LaTeX Markdown

peterlewis — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:08:59 GMT

It looks like in-line LaTeX is not supported in Markdown cells. Is that accurate?

Re: LaTeX Markdown

Ashwin_DSA — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:44:33 GMT

On doing some research, I believe your assumption is correct. In Databricks notebooks, inline LaTeX (using single dollar signs like $ \sqrt{2} $ ) is generally not supported in Markdown cells.

Databricks uses a specific flavour of Markdown that is optimised for display blocks rather than rich text integration.

If you truly hate the gaps created by block LaTeX, you can try a "hack" using HTML <span> tags, though results vary by Databricks runtime version and is not something I would recommend.

Here is an example.

%md The value <span style="font-family: serif; italic">√2</span> is irrational.

If this answer resolves your question, could you mark it as “Accept as Solution”? That helps other users quickly find the correct fix.

Regards,

Hi @peterlewis, Databricks notebooks support LaTeX mathem...

SteveOstrowski — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:45:09 GMT

Hi @peterlewis,

Databricks notebooks support LaTeX mathematical notation inside %md (markdown) cells. The rendering engine uses MathJax, so standard LaTeX math syntax works. Here is a rundown of how to use it and some common patterns.

INLINE MATH

Wrap your expression with single dollar signs or backslash-parenthesis delimiters:

%md
The quadratic formula is $x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}$ and applies when $a \neq 0$.

Both $...$ and $...$ work for inline expressions.

DISPLAY (BLOCK) MATH

For centered, standalone equations use double dollar signs or backslash-bracket delimiters:

%md
$$
E = mc^2
$$

Or equivalently:

%md
\[
\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}
\]

COMMON LATEX COMMANDS THAT WORK IN %md CELLS

Here are frequently used commands:

Fractions:       \frac{a}{b}
Square root:     \sqrt{x}  or  \sqrt[n]{x}
Subscript:       x_i  or  x_{ij}
Superscript:     x^2  or  x^{n+1}
Greek letters:   \alpha, \beta, \gamma, \theta, \sigma
Summation:       \sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i
Product:         \prod_{i=1}^{n} x_i
Integral:        \int_a^b f(x)\,dx
Limit:           \lim_{x \to \infty} f(x)
Matrix:          \begin{bmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{bmatrix}
Aligned eqs:     \begin{aligned} ... \end{aligned}

MULTI-LINE ALIGNED EQUATIONS

%md
$$
\begin{aligned}
f(x) &= x^2 + 2x + 1 \\
&= (x + 1)^2
\end{aligned}
$$

USING displayHTML FOR MORE CONTROL

If you need rendering outside of a markdown cell (for example, inside a Python cell or with custom MathJax configuration), you can use displayHTML:

displayHTML("""
<script type="text/javascript" async
src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/mathjax/2.7.7/MathJax.js?config=TeX-MML-AM_CHTML">
</script>
<p>Inline: \\( e^{i\\pi} + 1 = 0 \\)</p>
<p>Display:</p>
$$\\frac{d}{dx}\\left( \\int_0^x f(t)\\,dt \\right) = f(x)$$
""")

Note the double backslashes in the Python string to escape the LaTeX backslashes.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

1. If equations render as raw text, make sure the cell starts with %md on the very first line (no leading spaces or blank lines before it).

2. If you are using a notebook-scoped library that overrides the default JavaScript environment, it can interfere with MathJax. Try restarting the notebook session.

3. Dollar signs intended as literal currency symbols can accidentally trigger math mode. Escape them with a backslash: \$ to display a literal dollar sign.

4. Very long or complex LaTeX (e.g., large tikz diagrams) is not supported because MathJax handles math typesetting, not full LaTeX document compilation.

5. In the new notebook editor, make sure you are viewing the rendered output of the markdown cell (click outside the cell or press Esc) rather than the raw editing view.

DOCUMENTATION REFERENCE

The official docs confirm that %md cells support "text, images, and mathematical formulas and equations":
https://docs.databricks.com/en/notebooks/notebooks-code.html

For a full list of supported LaTeX math commands, refer to the MathJax documentation:
https://docs.mathjax.org/en/latest/input/tex/macros/index.html

If you can share more details about what specifically you are trying to render or any error you are seeing, I am happy to help with a more targeted example.

* This reply used an agent system I built to research and draft this response based on the wide set of documentation I have available and previous memory. I personally review the draft for any obvious issues and for monitoring system reliability and update it when I detect any drift, but there is still a small chance that something is inaccurate, especially if you are experimenting with brand new features.

If this answer resolves your question, could you mark it as "Accept as Solution"? That helps other users quickly find the correct fix.

topic LaTeX Markdown in Data Engineering

LaTeX Markdown

Re: LaTeX Markdown

Hi @peterlewis, Databricks notebooks support LaTeX mathem...