-Like Symbols, you will get symbols like regular letters.

Letter Like symbols

If you select Operators category, you will get a good number of sub-categories in it. They are: Common Binary Operators, Common Relational Operators, Basic N-ary operators, then Advanced Binary Operators and Advanced Relational Operators.

Operators

If you select Arrows, you will get different types of arrow symbols.

Arrows

Under Negated Relations you will get the symbols like the following image.

Negated Relations Symbols

Then Scripts, so many Script categories…

Scripts

and finally you can work with the symbols of Geometry.

Geometry symbols

There are some Structures on the right side of the Symbols group of commands.

Structures

At first you will find Fraction type structure. In the blank boxes you can input values, just the structure will be like the following image.

Fraction Structures

Then Script type structure, then Radical, Integral, Large Operator, Bracket, Trigonometric Functions, Inverse Functions, Accent, Limit and Logarithm, Operator and finally the Matrix structure.

Now I type in the equation editor Volume, then equal sign, you can see from the volume equation that it has a fraction, so I click on the Fraction drop down from the Structures group of commands and I select the Stacked Fraction.

Stacked Fraction structure is inserted.

In the top blank box I type 1 and in the bottom blank box I type 3, I press right arrow in the keyboard, in the Symbols drop down, I select Basic Math and select the Multiplication Sign from the window.

I am inserting the formula…

Then there is a Pi sign in the equation, again Symbols, this time I select Greek Letters, from the lower case Greek letters, I select the Pi symbol. Then again multiplication sign.

The equation is not in this state…

In the equation now is: “diameter divided by 2” whole square. I select the Superscript structure, and I select the first blank box in the superscript, I insert parenthesis with single value from Bracket structure, I select the box within parenthesis, and I select the Stacked fraction structure again. At the upper box, I type Diameter, at the bottom I type just 2, and as the superscript, I type 2.

The equation is now at this state.

Again press right arrow in the keyboard, the rest is simple, a cross sign and I type height. Our equation is complete, I format the shape of the equation editor, readjust the size, and align middle the equation in the shape and I click outside the equation editor. So we get the equation like the following image.

Finally we get the equation.

Inserting Second Equation

The second equation is simple. Let’s make it now. Before follow along me, try to make the equation by yourself at first.

Click on the Insert tab, Equation command, Equation Editor appears, type F, within parenthesis x, then equal sign, then from the Script structure select the Subscript, fill the blanks with “a” and “0”. Then insert a plus sign.

Building the second equation…

Press right arrow in the keyboard, now in the equation, you will see a big sigma sign, in the Large Operator structure, select the second Summation structure, from the Basic Math window, find the infinity sign, then place “n equal to 1” in the lower part of the sigma.

Building the second equation…

Then I type a bracket. In the Bracket I type, a subscript n, then insert the cosine function, then a stacked fraction, at the top, I type n pi x, at the bottom I type L. Press right Arrow, place a plus sign,

Almost done with the second equation…

Then again the same structure.

Finally change the Shape format, and you are done.

Formatted equation.

So, I tried to explain you in step by step procedure how to use Excel equation editor to insert equations in Excel.

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