How to Insert Symbols in Word: Menu, Shortcuts and Codes

Degrees for a recipe, the copyright mark in your footer, a trademark after your product name, a tick in a checklist: none of these are on your keyboard, but Word can insert all of them. There's a quick menu for the common ones, a full library for everything else, and a set of keyboard codes once you know where to look.

Using the Symbol menu

1. Click where you want the symbol.
2. Go to Insert > Symbol.
3. Pick a symbol from the short list, or choose More Symbols.
4. In the full dialog, scroll to find the one you want. Use the Font selector to browse a different font.
5. Double-click the symbol to insert it, then select Close.

Microsoft says the most commonly used symbols are in the Segoe UI Symbol font, so that's a good place to start. Once a symbol's in, select it and change the font size if you want it bigger or smaller.

Special characters: section marks, non-breaking spaces and more

Some useful characters aren't on the main symbol grid. Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols and open the Special Characters tab. You'll find things like em dashes, the section mark and a nonbreaking space. Double-click the one you need.

Microsoft points out that many special characters have shortcut keys listed alongside them. For example, Alt+Ctrl+C inserts the copyright symbol.

Handy codes for common symbols

Symbol	Name	Shortcut
°	Degree sign	Alt+0176
©	Copyright	Alt+0169 or Alt+Ctrl+C
®	Registered	Alt+0174
™	Trademark	Alt+0153
§	Section sign	Alt+0167
√	Square root	Type 221A, then press Alt+X

Those codes come from Microsoft's own table of character codes for Word.

How the two kinds of codes work

Every symbol in the More Symbols dialog has a Character code and a from box at the bottom right. That tells you which method to use:

• Unicode (hex): type the code where you want the symbol, then press Alt+X and Word converts it. If it comes straight after another character, select just the code first.
• Symbol (Decimal), which is ASCII: hold Alt and type the code on the numeric keypad.

The catch: the numeric keypad and the font

Two things stop ASCII codes working, and Microsoft spells out both. First, you have to use the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, not the number keys across the top of the keyboard. If your laptop doesn't have a separate keypad, use the Unicode and Alt+X method, or the Symbol menu, instead. Second, Microsoft says all ASCII codes are four digits long, so add zeros at the start of a shorter code.

The font matters too. Microsoft calls it critical: not every font contains the same characters. Its example is that the Elephant font has no fraction characters while Verdana does. If you get a box or the wrong character, switch to a more complete font and try again.

Tick marks versus tick boxes

A tick from the Symbol menu is just a character on the page. Microsoft is clear that these marks are static symbols. If you want a box people can click to check or uncheck, such as in a form or a to-do list you'll share, Microsoft points you to its separate guide on making a checklist in Word. It's worth deciding which you need before you build a long list, because swapping one for the other later is tedious.

Trademark and registered marks sit high on their own

If you're adding ® or ™ after a brand name, there's good news. Microsoft says symbols that are almost always superscript, such as these, are automatically formatted as superscript when you insert them. For anything else you want raised, select it and press Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign.

Symbols that come up in business documents

• The copyright symbol in the footer of guides, templates and ebooks.
• Trademark or registered marks after product names, if you're entitled to use them.
• The degree sign for temperatures in product specs or recipes.
• The section sign for referring to clauses in terms and conditions.
• Accented letters for client names, so you never misspell someone's name.

Accents and international characters

If you write the odd word in another language, Word has shortcuts for accented letters. Microsoft's examples include Ctrl+Shift+: followed by u for ü, and Ctrl+Shift+~ followed by a for ã. If you type in another language often, Microsoft suggests switching your keyboard layout to that language instead.

Inserting the same symbol again and again

If you add the same symbol many times, such as a trademark after your product name, set up AutoCorrect so a short code turns into the symbol as you type. Microsoft recommends this for symbols you insert often.

What I'd do

Use Insert > Symbol for anything occasional, learn two or three shortcuts for the symbols you use weekly, and set up AutoCorrect for anything you type daily. If a code won't work on your laptop, it's almost always the missing keypad, so switch to Alt+X. If you're polishing a CV, my guide to formatting a resume in Microsoft Word covers the layout side, and here's how to recover an unsaved Word document if Word closes on you.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Symbol menu in Word?

Go to Insert, Symbol. Choose More Symbols for the full list and the Special Characters tab.

What's the shortcut for the degree symbol in Word?

Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad.

Why don't Alt codes work on my laptop?

ASCII codes need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. Use the Unicode code and Alt+X instead.

How do I type the copyright symbol in Word?

Press Alt+Ctrl+C, or hold Alt and type 0169 on the numeric keypad.

Why does a symbol show as a box or the wrong character?

The font may not include it. Microsoft says the font is critical, so switch to a font that has the character.