Type Approximately Equal To Symbol In Word/Excel (On Keyboard)

In today’s article, you’ll learn about all the simple methods you can use to type the Approximately Equal symbol using either Windows or Mac.

You can also use the button below to copy and paste the Approximately symbol.

However, keep reading if you want to learn how this symbol is typed on the keyboard.

Table of Contents

Approximately Equal symbol [≈] Quick Guide

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To type the Approximately symbol on Mac, press Option + X on your keyboard. For Windows users, press down the Alt key and type 247 using the numeric keypad, then release the Alt key. These shortcuts work in both Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and anywhere on the Windows or Mac PC.

The table below provides a quick guide for the Approximately Equal sign.

Symbol Name	Approximately Equal Symbol
Symbol	≈
Alt Code	247
Shortcut for Windows	[Alt] + [247]
Shortcut for Mac	Option + X

The above quick guide provides some useful information about the Approximately Equal sign. However, below are other options you can also use to type this symbol in Word/Excel/PowerPoint.

Approximately Equal symbol [≈] Alt Code for Windows

The Approximately Equal symbol alt code is 247.

If you are looking for how you can type this symbol on the keyboard, then you’ve found it with this Alt Code method. Just obey the following instructions:

Place the insertion pointer where you need to type the Approximately Equal symbol.
Press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard.
Whilst holding on to the Alt key, press the Approximately Symbol alt code (247) using the numeric keypad.
Release the Alt key after typing the Alt code to insert the symbol into your Word document.

alt code for Approximately Equal to symbol

This is how you may type this symbol on Windows using the Alt Code method.

The alt code method works only for Windows. The next section will show you how to type it on Mac using a keyboard shortcut.

How to type Almost Equal Sign on Mac

The keyboard shortcut to type the Approximately Equal Sign on Mac is Option + X.

Obey the following instructions to type this symbol on Mac using the keyboard shortcut stated above:

First of all, place the insertion pointer where you need to type this symbol.
Then press Option + X simultaneously on your Mac keyboard.

With this keyboard shortcut, you can type the Almost Equal to symbol anywhere on your Mac computer.

How to insert the Approximately Symbol in Word/Excel

Using the insert symbol dialog box, you can insert any symbol into any of the Office apps including MS Word, Excel, and 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.

Using this dialog, you can insert the Approximately symbol in any of the office programs including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

In this section, I am going to show you a step by step guide to add the Almost Equal sign or any other symbol that is not found on the keyboard.

Without any further ado, let’s get started.

Launch your Word or Excel or PowerPoint 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 More Symbols.

The Symbol dialog box will appear. In the Subset drop-down list, select Latin-1 Supplement to display symbols in this category which includes the Approximately symbol.
Now select the symbol you want and hit the Insert button to get it into your document. Alternatively, double click on it to insert it into your document.

insert approximately equal symbol in Word or Excel or PowerPoint

Close the dialog.

The symbol will then be inserted exactly where you place the insertion pointer.

These are the steps you may use to insert the Approximately Equal symbol or any other symbol into your Word/Excel document.

Copy and Paste Approximately Equal to symbol

One of the easiest ways to get any symbol on any PC is to use the copy and paste method.

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 then hit Ctrl+V to paste.

To copy and paste the Approximately Equal symbol, select it (≈) and press Ctrl+C to copy, switch over to where you need it and press Ctrl+V to paste.

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You can also use the copy button at the beginning of this article.

For windows users, you may also obey the following instructions to copy and paste this symbol using the character map dialog.

Click on the Start button and search for Character Map. Click to open the Character map app in the search results.

The Character Map dialog will appear. Click on the Advanced view check box to expand the dialog box for more options.

Check the Advanced view checkbox to expand the dialog

On the advanced view options, in the Search box at the bottom of the Window, type “Almost Equal to”.
You should now see the Approximately Equal symbol on the character map dialog. Double click on the symbol to select it. Alternatively, click on the Select button.
After you select the symbol, it’ll appear in the Characters to copy: field, hit on the Copy button to copy.

copy approximate equal to symbol on Windows

Now switch to where ever you wish to insert the symbol 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.

Conclusion

As shown in this article, there are several methods you can use to type or insert the Approximately Equal sign on your PC or Mac.

My favorite approach on Windows is to use the Alt code method, it’s a lot easier provided you know the alt code for the symbol you wish to type. For Mac users, using the keyboard shortcut comes handy.

If you still want something to be clarified about this symbol, please let me know in the comments section below.

Thank you!