How to type Square Root Symbol [√] + Shortcut
You are in the right place if you want to type the square root symbol. Whether you are using Mac or a Windows PC, you’ll learn the techniques to easily type or insert this symbol anywhere on your PC including apps like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
Without any further ado, let’s get started!
Alt Code to type Square Root symbol [√] in Windows
The alt code (character code) for the square root symbol is 251.
Using the alt code is one of the simplest methods you can use to type the square root symbol in Windows. With this method, you can type the symbol anywhere you want to enter text including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Below are the steps to type the square root symbol in Windows PC using the Alt Code:
- Go to where you want to type the square root symbol. For MS Word, place the curser at the desired location; for Excel, activate the cell that will contain the symbol.
- Press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard.
- As you hold on to the Alt key, press 251 (the square root symbol’s Alt code) on the numeric keypad at the right-hand side of the keyboard.
- Then release the Alt key.
The square root symbol will immediately be inserted as soon as you let go of the Alt key.
The above steps will work fine if you are using a keyboard with a numeric keypad. However, if you are using a laptop without a numeric keypad, keep reading to learn other methods you can use to get this symbol.
How to type square root symbol on Mac – shortcut
The shortcut for the square root symbol on mac is Option + V.
The simplest way to type the square root symbol on Mac is to use the keyboard shortcut which is Option + V.
Thus, to type the square root symbol on Mac:
- Place the curser at where you want to type the symbol. It could be Microsoft Word, Excel or even on a browser.
- Now press the square root symbol shortcut for mac – Option + V.
The square root symbol should be inserted for you.
Typing square Root Symbol in Microsoft Word
There are several ways to get any symbol in Word including the square root symbol. This section will focus on that.
Using Square root symbol shortcuts
On windows, the square root symbol shortcut is Alt+125. Whilst on Mac, it is Option+V.
Now, how do you use these shortcuts to get the symbol?
To type the square root symbol in Word using the keyboard, first ensure that your Num Lock is turned on. Then whilst pressing down the Alt key, type the symbol’s Alt code on the numeric keypad which is 251.
If you are on Mac, use Option+V shortcut to type the square root symbol in your Word document.
Using insert Equation
The equation feature in Word is very helpful when you need to insert lots of mathematical symbols into your project.
In this section, I’ll show you how to insert the square root symbol in Word using the insert equation feature.
Below are the steps:
- Place the cursor where you want to type the square root symbol.
- Press Alt+= on your Keyboard to introduce the equation field. The equation field looks like the screenshot below:
- In the Type equation here box, type \sqrt and press the spacebar.
See screenshot:
The square root symbol should appear in the equation field after you type \sqrt and press on the spacebar key.
Using Insert Symbol Dialog
Using the insert symbol dialog is a mouse way approach to inserting the square root symbol in Word. It doesn’t involve using the keyboard.
Without any further ado, below are the instructions to insert the square root symbol in Word:
- Go to Insert>Symbol>More Symbols.
This action should display the Symbol’s dialog box.
- Locate the Symbol from this dialog that appears.
Search for the square root symbol from scrolling up or down using the scroll bar.
To find the symbol easily, at the bottom right area of the dialog, in the from drop-down menu, select Unicode (hex). Again, at the top right area of the dialog, select Mathematical Operators in the Subset drop-down list.
At this moment, only the Mathematical Operators symbols including the Square root symbol will display in the visible area of the Symbols dialog box.
See screenshot below:
- Select the symbol, and click the Insert button. Alternatively, double-click on the square root symbol to insert it into your document, then click the Cancel button to close the dialog.
This is how you may insert the Square root symbol into Word.
Typing square Root Symbol in Microsoft Excel
Just as in Microsoft Word, you can Insert the square root symbol into Excel through several methods. However, in this section, I’ll show you the easiest approaches.
Use shortcuts
The square root symbol shortcut in Windows is Alt+254 (on the numeric keypad).
For Windows users, to type the square root symbol in Excel using a keyboard shortcut, first click on the cell to contain the symbol; press and hold the Alt key and press 251 (i.e. the symbol’s alt code) on the numeric keypad; then release the Alt key. This should give you the symbol.
The square root symbol shortcut in Mac is Option + V.
For Mac users, to type the square root symbol in Excel, specify the cell that will contain the symbol; then press Option+V on your keyboard. This should give you the symbol.
Use Insert Symbols
Aside from using the square root symbol shortcut, you can also use this mouse-based method to insert the square root symbol into your Excel worksheets.
The steps are outlined below:
- Specify the cell that will contain the symbol.
- Go to the Insert tab.
- Click on the Symbols button and select Symbol. The Symbol dialog box will appear.
- From this dialog, search for the symbol you wish to insert. To easily get the square root symbol from the dialog, select Mathematical Operators in the Subset drop-down list.
- Double-click on the symbol to insert it into your Excel worksheet.
These are the steps involved to add the square root symbol anywhere in your computer.
If you have any further questions, please let me know in the comments.