Blog - How to Type Anything

The Pipe sign (vertical bar) is used as the symbol for absolute value. It is two vertical straight bars surrounding the number or expression for which you wish to indicate absolute value. For Example, |8| = 8 means the absolute value of 8 is 8. In today’s article, you’ll learn how to use some keyboard (or alt code) shortcuts to make or type the Absolute Value Symbol (text) anywhere like Word/Excel using any PC. Just before we begin, I'll like to tell you that you can also use the button below to copy and paste this sign into your work for free. Click to Copy Copy Absolute Value However, if you just want to type this symbol on your keyboard, the actionable steps below will show you how. Note: On the standard keyboard, the Absolute Value symbol is placed on the same key as the backslash key. So, to type this symbol, press down the shift key and hit one on the backslash key (Shift+\). However, if you can't find the backslash key on your version of the keyboard, read down below for all the alternative methods to type this symbol using the keyboard. Absolute Value Symbol [|] Quick Guide To type the Absolute Value Symbol on Keyboard, press Down the Alt key and type 124 using the numeric keypad, then let go of the Alt key. The below table contains all the information you need to type this Symbol on the keyboard. Symbol NameVertical LineAbsolute Value Symbol Text|Absolute Value Symbol Alt Code124Shortcut for WindowsAlt + 124Shortcut for Word007C, Alt+X The above quick guide provides some useful shortcuts and alt codes on how to type this Symbol on your PC keyboard. Also, below are some other methods you can also use to insert this symbol into your work such as Word or Excel document. How to type Absolute Value Symbol [text] on Keyboard Windows provides several methods for typing Absolute Value Symbol or inserting symbols that do or do not have dedicated keys on the keyboard. In this section, I will make available for you five different methods you can use to type or insert this sign on your PC, like in MS Office (ie. Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) or other text editors like Google Docs. Without any further ado, let’s get started. Using the Absolute Value Symbol Alt Code (Windows Only) The Absolute Value Symbol alt code is 124. Even though this Symbol can be typed on the keyboard (using Shift + \ shortcut), you can also type it on the keyboard with the Alt code method. To do this, open your Word document and place the insertion pointer where you need to type the symbol. Then press and hold the Alt key whilst typing the Symbol's Alt code (i.e. 124) using the numeric keypad. To type the Absolute Value Symbol in Word, type 007C, then press Alt and X keys simultaneously to convert the code into the Symbol. This method works on Windows only. And your keyboard must also have a numeric keypad. Below is a break-Down of the steps you can take to type the Absolute Value sign on your Windows PC: Place your insertion pointer where you need the symbol text.Press and hold one of the Alt keys on your keyboard.Whilst holding on to the Alt key, press the Symbol’s alt code (124). You must use the numeric keypad to type the alt code. If you are using a laptop without a numeric keypad, this method may not work for you. On some laptops, there’s a hidden numeric keypad which you can enable by pressing Fn+NmLk on the keyboard.Release the Alt key after typing the Alt code to insert the Symbol into your document. This is how you may type this symbol in Word using the Alt Code method. Using the Absolute Value Shortcut The keyboard shortcut for the Absolute Value symbol is Alt + 124. To use this shortcut, press Down the [Alt] key whilst typing the Symbol alt code which is 124. You must use the numeric keypad to type the alt code. Also, ensure that your Num Lock key is turned on. Below is a breakdown of the Absolute Value Symbol shortcut on the keyboard: Place the insertion pointer at the desired location.Press and hold down the Alt key.While pressing down the Alt key, type 124 using the numeric keypad to insert the symbol. These are the steps you may use to type the Vertial Line in Word or Excel. Copy and Paste Absolute Value sign | (text) Another easy way to get the Absolute Value symbol on any PC is to use my favorite method: copy and paste. All you have to do is to copy the symbol from somewhere like a web page, or the character map for windows users, and head over to where you need the symbol (say in Word or Excel), then hit Ctrl+V to paste. Below is the symbol for you to copy and paste into your Word document. Just select it and press Ctrl+C to copy, switch over to Microsoft Word, place your insertion pointer at the desired location and press Ctrl+V to paste. | Alternatively, just use the copy button at the beginning of this post. For windows users, obey the following instructions to copy and paste the Absolute Value Symbol using the character map dialog box. Click on the Start button and search for Character Map. The Character Map app will appear in the search results, click to open. The Character Map dialog will appear. Click to check the Advanced view check-box to expand the dialog box for more advanced options. On the advanced view, type Vertical Line in the Search box.You should now see the Absolute Value Symbol on the character map dialog. If you can’t see it, then you should look through the library of symbols to spot it. When found, double click it to select. Alternatively, click on the Select button.After you select the symbol by double-clicking it, it should appear in the Character to copy: field, then click on the Copy button to copy the symbol. Switch to your Microsoft Word or Excel document, place the insertion pointer at the desired location, and press Ctrl+V to paste. This is how you may use the Character Map dialog to copy and paste any symbol on Windows PC. Using insert Symbol dialog box (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) The insert symbol dialog box is a library of symbols from where you can insert any symbol into your Word document with just a couple of mouse clicks. Obey the following steps to insert the Absolute Value Symbol in Word using the insert symbol dialog box. Open your Word document.Click to place the insertion pointer where you wish to insert the symbol.Go to the Insert tab. In the Symbols category, click on the Symbol drop-down and select the More Symbols button. The Symbol dialog box will appear. Type 007C in the Character Code: box. The symbol will appear selected.Click on the Insert button. Alternatively, double click on the symbol to insert it into your Word document. Close the dialog. The symbol will then be inserted exactly where you placed the insertion pointer. These are the steps you may use to insert the Absolute Value Symbol in Word. Conclusion As you can see, there are several different methods you can use to type the Absolute Value Symbol text in Microsoft Word. Using shortcut makes the fastest option for this task. Shortcuts are always fast. Thank you very much for reading this blog. If you have anything thing to say or questions to ask concerning the Absolute Value sign, please drop it in the comments. Thank you