Description

MathJax enables enables rendering of embedded LaTeX or MathML in HTML pages. This plugin adds this functionality to WordPress. The MathJax JavaScript is inject on-demand only to those pages which require it. This ensures that MathJax is not loaded for all pages, which will otherwise slow loading down.

The MathJax JavaScript can be delivered from your own server, or you can use the jsDelivr Content Distribution Network (CDN), which is the preferred mechanism as it offers increased speed and stability over hosting the JavaScript and configuring the library yourself.

You may embed latex using a variety of different syntaxes. The shortcode (https://codex.wordpress.org/Shortcode_API) syntax is preferred. So [latex]E=mc^2[/latex] will work out of the box. This also forces loading of MathJax.

Additionally, you can use native MathJax syntax — $$E=mc^2$$ or $E=mc^2$. However, if this is the only syntax used, the plugin must be explicitly told to load MathJax for the current page. This can be achieved by adding a [mathjax] shortcode anywhere in the post. For posts with both [latex]x[/latex] and $$x$$ syntaxes this is unnecessary.

You can use wp-latex syntax, $latex E=mc^2$ . Parameters can be specified as with wp-latex but will be ignored. This means that MathJax-LaTeX should be a drop-in replacement for wp-latex. Because this conflicts with wp-latex, this behaviour is blocked when wp-latex is present, and must be explicitly enabled in the settings.

You can also specify [nomathjax] — this will block mathjax on the current page, regardless of other tags.

MathJax-LaTeX is developed on GitHub.

Copyright

This plugin is copyright Phillip Lord, Newcastle University and is licensed under GPLv2.

Installation

Unzip the downloaded .zip archive to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress

FAQ

How do I configure MathJax?

Use the mathjax_config filter. It receives an array of MathJax 4 configuration options, which the plugin outputs as window.MathJax before MathJax loads. Add your settings to the array you’re given and return it. Don’t return a new array, since the plugin adds its own settings to it.

`php

add_filter( ‘mathjax_config’, function ( $config ) {
$config[‘tex’][‘tags’] = ‘ams’;
return $config;
} );
`

The plugin always loads MathJax’s Safe extension after the filter runs, so a filter can’t remove it.

Before 1.4, the filter took MathJax 2 configuration (MathJax.Hub.Config). Those settings don’t work with MathJax 4; see the MathJax 4 documentation for the equivalents.

How do I number equations?

Set tex.tags to ams to number equations in environments such as equation and align, or to all to number every displayed equation:

`php

add_filter( ‘mathjax_config’, function ( $config ) {
$config[‘tex’][‘tags’] = ‘ams’;
return $config;
} );
`

\label{…} and `\eqref{…}` then work as in LaTeX.

Can I use single dollar signs for inline math?

Yes, by adding them to tex.inlineMath:

`php

add_filter( ‘mathjax_config’, function ( $config ) {
$config[‘tex’][‘inlineMath’] = [ [ ‘$’, ‘$’ ], [ ‘$‘, ‘$’ ] ];
return $config;
} );
`

A literal dollar sign then needs to be written as \$.

How do I use a TeX extension?

Many extensions load automatically when you use one of their macros, e.g. \ce{H2O} loads mhchem. For others, \require them in the post, once per page before their first use:

`latex

(\require{units}\nicefrac{1}{2})
`

To load an extension on every page, use the mathjax_config filter:

`php

add_filter( ‘mathjax_config’, function ( $config ) {
$config[‘loader’][‘load’][] = ‘[tex]/units’;
$config[‘tex’][‘packages’][‘[+]’][] = ‘units’;
return $config;
} );
`

Why do long equations wrap onto several lines?

MathJax-LaTeX breaks displayed equations that are wider than the column onto several lines, so they don’t run off the screen on phones. Equations that fit aren’t affected. To give wide equations their own horizontal scrollbar instead, set output.displayOverflow to scroll. To let them run past the edge of the column as they used to, set it to overflow, MathJax’s own default:

`php

add_filter( ‘mathjax_config’, function ( $config ) {
$config[‘output’][‘displayOverflow’] = ‘scroll’;
return $config;
} );
`

MathJax also accepts scale, truncate and elide; see the MathJax output options.

Reviews

yecarri November 2, 2025

My wordpress version is 6.7.2. I just added a simple equation, it is not displayed at all.

zulqadar June 20, 2025

This plugin is working fine in 2025. Just write your equation in $$equation$$. That's all.

samenezes October 6, 2020

There is a mistake on the beginning of this product descriotion: There, we see: "enables enables"

Ethan2013 February 12, 2018 1 reply

I think it's a very great plugin because we, as a physics lover, are so difficult to type latex equations in any blog. I like wordpress but its WP-latex is not good enough. I found that MathJax won't work well when the equation is too many "A_{1}^{2}", "\text{1233}" or something like that. For example, $$\large\sum_{i=1}^n\vec{F}_{\text{ext, i}}=\sum_{i=1}^n$$ This equation won't show LaTeX correctly. However, if I delete =\sum_{i=1}^n, then everything is fine. $$\large\sum_{i=1}^n\vec{F}_{\text{ext, i}}$$ I really need your help. I love this plugin so much because it enables me to write a physics blog. Thank you so much. You can see this two pictures : https://imgur.com/Myse5vr https://imgur.com/a/IxXI7

Find Hao December 10, 2017

Thanks for your work. By the way, could you please add the inlineMath config? Or I have to add <script type="text/x-mathjax-config"> MathJax.Hub.Config({ tex2jax: {inlineMath: [['$','$'], ['\$','\$']]} }); </script> in header.php to support the inlineMath.

liuyiwp September 8, 2017

I really like the fact that it only injected code when needed. It seems I cannot put two [latex] equations on one page. I ended up use one [latex] and one $$ code.

Read all 11 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“MathJax-LaTeX” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Translate “MathJax-LaTeX” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

1.4

Security: load MathJax’s Safe extension wherever MathJax runs, so TeX in comments can’t create javascript: links (CVE-2026-116754). Only site code using the mathjax_config filter can loosen Safe mode’s settings.
Use MathJax 4.1.3, loaded asynchronously from jsDelivr.
The MathJax Configuration setting now selects a MathJax 4 component; MathJax 2 settings are mapped automatically.
The custom location setting is now the URL of a MathJax 4 directory or component file. Self-hosted copies load fonts from the @mathjax directory next to it, as installed by npm, instead of jsDelivr.
The mathjax_config filter now takes MathJax 4 configuration (window.MathJax); see the FAQ for examples.
Block direct file access and fix Plugin Check issues.

1.3.13

PHP code style fixes

1.3.12

Use version 2.7.9 of MathJax JS
Add code comments to all variables, functions and parameters.

1.3.11

Use version 2.7.5 of MathJax JS

1.3.10

Rename class files, per PHPCS
Gracefully handle null values in filter_br_tags_on_math. Thanks to Yang Liu.

1.3.9

Code style changes, per PHPCS 3.3.0 and WPCS 0.14.1
Use PHP 7 short array syntax

1.3.8

Code style changes, per PHPCS 3.1.1 and WPCS 0.14

1.3.7

Update MathJax to 2.7.2

1.3.6

Update location of MathJax CDN

1.3.5

Add support for MathJax config via filter

1.3.4

PHP code cleanup
Always use https URL for MathJax library
Updated “tested up to” to 4.3

1.3.3

Fixed inconsistent version numbers between readme and php file

1.3.2

Further code clean ups.

1.3.1

Accessibility Improvements for Admin page
VIP Coding Standards
MathML tags enabled in TinyMCE

All code for this release was submitted by users of
this plugin! Thanks to Jared Wenerd and Paul Schreiber.

1.3.0

Whitelist MathML tags and attributes.
Sanitization of input and escaping of output.

1.2.1

Bug fix: custom location was not correctly applied.
Bug fix: force load was not correctly applied.

1.2

Admin page was open to attack from third party sites which user was logged
in as admin.
The admin page has been isolated and rewritten.
All the options have been renamed, which will, unfortunately mean
reconfiguring the plugin. In particular, wp-latex syntax is switched off by
default.

1.1

Documentation update
Update test-with documentation for WordPress 3.5.1
Tested against MathJax2.1

1.0

Compatibility with MathJax 1.1. Load a default configuration from the MathJax distribution.
Use the MathJax Content Distribution Network to deliver the javascript library. Offers improved performance and stability.

0.2

MathJax.js can be loaded form a configurable URL. Defaults to $PLUGIN/MathJax/MathJax.js

It does not work

Good Plugin Saved Me

enables enables

Great! But there are still some bugs.

Easy to use.

Great plugin