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How to Insert Special Characters and Symbols in Word

Copyright marks, arrows, math notation, and other symbols that aren't on a standard keyboard still show up in documents fairly often. Word has a built-in symbol library that makes finding and inserting them straightforward.

  1. Click where the symbol should go

    Click at the exact spot in the document where you want to insert the special character.

  2. Go to Insert β†’ Symbol

    Click "Symbol" in the Insert tab to see a list of commonly used symbols.

  3. Browse for more symbols

    If you don't see what you need, click "More Symbols" to browse a much larger library, including arrows, shapes, and mathematical notation.

  4. Use a Unicode code point for a quick shortcut

    If you know a symbol's Unicode hex code, type it directly in the document and press Alt+X right after it β€” Word converts the code into the matching symbol instantly.

  5. Insert an emoji

    Press Windows key + period (.) to open the emoji picker and insert an emoji directly into your document.

Why the symbol library is organized by font

The Symbol dialog groups characters by font because many special symbols β€” mathematical notation, dingbats, technical marks β€” are actually stored as characters within specific specialty fonts, not the regular text font you're typing in. Switching the font dropdown at the top of the Symbol dialog is often the fastest way to find a category of symbols you're looking for, rather than scrolling endlessly through the default set.

When to use a symbol vs. a keyboard character that looks similar

It's tempting to substitute a plain hyphen for a minus sign, or a regular apostrophe for a proper typographic quote mark, but these near-lookalikes can cause subtle problems β€” a plain hyphen doesn't behave like a mathematical minus sign when read by screen readers or exported to other formats, for instance. For any document meant to be professional or precise, using the actual correct symbol rather than an approximate substitute is worth the extra couple of clicks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a faster way to insert a symbol I use often?

Yes β€” many symbols you insert can also be added to AutoCorrect as a text replacement shortcut (for example, typing a specific short code that automatically expands into the symbol), which is faster than reopening the Symbol menu every time.

Will a symbol I inserted display correctly on someone else's computer?

Most common symbols in Word's default symbol set use standard Unicode characters and display fine everywhere, but symbols from a very specialized or unusual font may not render correctly if that font isn't installed on the other person's device.