How to adjust the lower part of Word formula

Key points of this article

Below the formula, first distinguish whether it is an in-line formula or an independent formula. The reasons and revision methods of the two are different.
When the paragraph line spacing is set to a fixed value, the height of the formula is easily compressed, causing the overall sinking. Changing to single or multiple line spacing can usually solve the problem.
If the center line of large structures such as fractions, radicals, and sums is relatively high, the internal alignment of the formula may need to be adjusted if the center line is lower.
When the formula on an independent line is positioned at the bottom, check the spacing between the paragraphs before and after the paragraphs. The superposition of spacing will make the formula appear far away from the top.
Unify the font size of formulas and text and avoid fixed line spacing, which can reduce the occurrence of formulas that appear lower in the future.

You inserted a formula into Word. The text looked normal, but the formula sank down as a whole and was not aligned with the text on the same line, as if a section was missing. This situation is very common in papers, reports and contracts, especially in formulas with height such as fractions, sums, and square roots. The writing target is mainly people who need to submit manuscripts or archive documents, as well as people who paste content from elsewhere into Word and find that the formatting is messed up.

This article talks about how to determine the reason why Word formulas are incorrect and fix them in order from easy to difficult. After reading, you will be able to tell whether the formula is in a line or on an independent line, know what kind of offsets will be caused by line spacing, internal structure of formulas and paragraph spacing, and also know where to change in each case.

The Word formula is at the bottom, how can I adjust it to align it? One sentence conclusion

First confirm whether the formula is displayed inline or independently, and then check whether the line spacing of the paragraph is a fixed value. Most of the problems with the error occur in these two places. Only when the local symbol is downward, you need to further check the internal structure of the formula.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
The formula and the text go together, only one symbol is lower	Check the superscript, subscript and font size of the symbol and make them consistent with the text.	Inline formulas follow the text baseline, and local offsets usually come from structure or font size.
The entire line is lower, and the paragraph spacing is a fixed value.	Change to single or multiple spacing	Fixed line spacing compresses the available height and formulas are squeezed below
The formulas on independent lines are overall lower	Check the spacing before and after the paragraph and the paragraphs before and after it	After the spacing is superimposed, the formula is far away from the upper part and closer to the lower part, and it looks like sinking
Contains fractions, radicals or summations	Check the alignment within the formula and adjust the fraction line position if necessary	Large symbols have center lines higher than normal text and are not aligned with the baseline
The same document works fine on other computers	Compare the fonts of the two computers, fill in the missing fonts and check again	Baseline and height of replacement fonts may differ

First determine what kind of problem it is

After opening the document, first check the table below to see which category the symptoms belong to, and then make modifications to avoid repeated adjustments.

symptoms	Common causes	How to confirm
The entire text becomes taller and the formula sinks	The line spacing is set to a fixed value, and the value is too small	Select the paragraph, open paragraph settings, and check the line spacing type.
There is only one fraction or the root sign is lower than	The center line of the internal structure of the formula is inconsistent with the text	Double-click the formula to enter the editing state and check the structure one by one
Formulas appear smaller or larger than text	The formula font size is different from the main text	Select the formula and the text next to it and compare the font size
There is a large space before and after the independent formula	The spacing before and after the paragraph is too large, or there are too many empty paragraphs	Open paragraph settings to check the spacing before and after, and show paragraph markers to check for empty lines.
Only download on a certain computer	Missing fonts or different display scaling	Open the same file on another computer and check the font list

Check and repair item by item

Check in the following order and deal with easily confirmed causes first. Usually the first three steps can solve most problems.

Confirm the formula type first. Click the formula. If it is on the same line as the text, it is an inline formula; if it occupies its own line, it is an independent formula. The two types of practice are different, please distinguish them first before continuing.
Check the line spacing of the paragraph. If the line spacing is a fixed value, the formula height will be compressed or moved down when it exceeds this value. This is a common reason.
Compare the font sizes of the formula and the text, and unify them into the same font size to avoid the formula from looking lower due to the difference in font size.
Check the internal structure of the formula. Fractions, radical signs, sum signs, brackets and other structures are inherently higher. If they are partially lower, enter the editing state and check the superscripts, subscripts and alignment one by one.
Check the spacing before and after the paragraph, especially the spacing between the paragraph where the independent formula is located and the paragraphs before and after it.
If the above is normal, open the same file on another computer and compare it to confirm whether the difference is caused by missing fonts or display scaling.

Subsidence caused by fixed line spacing

This situation is straightforward, and the effect after modification is obvious.

Select the entire paragraph where the formula is located, and change the line spacing type from fixed to single or multiple spacing.
If most of the paragraphs in the document are set to fixed values, you can change them to multiple line spacing, and then check whether tables and titles are affected paragraph by paragraph.
Don't make the fixed value too large to make the formula appear completely, otherwise the text line spacing will become loose.

Partial deviation caused by the internal structure of the formula

The center lines of fractions, radicals and sums are usually higher than ordinary text. If only one of them is lower, it is probably an internal structure problem.

Double-click the formula to enter the editing state, check whether the superscript and subscript are aligned with the baseline, and whether there are any spaces or empty superscript and subscript spacers added by mistake.
When the fraction is lower, check whether the font sizes of the numerator and denominator are consistent, and whether the position of the fraction line is close to the center line of the text.
If the formula is composed of multiple paragraphs, you can check each part individually and find the highlighted paragraph before modifying it.

Spacing problem of independent formulas

When an independent formula is skewed downward, sometimes it is not a problem with the formula itself, but rather a visual misalignment caused by the white space before and after.

Check the spacing before and after the paragraph where the formula is located. It is recommended to keep the values on both sides close to each other. Do not have one side be very large and the other side be zero.
Display paragraph marks, delete extra empty paragraphs before and after formulas, and replace empty lines with paragraph spacing.
If the formula needs to be centered and aligned with spaces, use the paragraph alignment setting instead to avoid misalignment caused by changes in line width.

If you do not have Word installed at hand, you can also open the .docx file in app.unidoc.top to check the formula typesetting. UniDoc web editor supports formula editing and Word round-trip, but the final typesetting effect should still be based on the software you use when submitting your manuscript.

How to avoid it happening again next time

The font size of formulas and text should be the same. Do not change newly inserted formulas to other sizes at will.
Try to avoid using fixed line spacing in paragraphs that need to display formulas. The line spacing type can be unified to single or multiple.
Independent formulas are divided into separate paragraphs, and the spacing before and after the paragraph is used to control the position. There is no need to adjust blank lines or a large number of spaces.
When pasting a formula from a web page or other document, first paste it into a plain text position to check, and then re-insert it as a formal formula.
Before submitting or archiving, open it once on the software and computer to be used to confirm that the font and display are normal.

🎯 Which method is suitable for you?

If your document has only a few inline formulas, just check the font size and subscripts and subscripts, which can usually be done in a few minutes. If it is a paper or report with a large number of independent formulas, it is recommended to unify the line spacing and paragraph spacing first, and then check complex structures such as fractions and radicals one by one to avoid repairing them one by one.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. The formula is displayed normally in PDF, but why is it displayed at the bottom when I return to Word?

PDF saves a fixed layout, while Word relies on the current font, line spacing, and paragraph settings. After changing computers or fonts, the formula height in Word will be recalculated, so there may be a shift.

2. Can all the formulas in the document be adjusted at once?

You can unify the text size and paragraph spacing first, and then check the formulas one by one. Formula structures are different, and adjusting them all at once can easily introduce new misalignments. It is recommended to deal with line spacing and font size first, and then check complex formulas.

3. After changing the line spacing to multiple times, the text becomes very loose. What should I do?

You can adjust the line spacing value smaller, for example, from a larger multiple to a value close to a single value, while maintaining the spacing before and after the paragraph where the formula is located, so as not to suppress the formula or make the text appear empty.

4. Are formulas on the lower side and superscripts on formulas too high the same thing?

Not exactly. Lower usually means that the whole or part of the text is lower than the text baseline. If the superscript is too high, it means that the superscript and subscript positions are improperly set. Both can be checked in the formula editing state, but the reasons and modification locations are different.

📝 Summary

Most of the errors in Word formulas come from fixed line spacing, internal structure of formulas and paragraph spacing. First determine the cause according to the symptoms, and then modify them in order from easy to difficult, which is highly efficient. Unifying the text size, line spacing, and spacing of independent formulas can reduce the trouble of repeated adjustments in the future.

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