Check the new Migration Guide under Tutorials to get the most out of new features and update your worksheets.
Choose Tutorials and QuickSheets from the Help menu for access to live Mathcad worksheets to help you get the most out of Mathcad.
Choose Tools > Worksheet Options to apply new settings for calculation behavior, for compatibility with older versions, and to change unit system defaults.
To see higher precision on any result, double-click the result and increase the number of displayed decimal places in the Result Format dialog. 
To display substitutions without a final numeric result, use the 'explicit' symbolic keyword.
To customize the Standard, Formatting, or Math toolbar, right-click on the toolbar and choose Customize from the menu.
For context-sensitive help on any function, click on the function name and press [F1]. 
To recalculate a region, click in the region and press [F9], to calculate the entire document, press [Ctrl][F9].
The Mathcad Web site at www.mathcad.com is an excellent resource for sample files, Mathcad-related developments, technical support, and the latest product information.
Mathcad indexes vectors starting with 0 by default. To start indexing at 1, go to Math > Options > Built-in Variables and change ORIGIN to 1.
For a list of built-in functions with descriptions, choose Function from the Insert menu. 
For a list of built-in units, with their associated quantity, choose Unit from the Insert menu. 
To evaluate an expression numerically, use the = key. For a symbolic answer, press [Ctrl][Period] to get the -> operator.
To quickly plot a function, just type the function using any unassigned letter or word as the independent variable. Then click on the x-y plot button in the Graph toolbar and [Enter].
To use non-multiplicative units, such as degrees Celsius or dB, use the postfix operator when defining quantities, and type the unit scaling function in the units placeholder.
To change the units in which a plot is displayed, divide the argument on the plot by the units in which you want it plotted.
To change the displayed alignment of an output table with respect to its evaluated variable, right-click on the upper-left corner of the table, choose Alignment, and select from Top, Center, Bottom, Above, or Below.
To import data permanently into a Mathcad document, create an Input Table by choosing Table from the Insert > Data menu, right-click on the upper-left corner, then choose Import.
Choose Reference Tables from the Help menu for hundreds of standard tables for formulas and constants.
To access Mathcad example files and all of your installed E-books open the Resources toolbar from the View menu.
To expand nested array notation in a matrix result, double-clicke on the result and check "Expand nested arrays" in the Result Format dialog box.
To apply a calculation to each element of a vector or matrix individually, use the vectorize operator. 
Toolbars are a handy way to insert programming and symbolic keywords, or any of a large array of operators or Greek letters: choose Toolbar under the View menu.
You can create your own functions in C or C++ and use them in Mathcad. Refer to the Developer's Reference (under the Help menu) for information about creating a user-DLL.
To insert buttons, text boxes, sliders, and other controls into your Mathcad worksheets, choose Control from the Insert menu. 
To enlarge the selection in an expression, press [Space].
To create a spreadsheet-like table of numbers, click in a blank part of your worksheet, choose Data from the Insert menu and click Table.
Many functions and operators that accept scalar arguments also accept vector arguments for performing an operation on many scalars at once. For example, sin(v), where v is a vector, gives you the sine of all the elements in v. For functions that don't do this automatically, use the vectorize operator.
To select any region with the dashed selection rectangle, click on the region while holding down the [Ctrl] key.
To nudge many regions at once drag across them to select them, then use the arrow keys to move them left, right, up, or down.
To move down from an exponent press [Space] or the right arrow.
For context-sensitive help on menus, press [Shift][F1], then click on the menu item. 
Choose QuickSheets from the Help menu to access example documents demonstrating analyses and tasks frequently performed in Mathcad.
Try the Programming Tutorial under Help > Tutorials > Features In-Depth for tips on setting up and using programming keywords.
To select a string variable, click in the string and use the right arrow key to move the vertical selection cursor just to the right of the last pair of quotes.
To display a result in binary, octal, or hexadecimal, double-click on the result to bring up the Result Format dialog box and change the Radix setting. To enter a result in these bases, use b, o, or h after the number.
When you type a word and press [Space], Mathcad starts a text region for you.
To type a Greek letter, type the Roman equivalent and then press [Ctrl] G to change it to Greek. For example, to type the Greek letter pi, type P [Ctrl] G.
You can format numeric results as fractions or mixed numbers. To do so, click on a result and select Result from the Format menu. Increase or decrease the level of accuracy to get a more precise fractional equivalent of your result. 
Use the Data Acquisition component to read data from and send data to supported measurement devices connected to your system.
You can communicate with other Mathcad users through online User Forums. Choose User Forums from the Help menu.
To move out of the denominator of a fraction, press [Space].
You can insert and delete lines by right-clicking in a blank area of your worksheet and choosing Insert or Delete Lines from the menu. 
For help on an error message, press [F1] while the message is displayed.
To bring data in from a data file, insert the File Read or Write component by choosing Component from the Insert menu. 
To undo a sequence of editing changes in a math region, press [Ctrl] Z. 
To shift the insertion bar from one side of a selected expression to the other, press [Insert].
To quickly delete a region, click on it and press [Ctrl] D or choose Delete from the Edit menu.
To evaluate a derivative symbolically, fill in the derivative operator and press [Ctrl] [Period].
To assign a numeric function to a symbolic result, just type the definition symbol at the front of the symbolic evaluation, and make any undefined variables arguments to the new function.
When editing math expressions check the status messages at the bottom left of the screen for helpful suggestions.
To delete an operator in an expression, position the vertical editing line between the operator and the operand. Press [Delete] to remove an operator to the right of the vertical line or [Bksp] to remove an operator to the left.
You can create a new line within the same paragraph in a text region by typing [Shift] [Enter]. To create a new line in a new paragraph, type [Enter].
You can make a text region occupy the entire width of a page by right-clicking on it, choosing Properties from the menu, and clicking "Occupy Page Width" on the Text tab.
To set up an equation for a symbolic solution, use [Ctrl]= to inserts the bold (Boolean) equals sign.
The Mathcad User's Guide is available under the Resource’s window in PDF form. 
You can display any matrix as a grayscale image by typing its name and choosing Picture from the Insert menu. Since displayed pixel values correspond to gray levels between 0 and 255, you may want to scale the matrix accordingly.
Mathcad has two kinds of subscripts. To identify the array element x sub 3, type x[3. (This is the fourth element if you're using the default origin of 0). To subscript a variable that isn't an array, use a period instead of [. For example x.init gives you the variable x sub init. 
You can refer to a built-in unit or function name, even after you have redefined the name, using the Namespace operator. Type [Ctrl][Shift]N after the variable name, then type unit for the built-in unit namespace, or mc for the built-in Mathcad function names.
Enabling lighting on a 3D plot can drastically change its color. For best results, be sure the plot's fill color is white. Otherwise, the plot absorbs and reflects light depending on its fill color.
To change the units in an answer from the default units, click once on the answer, then click on the placeholder that appears to the right of the answer, and then type the name of the unit you want to use. When you click away, Mathcad converts the answer to your chosen units.
When pasting an object into Mathcad from another application, choose Paste Special from the Edit menu so you can specify the type of object you'd like to paste.
Mathcad's default unit for angle measure is radians. For example, if you type sin(3) Mathcad assumes you're using radians. To find the sine of 3 degrees, type sin(3*deg)=.
To turn an answer in radians into degrees, type deg in the placeholder to the right of the answer.
The most up-to-date Release Notes are posted on http://support.mathsoft.com/.
To plot a horizontal line, simply enter a constant value in the vertical axis placeholder on an x-y plot and enter any variable name not already in use in the horizontal axis placeholder.
To apply a function or operation to a vector or matrix of values element-wise, use [Ctrl][-]. This puts the vectorize arrow over the expression.
To completely hide one or more regions from someone reading your worksheet, use a collapsed area. Then set the area properties so that there is no name, icon, border, or timestamp on the area.
Scalar and vector answers can be copied and pasted just like any other expression. Just select the result and choose Copy from the Edit menu or press [Ctrl]C.
If you can't remember the abbreviation for a particular unit, choose Unit from the Insert menu and look in the Insert Unit dialog box.
The Reference feature allows you to access functions and variables defined in worksheets other than the current one. Choose Reference from the Insert menu and indicate the name of a worksheet to reference. The contents of that worksheet can be used at the point where you inserted the reference.
When you animate a plot it's a good idea to fix the axis limits by entering your own values in the four axes-limit placeholders. This prevents the plot from rescaling the axes during the animation. You can fix axes limits for 3D plots in the Axes tab of the Format dialog box.
Variables defined inside a Mathcad program are local - their values are known only inside the program. However, the program knows the values of any variables you have defined anywhere above or to the left of the program in your worksheet.
You can find and/or replace extended and Greek characters using the Find and Replace dialog boxes. Enter \[Roman letter] for Greek, ^t for a Tab, ^p for a Return, ^l for a line break, and ^\ for a backslash. 
If you want to keep a particular region from calculating, right-click in the region, choose Properties from the menu, then check Disable Evaluation in the Calculation tab. A small box appears to the right of the equation to indicate that it has been turned off.
There are three different "equals" signs in Mathcad. Type = when you want to see a numerical answer. Type : to define a variable; Mathcad puts in its definition symbol, which looks like :=. To state that two quantities are equal use [Ctrl]= to insert a Boolean equals sign. Use this Boolean equals in conditional tests and in equations you want to solve.
To integrate the data set sampled at irregularly spaced points, use interpolation:  Define f(t) := linterp(x,y,t) and then use the numerical integration operator to integrate f.
To import data from a datafile into your worksheet, insert the Input Table component, right-click to bring up the context options, and choose Import. Your data is imported into a spreadsheet display and becomes part of the worksheet.
If you select a group of regions and want to deselect one of them, press [Ctrl] and click on the region to deselect.
If you want to print out these tips, you can find the file in your Mathcad folder. It is mtips_EN.txt. Be careful not to change anything in the file.
Mathsoft publishes a variety of discipline-specific Mathcad add-ons that extend the power of Mathcad in a variety of areas. See www.mathcad.com for more information.
You can create a 3D QuickPlot by entering a 2-variable function in your worksheet and then typing the name of that function without its variables as the argument in a 3D plot.
You can select multiple regions and change properties common to all of the regions selected, rather than changing each region separately.
If you want to restrict user access to a small number of regions in your worksheet, you can opt to protect your worksheet, rather than inserting areas and locking them. Choose Protect Worksheet from the Tools menu.
You can read data from files interactively by choosing Data from the Insert menu and clicking on File Input. The resulting component allows you to select a subset of rows and columns that can be recalculated by clicking on it and pressing [F9].
You can change the properties of a File Input component, including the file that is read, by right-clicking on the component.
To select a single region, hold down the [Shift] key and click on it. [Shift]-clicking on a selected region will unselect it. 
You can type the name and path of any JPEG, BMP, GIF, or TIFF image into a string variable in the placeholder of a picture operator to display the image. Both grayscale and color images are supported.
You can output a matrix of pixel values selected in a picture operator by right-clicking on the picture and choosing appropriate settings on the Properties tab.
You can animate any equation or graph in Mathcad by making the values dependent on the built-in FRAME variable (default is 0), then choosing Animation > Record from the Tools menu, and selecting the regions you wish to animate.
The default units returned for any value are dependent on the unit system chosen. For example, the default units of length in the US system are feet, and in the SI system, meters. To change unit systems, choose Worksheet Options from the Tools menu, and select from the choices on the Unit System tab.
Assigning the largest index element of a matrix first will speed matrix calculations.
If you are manipulating many large matrices in a calculation, but only need to use the values of the last one, assign the intermediate matrices in a program. These will be local to the program and do not need to be saved in memory once the program is run.
Solve block results can be parameterized on any value in the block, including guess values, equation variables, conditional constraints, or initial conditions. A parameterized output can be used within a program to run the block repeatedly for different inputs.
You can use the WRITEPRN and APPENDPRN functions in a program by passing them both the name of the file to write to, and the data values to be written as a second argument.