When a math-heavy AI answer fails to export cleanly, the issue is almost never “Word is broken”. It’s usually one of these:
- the math is not clearly delimited (inline vs display)
- the copied text contains hidden characters
- the LaTeX-like syntax is incomplete or inconsistent
- a layout is being expressed as a table/worksheet (which does not export reliably)
This guide is a troubleshooting playbook: you can skim the symptom you see in Preview, apply a quick fix, and export again in the AIText2Doc app.
1) “It looks correct in ChatGPT, but pasting into Word breaks everything”
Why it happens: the chat UI is rendering math visually, but the clipboard contains plain text.
Fix: always use explicit math delimiters where possible:
- Inline:
$...$or\(...\) - Display:
$$...$$or\[...\]
If the AI output does not contain delimiters, add them around the important formulas before exporting.
2) Subscripts/superscripts disappear (H2 instead of H₂ / H_2)
Symptom: chemical formulas and powers become normal text.
Fix: move the formula into math mode and use explicit underscores/carets:
$H_2$,$CO_2$$10^{-3}$$Mg^{2+}$
If you only need one number as a subscript, keep it simple: $H_3O^+$ is more reliable than mixing text and math across multiple segments.
3) Fractions become linear (a/b)
Symptom: \frac{...}{...} becomes a/b, or the fraction line disappears in some outputs.
Fixes (in order):
- Ensure the fraction is in display math when it’s the main line:
$$\frac{a}{b}$$
- Avoid nested or extremely long fraction parts. Split the expression:
- first define numerator/denominator, then the fraction.
- Replace ambiguous brackets with braces:
\frac{[H_3O^+]_{eq}[A^-]_{eq}}{[HA]_{eq}}
4) Random commas appear inside equations (10,N/kg or 150,J)
Symptom: commas show up before units or before a new bracket group, even though the AI UI didn’t display them.
Why it happens: some AI copy formats use commas like spacing separators.
Fix: use a thin space \, (or rewrite units as text):
$g = 10\\,\\mathrm{N/kg}$$E = 150\\,\\mathrm{J}$- or
g = $10$ N/kg
5) Parentheses blocks are treated as equations (normal text inside parentheses breaks)
Symptom: a long sentence inside parentheses gets collapsed, spacing breaks, or the whole block is treated as math.
Fix: keep long text outside math mode. Only place the actual equation in delimiters:
- Bad:
(Cela signifie ... \Delta E_{pp}>0 ... ) - Better:
Cela signifie ... ($\Delta E_{pp}>0$) ...
If you paste a lot of “text + a few symbols” inside parentheses, disable parenthesis-math detection in the app.
6) “Worksheet layout” LaTeX (array/tabular/\hline) is flagged as not supported
Symptom: blocks like \begin{array}{r c r} or \hline are highlighted and exports are blocked.
Why: these are layout tables, not equations. Even if they render in a math engine, they don’t export reliably to editable Word equations and consistent PDFs.
What to do instead:
- Export the text and rebuild the layout using a Word table, or
- Ask the AI to output a simpler equation version (no
array/tabular), or - Replace the layout with a list of steps (one equation per line).
7) KaTeX fails but MathJax can render it
Symptom: Preview highlights an equation in red and reports a KaTeX failure.
Fix: enable the MathJax fallback option in the converter. This helps with some advanced LaTeX constructs and edge cases.
Tip: if you still have a failure, simplify the formula by removing custom macros and rewriting it with basic LaTeX primitives (\frac, ^, _, \sqrt).
8) A practical “retry loop” that saves time
When a document contains many equations, use this loop:
- Paste content.
- Scan Preview for red failures.
- Fix the first failing equation (usually the same pattern repeats).
- Re-export and repeat.
This is faster than trying to perfect the entire text before you see the failures.