How to Insert Symbols in Word (With Shortcuts, Codes & AutoCorrect)

Inserting symbols in Microsoft Word—like the degree sign (°), copyright symbol (©), or Greek letters (µ, β)—is something every user eventually needs, whether you’re writing reports, doing academic work, or formatting professional documents. Yet, many of these characters aren’t available directly on your keyboard.

In this guide, you’ll learn the easiest ways to insert symbols in Word, including:

• Using the Symbol dialog box
• Typing Alt codes
• Finding and assigning keyboard shortcuts
• Setting up AutoCorrect for symbols

Whether you’re using Word 2016, Word 2019, or Microsoft 365, these methods will work for you.

🖱️ Method 1: Insert Symbols in Word Using the Ribbon

This is the most visual and beginner-friendly method—great if you don’t remember character codes or shortcuts.

NOTE: in the steps below, I’ll illustrate how to insert symbols in MS Word by inserting the “Greater Than Or Equal To” symbol. You can use the same steps to insert any symbol of your choice.

STEP 1: Click where you want the symbol to appear in your Word document.
In this example, we will place the symbol between X and 10 as you can see in the above picture.

STEP 2: Go to the Insert tab, in the Symbols group and click Symbol, then More Symbols.

NOTE: If the symbol you want to insert is found in the symbols gallery as shown in the picture above, click it to insert it into your document. Any symbol you use will move to the first position in the gallery. Thus, the symbol gallery box gives you access to the 20 most recently used symbols. However, if you can’t find the symbol you are looking for in the symbol gallery, click on More Symbols to display all the symbols.

STEP 3: In the Symbol dialog box:

Set the Font to Normal Text or Symbol, or explore fonts like Wingdings for decorative icons.

Browse and select your desired symbol.

Click Insert, or double-click the symbol to add it instantly.

As soon as you click insert or double-click the symbol, Word will insert it into your document.

💡 Pro Tip: The Symbol gallery on the Insert tab shows your 20 most recently used symbols, so you can reuse them quickly.

⌨️ Method 2: Insert Symbols Using Keyboard (Alt Codes)

If you frequently use a specific symbol and want a faster method, Alt codes let you insert symbols directly from your keyboard, no mouse needed.

✅ Steps to Use Alt Codes:

1. Turn on Num Lock on your keyboard (if using a numeric keypad).
2. Hold down the Alt key.
3. While holding Alt, type the character code using the numeric keypad.
4. Release the Alt key, and the symbol will appear.

🔢 Common Alt Codes:

Symbol	Code	Shortcut
©	0169	Alt + 0169
®	0174	Alt + 0174
™	0153	Alt + 0153
°	0176	Alt + 0176
µ	0181	Alt + 0181
½	0189	Alt + 0189
¶	0182	Alt + 0182

⚠️ Note: You must use the numeric keypad—not the numbers above your letter keys.

💡 Bonus Tip: For newer versions of Word, you can also type a Unicode value (e.g., 00A9) and press Alt + X to convert it into a symbol (©).

🎯 Method 3: Find or Assign Keyboard Shortcuts to Symbols in Word

Instead of relying on Alt codes, Word allows you to use or assign your own shortcut keys to any symbol you frequently use.

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🔍 How to Find Existing Keyboard Shortcuts

1. Go to the Insert tab → Symbol → More Symbols…
2. In the Symbol dialog box, select the symbol you’re interested in.
3. Look at the bottom right corner of the dialog — Word will show its:
   • Unicode or ASCII code
   • Any existing shortcut key

Example: The degree symbol (°) might show “Alt + 0176” or “00B0 + Alt + X”.

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🎛️ How to Assign Your Own Shortcut Key

1. Open the Symbol dialog box (Insert → Symbol → More Symbols).
2. Select the symbol you want.
3. Click the Shortcut Key… button at the bottom of the dialog.
4. In the Customize Keyboard dialog:
   • Click in the “Press new shortcut key” box.
   • Press the shortcut you want to use (e.g., Ctrl + S).
   • Click Assign, then Close.

🔁 Method 4: Use AutoCorrect to Insert Symbols Automatically

If there’s a symbol you use often, such as the degree sign (°) or em dash (—), you can save time by setting up AutoCorrect to insert it automatically as you type.

✅ Steps to Set Up AutoCorrect for Symbols:

1. Go to the Insert tab → Symbol → More Symbols…
2. In the Symbol dialog, select the symbol you want to use.
3. Click the AutoCorrect… button at the bottom right.
4. In the AutoCorrect dialog:
   • Under “Replace”, type a text shortcut like ;deg
   • Under “With”, the symbol you selected should already appear.
5. Click Add, then OK to close all dialogs.

💡 Example: Typing ;deg will instantly turn into ° when you hit space or enter.

🔒 Bonus Tip: You can add multiple AutoCorrect entries for different symbols and even use this method for custom text expansions like names, phrases, or emoji symbols.

📘 Popular Word Symbols Reference Table

Symbol Name	Symbol	Alt Code	Unicode + Alt + X
Degree	°	Alt + 0176	00B0 + Alt + X
Copyright	©	Alt + 0169	00A9 + Alt + X
Registered Trademark	®	Alt + 0174	00AE + Alt + X
Trademark	™	Alt + 0153	2122 + Alt + X
Section	§	Alt + 0167	00A7 + Alt + X
Paragraph	¶	Alt + 0182	00B6 + Alt + X
Bullet	•	Alt + 0149	2022 + Alt + X
Multiplication (times)	×	Alt + 0215	00D7 + Alt + X
Division sign	÷	Alt + 0247	00F7 + Alt + X
Plus-minus	±	Alt + 0177	00B1 + Alt + X
Micro sign	µ	Alt + 0181	00B5 + Alt + X
Not equal to	≠	Alt + 8800	2260 + Alt + X
Greater than or equal	≥	Alt + 242	2265 + Alt + X
Less than or equal	≤	Alt + 243	2264 + Alt + X
Infinity	∞	Alt + 236	221E + Alt + X
Em Dash	—	—	2014 + Alt + X
En Dash	–	—	2013 + Alt + X
Euro	€	Alt + 0128	20AC + Alt + X
Pound Sterling	£	Alt + 0163	00A3 + Alt + X
Yen	¥	Alt + 0165	00A5 + Alt + X
Cent	¢	Alt + 0162	00A2 + Alt + X
Fraction 1/2	½	Alt + 0189	00BD + Alt + X
Fraction 1/4	¼	Alt + 0188	00BC + Alt + X
Fraction 3/4	¾	Alt + 0190	00BE + Alt + X
Superscript 2 (squared)	²	Alt + 0178	00B2 + Alt + X
Superscript 3 (cubed)	³	Alt + 0179	00B3 + Alt + X
Trademark (Small)	℠	—	2120 + Alt + X
Right arrow	→	Alt + 26	2192 + Alt + X
Left arrow	←	Alt + 27	2190 + Alt + X
Up arrow	↑	Alt + 24	2191 + Alt + X
Down arrow	↓	Alt + 25	2193 + Alt + X
Check mark	✓	—	2713 + Alt + X
Cross mark	✗	—	2717 + Alt + X

💡 Tip: Alt codes require the numeric keypad on your keyboard, while Unicode + Alt + X works in Word by typing the code and pressing Alt + X.

✅ Final Thoughts

Typing symbols in Microsoft Word doesn’t have to be a hassle. Whether you prefer using the Insert Symbol dialog, Alt codes, keyboard shortcuts, or AutoCorrect, you now have a complete toolbox for inserting any symbol you need—quickly and easily.

And with the detailed reference table above, you’ve got a cheat sheet for the most commonly used symbols in Word. Bookmark this page so you never have to Google a symbol again.

Got a symbol that’s always giving you trouble? Drop it in the comments, and we’ll help you out.