Simultaneously aligning equations by character and numbering each equation

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Simultaneously aligning equations by character and numbering each equation

Lorin 0

I am trying to align multiple equations by their equal sign (=). this works by right-clicking on = symbol and clicking align at this character. This is exactly what I need.

Also I learned that by writing #(1.1) and pressing shift enter, the 1.1 equation number is on the right side. Which is also exactly what I need.

BUT, when i try to do both these things, the alignment doesn't work anymore?!?
Is this expected behavior? Are there known workarounds?

I tried to fiddle around with tables and combining cells for the multi-line equation, but nothing works properly because the equation do not have the same height.

Aligned = example and numbered example:
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Thanks for your help.

Cheers

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Answer 1

Dear @Lorin,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

As I am also a moderator, I have the same experience as you and other users. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees in this forum, cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas.

Based on my testing, this behavior is likely by design in Word. From what I understand, these two features operate under different mechanisms. Therefore, when you try to combine them, Word is unable to maintain both settings simultaneously. This is a design limitation rather than an error on your part.

Below is an image where I have replicated the issue for your reference.

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At the moment, I believe the only viable workaround to continue your work is to insert a table with 2 columns and multiple rows:

Left Column: Insert your equations here.

Right Column: Insert the equation numbers here.

After that, hide all table borders. This method ensures the = signs remain perfectly aligned and provides a very stable layout. You might want to consider trying this approach.

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In the meantime, I encourage us to submit feedback through the Microsoft Ideas Community at Ideas · Community together so that the product team can review user preferences. The Product Team is in-charge of the feedback site, and they are constantly checking the comments and feedback from our customer. Many features have been developed or improved based on users' comment.

I hope to hear more of your thoughts on this matter. By discussing this further, we can navigate this issue together, ensuring other users are aware of this by design behavior and can refer to it or contribute their own ideas.

Looking forward to your response!

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Lorin 0 Reputation points

2026-02-02T05:03:10.2333333+00:00

Thanks for the help. I'll see what the best solution is going to be.

In your example, can you align the = signs even if the formulas are in different rows of the table?
(Not all my equations have only a single character before the = sign)
Jeanie H 10,405 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-02T05:46:48.1766667+00:00

Dear @Lorin,

Aligning the ‘=’ sign only works within a single multi‑line Equation. When each equation is placed in a different row of a table, Word treats them as separate, independent math objects. In this case, the table is used only for layout. Alternatively, you can consider the following approach, although it takes a little more time.

Create a two‑column table:

Column 1: equations

Column 2: equation numbers (1.1), (1.2), …

For each equation in Column 1:

Type the entire left‑hand side (before the ‘=’ sign).

Press Ctrl + Tab, this is a Math Tab (not the regular Tab).

Type the ‘=’ sign.

Type the right‑hand side.

Because the Math Tab has a fixed position, the ‘=’ signs will be aligned across rows, even if the left‑hand sides are of different lengths.

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Simultaneously aligning equations by character and numbering each equation

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