How to Type divide by Symbol (÷) in Word (+ Keyboard Shortcut)

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Creating documents in Microsoft Word involves more than just typing text. Sometimes, you need to insert special characters and symbols to convey your data or equations. We understand that not all symbols are readily accessible on the keyboard, making some of them a challenge to include in your documents. The divide by symbol (÷), despite its frequent use, is one such example.

Whether you’re crafting a mathematical document, preparing a presentation, or working on any project that requires the use of division, knowing how to seamlessly insert this symbol into your Word document is essential.

In this blog post, we will guide you through the quick and easy ways to type divide symbol on keyboard.

Let’s dive into the various methods to insert the division symbol in Word and other documents, ensuring that your documents are both complete and professionally formatted.

Quick Help to get the divide symbol in Word

The table below contains the Divide By symbol or sign which you can copy and paste into your Word document (or Project). It also has the Alt code shortcut as well as the keyboard shortcuts for both Mac and Windows.

Name	Divide By
Symbol	÷
Alt Code	0247
Shortcut (Windows)	Alt + 0247
Shortcut (Mac)	Option + ‘/’

To use the Divide sign (÷) shortcut on a keyboard, press down the Alt key. While holding on to the Alt key, press the symbol’s Alt Code (0247) on the numeric keypad.

The above information is all you need to get the division sign on keyboard into your Word document.

However, if you are not satisfied with this quick help, below is a detailed guide on how to insert the Divide By symbol or any other symbol in Word.

There are some symbols readily available as second keys on the keyboard. By pressing a few keys simultaneously, you can easily insert such symbols into your work.

Other symbols, however, aren’t that easy to type using a keyboard shortcut. One of these symbols is the Divide By symbol or division sign (÷).

Typing becomes cumbersome for the typist if he or she needs to insert some of these symbols regularly into his work.

But it doesn’t have to be difficult. Especially now that you are reading this guide.

How to get the Divide By symbol

In this tutorial, I have shown you all the easy ways to insert the Divide By symbol (÷) into Word.

Below are the various ways to insert the division symbol into Word.

Using the Divide symbol Alt code (shortcut)

Every symbol in Word has a unique code that you can use to insert the symbol into your document. This code is well known as “Alt code”.

The alt code for the “divide by” symbol is 0247.

Below are the steps to type the division symbol on your keyboard (using the Alt code):

• Press the num lock key to turn on your Num Lock. Use Fn key + NumLk keys to turn on Num Lock on laptops without a numeric keypad.
• Whilst holding down the [Alt] key, type [0247] on the numeric keypad (on the right). The alt code for the Divide symbol is 0247.
• Then release the [Alt] key. The Division (÷) symbol should appear in your document.

Divide By symbol in Word for Mac

For Mac users, the easiest way to insert the Divide By symbol into MS Word is to use the keyboard shortcut stated below:

Option + /

Copy and paste the Divide By symbol

Inserting symbols into your document can be a simple copy and paste.

You can copy and paste it again if you have already inserted it into your document. Or you can copy it from elsewhere like a webpage.

Below is the Divide By sign if you want to copy and paste it into your work:

÷

Using Insert Symbol Dialog

This approach isn’t as straightforward as the previous methods. But it’s fairly simple.

Once you get the symbol into your document, you can always copy and paste it again as and when you need it.

Below are the steps to insert a division symbol in Word using the insert symbol dialog.

• On the Insert tab, click the Symbol button and choose More Symbols…

These few clicks will display the Symbol dialog box. Now it’s time to look for the symbol you want to insert.

• Locate the Symbol

To easily find the Divide By symbol in the dialog box, look at the bottom right area of the Symbol dialog box and select Unicode (hex) in the from: drop-down. Then look again at the top right area of the dialog and select Latin-1 Supplement in the Subset: drop-down.

The Divide By symbol you want to insert is part of the Latin-1 Supplement group of symbols.

• Select the symbol, and then click Insert.

Alternatively, you can just double-click on the symbol to insert it into your document.

• After inserting, close the Symbol dialog box.

This is how you may insert a Divide By symbol in Word using the insert symbol dialog.

Insert division symbol in Word using the Equation tool

Microsoft Word provides a vast array of tools designed to facilitate the creation of professional and academic documents. Among these tools is the Equation Tool, a powerful feature tailored for the insertion of mathematical and scientific symbols, including the divide by symbol.

This section will guide you through the process of inserting the division symbol in Word using the Equation Tool.

# Step 1: Open Equation Tool

1. Open your Microsoft Word document.
2. Place your cursor at the desired insertion point in your document.
3. Navigate to the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
4. Click on Equation in the Symbols group. A drop-down menu will appear.
5. Select Insert New Equation from the dropdown. This action opens the Equation Tools Design tab.

# Step 2: Insert Division Symbol

• In the Equation Tools Design tab, locate the Symbols group.
• Look for the Divide by symbol (÷) and click on it. The symbol will be inserted into your document at the cursor’s position.

The same steps above will work in MS Excel as well.

The Equation Tool in Microsoft Word and Excel is a versatile feature that simplifies the insertion of mathematical and scientific symbols, including the division sign.

By following these straightforward steps, you can enhance your documents and spreadsheets with precise mathematical notation, making your work more professional and academically rigorous.

Using Word AutoCorrect to type Divide By symbol

Another way to obtain the Divide By symbol is through the AutoCorrect feature in Word.

It is a facility designed for correcting spelling mistakes like thsi to this.

Using this feature, you can assign a shortcode to the Divide By symbol (such as DIVS).

This way, whenever you type the text DIVS, Word will think that you actually wanted to type ÷ and will convert it into the Divide By symbol automatically.

What makes this approach interesting is that you can assign any code you want to the symbol and Word will be more than glad to insert the symbol whenever you type the code.

Without further ado, below are the steps you can use to type Divide By symbol in Word using AutoCorrect.

• On the Insert tab, click Symbol and then click More Symbols…

The Symbol dialog appears.

• Locate the Divide By symbol, then click to select it.
• Click on the AutoCorrect… button to display the AutoCorrect dialog.

In the AutoCorrect dialog box, enter the following:

• Replace: DIVS
• With: ÷

• Click Add, then click OK.

Word will automatically insert the Divide By symbol into your document whenever you type DIVS.

However, below are some few things to note when you are using the AutoCorrect Method to insert the Divide By sign.

• AutoCorrect is case sensitive. Meaning if you type divs (in lowercase), Word will not convert it into the division sign unless you type DIVS (in uppercase).
• If there is any text before or after the AutoCorrect text, Word will consider the AutoCorrect text as part of the text and hence will not convert it to the Divide By symbol. For example, XDIVS will not get converted, but X DIVS will get converted to X ÷.

Conclusion

Mastering the insertion of the divide by symbol (÷) is more straightforward than it might initially appear.

With the detailed guide provided, you have learned various methods to achieve this, from the simplicity of keyboard shortcuts to more advanced techniques like using the Insert Symbol dialog or the Equation tool.

Each method offers a solution tailored to different user preferences and needs, ensuring that regardless of your technical proficiency or the complexity of your document, adding this essential mathematical symbol is hassle-free.