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We often need to insert symbols in datasets It can be a mathematical symbol, currency sign, or degree sign for weather temperature data, etc. In Google Sheets, however, there is no direct method of inserting a symbol. So it becomes difficult to represent data properly if you want to insert special characters. We want to help you with this problem so that you never have hard times with this issue again. In this article, we will cover a few simple ways to insert any symbol in Google Sheets.
A Sample of Practice Spreadsheet
You can download the practice spreadsheet from the download button below.
3 Easy Ways to Insert Symbol in Google Sheets
Let’s assume we have a dataset of two columns named Symbol Name and Symbol. We will insert different symbols in the empty Symbol column using different ways.
Follow the article and you will be able to learn all the simple methods to insert symbols in Google Sheets.
1. Using Keyboard Shortcut
In Google Sheets, a keyboard shortcut makes it simple to insert a symbol. Follow the steps below to do that.
📌 Steps:
- First, select cell C5 and double-click to go to cell editing mode.
- Now, hold the Alt key on the keyboard, type 0169 from the numeric keypad, and then release the Alt key. After that, you will see the Copyright symbol in cell C5. Here Alt + 0169 is the Alt key code of this symbol.
- You can use Alt + 248, Alt + 251, and Alt + 156 for the Degree, Square Root, and Pound symbols respectively. You can find the codes in Wikipedia.
Read More: How to Insert Division Symbol in Google Sheets (4 Quick Methods)
2. Applying Formula
Alternatively, you can enter a formula to insert a symbol in Google Sheets. Here we will use two different functions to do that.
2.1 CHAR Function
The CHAR function converts a number into a character according to the current Unicode table. Follow the steps mentioned below to use this function to insert symbols in Google Sheets.
📌 Steps:
- First, select cell C5 and insert the following formula. It will put the copyright sign in the cell.
=CHAR(169)
- Now, you can use CHAR(176) and CHAR(163) formulas for the Degree and Pound symbols respectively.
- But, while inserting the function you will not find the code for the square root. Because The CHAR function has only 256 codes (0 to 255) as it is 8-bit. So it does not cover all the symbols. To insert other symbols using formulas, follow the method below.
2.2 UNICHAR Function
The UNICHAR function returns special characters for specific codes or numbers. You can use this built-in Google Sheets function for character codes above 255. You can find the codes in Unicode. Apply the steps below to use it to insert symbols.
📌 Steps:
- First, select cell C7 and insert the following formula.
=UNICHAR(8730)
Read More: How to Add Dollar Sign in Google Sheets Formula (2 Quick Tricks)
3. Utilizing Copy-Paste Feature
You can also copy-paste the symbols to insert in Google Sheets. Here are a few ways to copy the symbols and paste them into desired cells.
3.1 Google Docs
Though Google Sheets doesn’t have any option to insert symbols, Google Docs has a built-in feature to do that. You can use that to copy symbols and insert them in Google Sheets. Follow the steps below.
📌 Steps:
- First, open Google Docs and click on Insert from the top menu bar. A dropdown will appear and select Special characters from there.
- Then you can choose from the given symbols or just type the symbol name in the Search box.
- Now, in the search box type “copyright” and all the related symbol will appear. Click on the symbol you were looking for and it will be inserted into the doc.
- Then select the symbol on the doc and copy it using Ctrl + C or Edit >> Copy.
- After that, go to Google sheets, double-click one of the desired cells, and paste it using Ctrl + V.
- Now you can Insert the rest of the symbols in the same way.
Read More: How to Insert Delta Symbol in Google Sheets (4 Easy Methods)
3.2 Windows Character Map
Inserting symbols using Windows Character Map can be an effective alternative way. Read along to learn how to do that.
📌 Steps:
- First, type character map on the windows search box and open the app.
- Now check the Advanced view checkbox. Then a search box will appear. Type the symbol name in the Search for box and click on Search.
- Check if the correct symbol is selected. Then click on Select and Copy.
- Now paste it on your desired cell in the Sheets.
3.3 Google Search
As another easy option, you can simply search using the symbol name on google from your web browser. Then you can copy and paste it into the Google Sheets.
📌 Steps:
- First, open any browser and type the symbol name in the Google search bar. You can search “Copyright symbol” like the following image.
- Then, copy the symbol from the search results using Ctrl + C shortcut.
- Now, open the Google sheets and paste the symbol in your desired cell using Ctrl + V.
- You can add the rest of the symbols in the same way.
Things to Remember
- Remember to type numbers in the numeric keypad while inserting Alt codes. It doesn’t work with alphanumeric keys.
- You can either use the Select button or double-click on the symbol to select in Windows Character Map.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the methods above will be enough for you to insert any symbol in Google Sheets. You can check the practice spreadsheet and then practice on your own. Please use the comment section below for any further queries or suggestions. You may also visit our OfficeWheel blog to explore more about Google Sheets.
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