Where is cent symbol on keyboard? Have you ever asked yourself this question?
Both Windows and Mac keyboards have certain keys that serve multiple functions. This means that there are symbols readily available as secondary options on these keys. By pressing two or more keys simultaneously, you can easily insert these symbols into your work. For example, if you press the Shift + 4 keys together, you get the dollar sign ($).
However, some symbols are not printed as secondary options on the keyboard, which makes typing them more challenging. One such symbol is the cent symbol (¢). It can be frustrating if you need to use these symbols regularly in your work, as it can slow you down.
So to answer the question, there is no cent symbol on most keyboards. However, there are shortcuts you can use to type and insert this symbol (¢) on both Windows and Mac.
In this post, I will walk you through several methods you can use to insert or type the Cent Symbol (¢) anywhere, like Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint, whether you are using a Windows or Mac keyboard. You’ll learn all the easy methods, including the cent Alt code shortcut.
Whether you’re a finance professional, a math enthusiast, or simply someone seeking to spruce up your written content, mastering the art of typing the cent symbol is a skill worth acquiring.
Without wasting much time, let’s get started.
Quick Guide for Typing the Cent Symbol on Keyboard(¢)
To type the Cent Symbol (¢) anywhere on your PC or Laptop keyboard (like in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Google Docs), simply press down the Alt key and type 0162 using the numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard. For Mac users, press Option + 4. And exclusively for Microsoft Word users, type 00A2 and then press Alt + X to get the ¢ sign.
The table below contains everything you need to know to be able to type this symbol on both Windows and Mac.
| Name of Symbol | Cent Sign |
| Symbol Text | ¢ |
| Alt Code | 0162 |
| Windows Shortcut | Alt + 0162 |
| Shortcut on Mac | Option + 4 |
| Shortcut in Word | 00A2, Alt X |
No matter whether you use a Windows or Mac computer, the information provided above is sufficient to help you insert the cent (¢) symbol into any Word or Excel document. However, if you find that the quick instructions are not enough for you, don’t worry. I will now provide you with a detailed explanation of various methods you can use to obtain the cent symbol or any other symbol.
But don’t worry! It doesn’t have to be difficult anymore, especially now that you have found this step-by-step guide.
How to Insert Cent symbol on Keyboard (in Word/Excel/Google docs)
In the following sections, I will show you all the easy ways to type or insert this symbol (¢) anywhere on your Windows or Mac PC (such as Word or Excel, or Google docs).
As a quick guide, press down the Alt key and type 0162 alt code on your numeric keypad. You can also press Option + 4 on Mac.
However, without any further ado, below are the methods explained in details.
Method 1: Cent Symbol Shortcuts (Windows and Mac)
The Cent Symbol Shortcut for Mac is Option + 4.
Windows has several shortcuts, some of which work only in Microsoft Word.
However, there’s a Microsoft Windows shortcut for the Cent Sign that works across all applications. It is the alt code shortcut which is Alt + 0162 (which will be discussed in the next section).
The Cent Symbol shortcut for Microsoft Word is 00A2, Alt X.
These shortcuts work in Microsoft Word Only.
To use this shortcut on Windows (for Word), obey the following instructions:
- Place the insertion pointer in the right place.
- Type 00A2 on your keyboard, then press Alt + X. This will convert the code into the Cent symbol at where you place the insertion pointer.
Below is a breakdown of how to use the ¢ symbol shortcut for Mac:
- First of all, place the insertion pointer where you need to insert the symbol.
- Now, using the Mac keyboard, Press down the Option key.
- While holding down the Option key, type 4 on your keyboard.
- Release the Option key.
This shortcut should type the cent symbol for you on your Mac PC.
In the next section, I’ll show you how to use the Cent Symbol Alt Code to type the symbol on your keyboard.
Method 2: Cent Symbol Alt Code (Windows)
The Cent (¢) Symbol Alt Code is 0162.
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”.
Below are the steps to type this symbol on your keyboard (using the Alt code provided above:
- Press the num lock key to enable the numeric keypad.
- Press and hold the Alt key and type 0162 using the numeric keypad.
- After typing the Alt code (i.e. 0162), release the [Alt] key you pressed down.
As soon as you release the Alt Key, the Cent (¢) symbol should appear in your document.
Method 3: Copy and paste the Cent symbol (¢)
Use the button below to copy and paste the Cent symbol for your work.
My favorite method for inserting symbols that I can’t easily type is copy and paste.
With this method, all you need to do is google the symbol you need to type, then copy it from one of the search results provided. Once you get the symbol into your document, you can always recopy and paste it as and when the need arises.
Use the button above to get this symbol on your clipboard.
There is another way to copy this and any other symbol on Windows. It involved using the Windows Character Map.
Obey the steps below to copy and paste any symbol using the character map.
- Search for the Character map app by clicking on the Start button.
- The Character map app will show up in the search results. Click on it to launch.
- After the Character Map window opens up, click to check the Advance View checkbox to expand the window for more advanced options.
- On the Advanced View section, type Cent in the search box.
- The symbol you searched for (i.e. letters with the Cedilla symbols) will now appear on the Character map. Double click on it to select it. You’ll see that the symbol appears in the Characters to copy text box. This allows you to select and copy several symbols at the same time.
- After selecting the symbol, you wish to copy, click on the Copy button.
- Switch over to wherever you need the symbol, whether in MS Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, and press Ctrl + V to paste.
This is how you may copy and paste the Cent sign using the Character Map on Windows.
Method 4: Using Insert Symbol Dialog in MS Word
This approach isn’t as straightforward as the shortcut methods. But it’s fairly simple.
And once you get the symbol into your document, you can always copy and paste it again as and when you need it in your work.
Below are the steps to insert the Cent Sign in Word using the insert symbol dialog.
- Go to the Insert tab.
- On the Insert tab, click the Symbol button and choose More Symbols…
These few clicks will bring up the Symbol dialog box.
- Locate the Symbol you want to insert.
To easily find the Cent symbol on the Symbols window, look at the top right area of the dialog and select Latin-1 Supplement in the Subset: drop-down list. The Cent symbol you want to insert is in this category and should appear.
- Select the symbol, and then click on the Insert button.
- Alternatively, double-clicking on the symbol will also insert the symbol into your document.
- Click the Close button.
This is how you may insert a Cent symbol in Word using the insert symbol dialog.
Method 5: Word’s AutoCorrect for the Cent Sign
You can also type the Cent Symbol using the AutoCorrect feature in Word.
It is a feature in MS Word designed for correcting spelling mistakes like thsi to this.
Using this AutoCorrect Feature, you can assign a short code to the Cent symbol (such as CNT).
This way, whenever you type the text CNT, Word will think that you actually wanted to type ¢ and will convert it into the Cent symbol for you automatically.
What makes this method interesting is that you can assign your own custom shortcut or shortcode to the symbol and Word will automatically insert the symbol whenever you type the code.
Without further ado, below are the steps you can use to type Cent symbol in Word using AutoCorrect.
- Go to the Insert tab.
- On the Insert tab, go to Symbol and then click More Symbols… The Symbol windows will appear.
- Locate the Cent symbol, then click to select it.
- Click on the AutoCorrect… button to display the AutoCorrect window.
- In the AutoCorrect dialog box, enter the following:
Replace: CNT
With: ¢
- Click Add, and then hit the OK button.
Now, word will automatically insert the Cent symbol into your document whenever you type CNT.
However, below are a few things to note when you are using the AutoCorrect Method to insert the Cent sign.
- AutoCorrect is case-sensitive. Meaning if you type cnt (in lowercase), Word will not convert it into the Cent Symbol unless you type CNT (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 Cent symbol. For example, XCNT will not get converted, but X(space)CNT will get converted to X ¢.
Typing/Inserting the Cent symbol in Google Docs
The below steps will also show you how to insert the cent sign using Google Docs Special Characters Menu. Most of the shortcuts discussed above can also be used to type this symbol in Google Docs.
Let’s get into the steps.
- Open your Google Docs document and position the cursor where you want to insert the cent symbol.
- Click on the “Insert” tab in the menu bar.
- From the dropdown menu, select “Special characters.”
- A sidebar will appear on the right side of your document. In the search box at the top, type “cent” and press Enter.
- The cent symbol (¢) will appear in the search results. Click on it to insert it into your document at the cursor’s position.
- Close the special characters sidebar, and you’re done! The cent symbol is now inserted into your Google Docs document.
Conclusion
As you can see, these are the various ways you may insert or type the Cent symbol in Word/Excel with or without using the keyboard.
My favorite method is using the copy and paste method, followed by the shortcut in Word for both Windows and Mac. The Alt Code method also comes simple.
For any comments or questions about this guide, please let me know in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading.