Equations copied from ChatGPT suddenly disappear when pasted into OneNote for Mac

Question

Equations copied from ChatGPT suddenly disappear when pasted into OneNote for Mac

Mudit Gupta 0

Until yesterday, I could select an entire ChatGPT response containing normal text and mathematical equations, copy it, and paste it directly into OneNote for Mac. The equations would paste properly with fractions, subscripts, etc.

This suddenly stopped working. Normal text still pastes correctly, but rendered equations either disappear completely and leave a blank space, or lose their mathematical structure.

For example, an equation that had previously pasted correctly into OneNote could be copied back out in a form similar to:

F=((SSE_"reduced"-SSE_"full")/(p_"full"-p_"reduced"))/(SSE_"full"/(n-p_"full"))

If I copy the same type of rendered equation from ChatGPT now, the copied text looks more like:

F=SSEfull/(n−pfull)(SSEreduced−SSEfull)/(pfull−preduced)

So the fraction/subscript structure seems to be getting lost.

I also tried copying the equation as linear text and using Insert → Equation in OneNote. OneNote puts it into the math font, but expressions such as:

F=((SST-SSE)/k)/(SSE/(n-k-1))

remain in this linear form instead of becoming a properly formatted equation with stacked fractions and subscripts.

I am using OneNote for Mac. The same copy/paste workflow was working before, so I am trying to understand whether something changed recently in OneNote's handling of equations copied from webpages.

Is there a way in OneNote for Mac to:

Preserve the equation structure when pasting from a webpage, or
Convert a linear equation such as the one above into OneNote's fully formatted/professional equation form?

I can also provide before-and-after screenshots if that helps.

Harry 0 Reputation points

2026-08-09T06:19:32.7233333+00:00

Yes, I have noticed the same thing. To be utilized in Word, I used to do it frequently. They simply blow it out of the blue sky. It's also very uncomfortable.

The mathematical expressions have disappeared when you copied the rendered response into for e.g., Word. For example:

“The posterior density of is determined…”

instead of:

“The posterior density of θ∣X is determined…”

So the problem is the copying of rendered LaTeX/math objects into Word. The surrounding text copies, but the rendered equations are being dropped.

Asking the mathematical expressions to be translated into Unicode notation is an alternate solution.

1 answer

Your answer

Harry 0 Reputation points

2026-08-09T06:19:32.7233333+00:00

Yes, I have noticed the same thing. To be utilized in Word, I used to do it frequently. They simply blow it out of the blue sky. It's also very uncomfortable.

The mathematical expressions have disappeared when you copied the rendered response into for e.g., Word. For example:

“The posterior density of is determined…”

instead of:

“The posterior density of θ∣X is determined…”

So the problem is the copying of rendered LaTeX/math objects into Word. The surrounding text copies, but the rendered equations are being dropped.

Asking the mathematical expressions to be translated into Unicode notation is an alternate solution.

Answer 1

Hi, Mudit Gupta

This appears to be a change in the webpage’s copied math data rather than a confirmed OneNote update. If the clipboard contains only flattened text, OneNote cannot recreate the original fractions and subscripts, so equations may disappear or paste incorrectly.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

To preserve the exact webpage appearance, use the OneNote Web Clipper and choose Region or Full Page. This inserts a screenshot, so the equation remains visually correct, although it will not be editable.

For an editable equation, select Insert > Equation, type the expression inside the equation box, and press Spacebar after each structure such as a fraction, subscript, or superscript. For example, type (SST-SSE)/k, press Spacebar, then continue building the denominator. Merely pasting the complete linear expression may leave it unchanged.

OneNote for Mac does not currently provide the same Convert > Professional command documented for OneNote on Windows. For reliable stacked formatting, it is recommended that you create the equation in Word using Insert > Equation, convert it to Professional format there, and then copy it into OneNote.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you.

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Kai-H 26,760 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-11T06:18:31.0433333+00:00

Hi, Mudit Gupta

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.