If you regularly keep track of data so that things can be in order, a check mark symbol in Google Sheets can be an excellent way to organize your data comfortably.
You can use a checkmark to organize your to-do list to indicate when tasks or projects are completed.
Lists help us put things in order. Tasks to solve, errands to run, places to visit, people to invite – practically everything around us that needs completion.
Before we go into the details of including a checkmark in your Google Sheets, let’s look at the difference between the checkmark and checkbox feature in Google Sheets.
Below is a check mark under A and checkbox under B.
This article will highlight the methods you can use to create a checkmark and insert tick symbols or cross marks in google sheets with steps that will further your Google Sheets skills.
How to make Check Mark (✓)
Checkmarks add a layer of visual analysis and make your work look good.
Like many other symbols, there is no direct way to add a checkmark in Google Sheets. There is no button you can click or symbol’s area you can go to find and insert the checkmark.
However, there are several methods you can use to insert them into your spreadsheet. Once you know how to add these to your Google Sheets, it won’t take so much time to make use of this symbol in your projects.
So let’s get started!
Method 1: Using the CHAR Function
The CHAR function can insert the checkmark symbol in a cell. Ordinarily, symbols in Google Sheets can be represented using numbers known as Unicode.
When a Unicode is used with the CHAR function in Google Sheets, you get a symbol corresponding to that Unicode.
Here are a few examples:
CHAR(table_number)
- =CHAR(9744) returns an unchecked checkbox (a ballot box)
- =CHAR(9745) will fill cells with a checkbox and a tick symbol (ballot box with check)
- =CHAR(9746) the checkbox will include a crossmark (ballot box with X)
You can choose any of these based on your preferred format. You can easily insert any CHAR formula above into a cell to get their corresponding checkmark symbols.
Once you’ve inserted your desired checkmark symbol, you can add any text you want to add before or after the checkmark as long as you convert it into value.
Remember that you cannot remove tick and cross marks from boxes made by the CHAR formula. Change the symbol number within a formula to 9744 to get an empty checkbox.
However, if you are looking for how to create a clickable checkbox you can refer to this article. This way, you’ll be able to click to check and uncheck the box.
Method 2: Using Google Docs Character Map to Copy Paste the Checkmark Symbol
Since the same company owns Google Docs and Google Sheets, you can copy virtually anything from one to another.
There are a native Character Map in Google Docs that allows you to insert any unique character, like the tick mark symbol.
So we can practically use the Google Doc’s character map to get our check mark and copy it to Google Sheets.
Use the following steps to copy the checkmark from Google Docs to Google Sheets:
- Open a new Google Doc.
- Click on “Insert” from the menu and select “Special Characters.”
- A Special Characters Toolbox menu should pop up.
The special character toolbox on Google Sheets is filled with many characters and symbols, and spotting the one we want right away can be so much work. The good news is that there’s an easy way to get around it.
To make things easier for users, Google has designed a search feature for the toolbox that allows you to draw or write the name of the symbol you are looking for.
You only need to draw the symbol you want to copy via the drawing tool on the bottom right.
The list will automatically be filtered to symbols that closely match your drawing. Look for the checkmark symbol here and select it.
The symbol you selected should have been inserted into your document.
Select the symbol and copy it.
Move over to Google Sheets and paste the checkmark into your desired cell.
Method 3: Make Google Spreadsheet Tick Box via Insert tab
One quick way to insert a tick into a cell in Google sheets is using the tick box right from the insert menu.
- Select the cells or columns you wish to fill with checkboxes.
- Click Insert from the menu > in the Google Sheets menu:
- Select Checkbox
All the cells in your selected range will have checkboxes in them.
Note: You can select just one cell and fill it with a checkbox. Once the checkbox appears, you can copy it across other cells in the column by hovering your mouse until a plus icon appears in its bottom right corner.
Drag the plus down to the other cells to copy it to as many cells as you want.
Click any box once, and a tick symbol will appear:
Untick it to turn the box blank again. You can select multiple checkboxes and tick them all at once by hitting Space on your keyboard. It’s also possible to re-color your checkboxes. Click on the Text color tool on the toolbar after selecting the box you want to alter.
Method 4: Draw Your Tick Symbols And Cross Marks In Google Sheets
This method may seem ordinary, but it lets you bring your check mark to life. It spices up your spreadsheet activity with a little bit of creativity.
Use the following methods to draw your checkmark:
Click on Insert in the Google Sheets menu and click Drawing.
You will see a row of tools with an empty canvas beneath it.
The tools available allow you to draw lines, arrows, and curves and insert ready-made shapes. You also have Format options, a text tool, and one more image tool.
Since we’re looking for a check mark, we can simply use the line tool.
Choose the line tool and make a shape with it.
- To get a cross mark, head to Shapes.
- Click on Shapes again from the drop-down menu, select the box symbol, and return to your canvas.
- Draw a box of any shape.
- Select the line tool and draw cross marks in the box.
- Adjust each line’s length, color, or width as you deem fit. You can even use the line dash tool and choose either of the options available for your online format.
Save and Close once you’ve edited to your satisfaction. The symbol will appear on your spreadsheet in the same size as on the canvas. You can resize the drawing to fit a cell by clicking the newly-created shape to make it editable.
You will see a double-headed arrow when you hover your mouse over its bottom right corner. Drag the arrow to reduce the shape by pressing and holding the Shift key
Method 5: Enable Shortcuts Compatibility
Ordinarily, Google Sheets supports keyboard shortcuts, and since there’s a shortcut that lets you insert a checkmark in your Google Sheets, you only have to enable the shortcuts for it to appear in any cell you want.
- Click on Help from the toolbar.
- Select Keyboard shortcuts.
- Toggle the “Enable compatible spreadsheet shortcuts” button left of the pop-up and Close the window.
Go to the cell you want to insert your Checkmark.
Press Alt+I, X (Press and hold the Alt key, press and release the I key, then the X key).
Your checkmark box should show up.
Method 6: Using Custom Number Formatting
This checkmark formatting option is the most suitable when all you want to do is add a checkmark symbol at the beginning of all the cells in a column or a range.
Inserting the function manually takes a lot of time, and the original text in the cells still gets affected. But when you use the Custom Number Formatting, it doesn’t change the original text in the cell but shows a checkmark in a cell.
Let’s say you have a list of tasks already completed and would like to add a checkmark before each task in the cell to indicate what you’ve done. Here’s how to go about it:
- Select all the cells involving where your checkmark has to appear.
- Click ‘Format’ in the toolbar menu.
- Select number.
- Scroll down to select “custom number format” from the sidebar.
- enter the format: ✓ @ in the Custom number format dialog box.
- Click on Apply.
All the cells you have selected will now have a checkmark symbol at the beginning.
Keep in mind that the Custom Number Formatting method of including a checkmark in a cell doesn’t alter the texts in the cell in any way. Your data will still appear the original way it was. The only difference will be a checkmark symbol at the beginning of it.
You can also copy and paste the format to other cells if the format is applied to a cell or range of cells already. All the cells you have copy-pasted the format to will add a checkmark before the data in them.
Method 7: Data Validation
Data validation allows you to insert checkboxes and tick symbols and ensure nothing else is entered into the selected cells.
Highlight the column that you want to add the checkboxes to.
Go to Data in the toolbar menu and select Data validation.
In the data validation popup, under Criteria, select Checkbox
Click Save
Unticked boxes will automatically appear in the cells you have highlighted.
Method 8: Check or Uncheck Multiple Checkboxes At a Time in Google Sheets
Another way to add a checkbox in Google Sheets is to include it in a way that the checkbox controls all other checkboxes in the same column.
You’ll need to use the Google Sheets tick box, Data validation, and the IF function.
Select the topmost cell of the column you want to include the checkboxes and add your main checkbox via the Google Sheets menu: Insert > Checkbox.
The primary checkbox that will control all the other checkboxes will appear.
The next step is to add one extra row below your primary tick box. Note that the checkbox will likely copy itself to the new row so remove it by pressing Delete.
Now let’s input our formula.
The following formula goes into the cell below your primary checkbox:
=IF(B1=TRUE,{“”;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE},””)
Beaking the Formula
The formula we input into the cell is a simple IF formula. It essentially signifies that when B1 is checked and returns a TRUE value, the cells below our primary checkbox also return a TRUE value.
Which is why we have:
{“”;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE;TRUE}
The array keeps a cell with a formula blank and adds several TRUE values in the cells below. Immediately you add a tick mark to the primary checkbox, you will see the other TRUE value appear.
The more checkboxes you need, the more times TRUE should appear in the formula, as these TRUE values are your future checkboxes.
The last part of the formula (“”) ensures that if the first check box is unchecked, all the other cells remain empty. You can hide the empty helper row with the formula to keep things simple and neat.
For us to turn the multiple TRUE values into checkboxes, we select the range with all TRUE records and go to Data > Data validation:
Under Criteria, select Checkbox
Check the Use custom cell values box
Enter TRUE for Checked
Click Save
A group of checkboxes with tick marks will appear in place of the TRUE values in the range you selected.
If you check and uncheck it, you will see that the primary checkbox controls all the other checkboxes.
The only downside to this method is that when you check several checkboxes in the list first and then go ahead to tick the first one in a bid to check them all, it won’t work. It will only break the formula you have inputted.
While it might seem like a flagrant flaw, this method of checking/unchecking multiple checkboxes in Google spreadsheets still has a lot of use cases when working with lists.
Conclusion
As demonstrated above, there are several to include the Checkbox, Crossmark, and checkmark symbol in Google Sheets. Make sure whichever one you opt for gives your desired output.
We hope you find the guide helpful.
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