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This quickstart guide will get you converting LaTeX equations in Notion immediately. You’ll learn both conversion methods and see the extension in action.
Prerequisites: You must have Noeqtion installed. If you haven’t installed it yet, see the Installation Guide.

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Try It Now: 3-Step Tutorial

1

Create a Test Page

Open Notion and create a new page (or use an existing one)Paste this sample text containing LaTeX equations:
Time complexity is $O(n \log n)$ for this algorithm.

The famous equation $$E=mc^2$$ relates energy and mass.

Integration example: $$\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2}dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}$$

Inline summation: $\sum_{i=1}^n i = \frac{n(n+1)}{2}$
At this point, Notion shows these as plain text — they’re not rendered as math.
2

Convert with Keyboard Shortcut

Press Ctrl+Alt+M (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Option+M (macOS)What you’ll see:
  • The extension scans the page for equations
  • Each equation is selected and converted sequentially
  • Math dialogs appear briefly (the extension hides them to reduce distraction)
  • After a few seconds, all equations are converted
If successful, all equations are now rendered as Notion’s native math blocks! The inline equations ($...$) appear inline, and the display equations ($$...$$) appear as centered blocks.
3

Try the Alternative Method

Create another test block with an equation:
Test equation: $\alpha + \beta = \gamma$
Instead of the keyboard shortcut, click the Noeqtion icon in your browser toolbarClick the “Convert” button in the popupThe equation converts just like before!
The keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+M) is faster for regular use. The popup is useful if you forget the shortcut or if the shortcut conflicts with another application.

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What Just Happened?

When you pressed Ctrl+Alt+M, the extension:
  1. Scanned the page using a regex pattern to find all $...$ and $$...$$ equations
  2. Processed each equation sequentially:
    • For display equations ($$...$$): Deleted the text, typed /math, pressed Enter, inserted the LaTeX, clicked “Done”
    • For inline equations ($...$): Replaced the text with $$...$$ format (Notion’s inline math syntax)
  3. Rescanned the DOM after each conversion to find newly-exposed equations (Notion updates the DOM dynamically)
  4. Repeated until no more equations were found
The entire process typically takes 1-3 seconds for a page with 10-20 equations, depending on your system and Notion’s responsiveness.

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Understanding the Two Equation Types

Noeqtion handles two types of LaTeX equations differently:
Syntax: $...$ (single dollar signs)Examples:
  • $E=mc^2$ — Simple inline equation
  • $O(n)$ — Big-O notation
  • $\alpha + \beta$ — Greek letters
Result: Renders inline with surrounding textHow it works: The extension replaces $...$ with $$...$$, which Notion interprets as inline math (content.js:153-165)

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Common First-Time Questions

Try these solutions:
  1. Check you’re on a Notion page: The extension only works on https://www.notion.so/* URLs
  2. Use the popup instead: Click the extension icon and press “Convert”
  3. Check for conflicts: Another application may be using Ctrl+Alt+M
  4. Reload the page: Sometimes the content script doesn’t inject on first load
See Troubleshooting for more solutions.
Not currently — the extension converts all equations on the page when triggeredWorkaround: If you only want to convert specific equations:
  1. Copy the equations to a separate page
  2. Run the conversion there
  3. Copy the converted math blocks back
Selective conversion is a planned feature for a future release.
The extension attempts to create the math block, but:
  • Display equations: If KaTeX detects an error, the extension detects the error dialog (content.js:138) and presses Escape to cancel
  • Inline equations: Notion shows an error indicator in the inline math block
Invalid equations remain unconverted (as text) or show as errored math blocks.
Yes! Use Notion’s standard undo:
  • Keyboard: Ctrl+Z (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Z (macOS)
  • Menu: Click the ”⋯” menu and select “Undo”
Each equation conversion is a separate action, so you can undo them one-by-one.
Partially:
  • ✅ Works in: Regular text blocks, callouts, quotes, toggles
  • ⚠️ May fail in: Table cells, database properties, page titles
Table cells have different DOM structure, which can cause timing issues with the conversion algorithm.See Limitations for details.

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Test Cases to Try

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, try these test cases to see edge cases: 
$x^2 + y^2 = z^2$
$$\frac{d}{dx} x^n = nx^{n-1}$$
$\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{1}{x} = 0$

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Performance Expectations

Small Pages

1-10 equationsConversion time: 1-3 seconds

Medium Pages

10-50 equationsConversion time: 5-15 seconds

Large Pages

50+ equationsConversion time: 15-60+ seconds
Sequential processing limits speed on large pages

Complex Equations

Matrices, nested fractionsSlightly slower due to KaTeX validation
The extension processes equations sequentially (one at a time) to ensure reliability with Notion’s dynamic DOM. Parallel processing would be faster but risk missing equations or causing race conditions.See Technical Details for the rationale behind sequential processing.

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Next Steps

Now that you’ve successfully converted your first equations, explore these guides:

Detailed Usage Guide

Learn the full conversion workflow and best practices

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master both trigger methods and troubleshoot shortcut conflicts

Troubleshooting

Fix common issues like timing problems and invalid LaTeX

Technical Details

Understand how the extension works under the hood
Pro tip: For large pages with many equations, paste them into Notion first, then run the conversion once at the end. This is faster than converting after each paste.

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