LaTeXSnipper ✨

A desktop math workspace for capture -> recognize -> handwrite -> edit -> compute

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FAQ · Releases

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Core Features

Feature	Description
📸 Formula recognition	MathCraft OCR for formulas, text, and mixed content
📄 PDF recognition	Page-based PDF recognition with Markdown/LaTeX output and DPI control
🌐 Bilingual reading	PDF text-layer reading with local Argos or remote translation engines
✍️ Handwriting recognition	Dedicated handwriting window with auto-recognition and live preview
🧮 Math workbench	Separate workspace for editing, computation, and write-back
⌨️ Formula editing	Integrated MathLive math-field with virtual math keyboard
🔄 Multi-format export	20 export formats across LaTeX, Markdown, MathML, HTML, OMML, SVG, Word, ODT, PowerPoint, EPUB, PDF, Typst, and plain text
📐 Core computation	Compute, simplify, numeric evaluate, expand, factor, solve
🧠 Advanced fallback	Local SymPy/mpmath engine for harder expressions
🌙 Theme support	Light/Dark adaptation across windows and tools
🔐 Offline-first	Recognition and advanced solving can run locally for privacy

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Microsoft Office Plugin

LaTeXSnipper provides a released Windows plugin for desktop Microsoft Word and PowerPoint:

• Word OLE and native OMML formula insertion
• PowerPoint OLE and PNG formula insertion
• Shared MathLive editor and extensive symbol/formula library
• Formula loading, update, deletion, automatic numbering, and renumbering
• Persisted LaTeX source, rendering options, numbering data, and formula identity
• Local vector rendering for OLE formulas
• Screenshot recognition through the local desktop Bridge

Download OfficePluginSetup-<version>.exe from Releases. The plugin supports 32-bit and 64-bit desktop Office 2019, 2021, 2024, LTSC 2021/2024, and Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows.

See the Office plugin documentation for requirements and release build details.

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Computation Coverage

The workbench currently covers common scenarios such as:

• Polynomial expansion
• Factorization
• Equation solving
• Irrational/complex root fallback solving
• Definite and improper integrals
• Infinite series
• Infinite products
• Limits
• Derivatives
• Numeric approximation and constant recognition

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Export Formats

LaTeXSnipper exposes a shared export menu in the main window and favorites window. The desktop app currently provides 20 export formats.

Built-in formula export formats:

• LaTeX inline, display, and equation
• Markdown inline and block math
• MathML standard, .mml, <m>, and attribute forms
• HTML, Word OMML, and SVG code

Optional Pandoc export formats are enabled after installing the PANDOC layer in the dependency wizard:

• Word .docx, ODT .odt, PowerPoint .pptx, EPUB .epub
• PDF .pdf (requires Pandoc plus a LaTeX PDF engine such as XeLaTeX, LuaLaTeX, or pdfLaTeX)
• Standalone HTML .html, Typst .typ, and plain text .txt

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Quick Start

Option 1: Download the executable

1. Visit the Releases page
2. Download the latest LaTeXSnipperSetup-<version>.exe
3. Run the installer
4. Complete environment setup via the dependency wizard on first launch
5. Start capturing, handwriting, or using the math workbench

Option 2: Run from source

Windows:

git clone https://github.com/SakuraMathcraft/LaTeXSnipper.git
cd LaTeXSnipper

python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\activate

pip install -r requirements.txt
python src/main.py

Linux:

git clone https://github.com/SakuraMathcraft/LaTeXSnipper.git
cd LaTeXSnipper

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

pip install -r requirements-linux.txt
python src/main.py

macOS:

git clone https://github.com/SakuraMathcraft/LaTeXSnipper.git
cd LaTeXSnipper

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

pip install -r requirements-macos.txt
python src/main.py

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Platform Support

Platform	Status	Notes
Windows	Primary release target	Native global hotkey, Qt capture, GitHub/Inno and Store/MSIX packaging.
Linux	Supported via provider layer	pynput global hotkey, Qt capture first, optional Wayland/X11 CLI or portal fallbacks.
macOS	Supported via provider layer	Native global hotkey, Qt capture with screencapture fallback, Screen Recording permission may be required.

Linux and macOS both create optional runtime dependency environments in the user state directory, so they need a usable system Python 3.10+ with venv/pip support. Debian/Ubuntu .deb installs declare python3 and python3-venv; macOS users should install Python through Homebrew (brew install python) or the official python.org macOS installer when the system does not provide a usable python3.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push your branch
5. Open a Pull Request

All pull requests must follow Developer Code Standards. Before requesting review, run:

.\tools\deps\python311\python.exe -m ruff check .
.\tools\deps\python311\python.exe -m pytest test
.\tools\deps\python311\python.exe -m pyright
.\tools\deps\python311\python.exe -m compileall -q src mathcraft_ocr test

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License

This project is open-sourced under the GNU General Public License v3.