How to view LaTeX math in markdown on Android

Updated: 2026-10-29

Markdown itself has no math syntax. Instead, many tools let you write LaTeX between dollar signs:

Inline: $E = mc^2$

Block:

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

In a viewer without math support, you see exactly that: dollar signs, backslashes and braces. That's a problem for lecture notes, research summaries and AI answers, which are full of formulas.

Where you'll meet LaTeX in markdown

• AI answers. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini write formulas in LaTeX. When you copy an answer, you get the source.
• Study notes written in Obsidian, Notion exports or Jupyter-style tools.
• Technical READMEs and documentation.

Render math on Android

MD Reader renders LaTeX with KaTeX, a fast math renderer bundled inside the app. It works without internet.

1. Open the .md file, or tap Paste from clipboard to paste an AI answer.
2. Inline math ($...$) is drawn within the sentence. Block math ($$...$$) gets its own centered line.

Get it on Google Play

Supported syntax

KaTeX covers most of what you'll see in notes and AI answers:

• Fractions, roots, sums and integrals: \frac, \sqrt, \sum, \int
• Greek letters and symbols: \alpha, \infty, \leq
• Matrices: \begin{pmatrix} ... \end{pmatrix}
• Aligned equations: \begin{aligned} ... \end{aligned}

If a formula has a typo, the rest of the document still renders, and the broken formula is shown so you can find it.

Tips

• Long formulas scroll sideways instead of overflowing the screen.
• Dark mode works with formulas too. See comfortable reading settings.
• Diagrams often appear next to math in technical answers. MD Reader draws those as well. See Mermaid diagrams on Android.

Keep your formulas

If the math came from an AI chat, save it as a .md file so it stays readable and searchable. See saving AI answers as markdown.