How to insert symbols in Excel

1. The Ribbon Symbol menu

The direct method to insert symbols in Excel is using the Ribbon interface. Click on the cell where you want the character to appear, navigate to the Insert tab, and click Symbol in the Symbols group on the right.

Select a font that matches your workbook. For standard typography, keep “(normal text)”. For specialized dingbats and bullet points, select Segoe UI Symbol or Wingdings. Use the Subset menu to jump to categories like Currency Symbols, Mathematical Operators, or Geometric Shapes. Highlight the symbol and click Insert.

Keep in mind that while the Symbol dialog is open in Excel, editing other parts of the spreadsheet is locked. Insert all the symbols you need in your active cell or formula bar before closing the dialog window.

2. Generating symbols dynamically with UNICHAR

Excel includes the powerful UNICHAR function, which takes a decimal Unicode code point and outputs the corresponding character. This allows you to generate symbols dynamically based on formula logic and calculation results.

The syntax is simple: =UNICHAR(number). Common decimal codes include:

You can combine UNICHAR with logical functions to create dynamic KPI dashboards. For instance, to show a green upward arrow when sales exceed targets and a red downward arrow when they miss, write:

=IF(B2>=C2, UNICHAR(9650) & " " & TEXT(B2, "$#,##0"), UNICHAR(9660) & " " & TEXT(B2, "$#,##0"))

This outputs indicators like “▲ $12,450” or “▼ $8,300” directly in plain text without requiring complex chart objects.

3. Typing Alt codes in cells and formula bar

If your computer has a dedicated numeric keypad, Windows Alt codes work smoothly inside Excel. Double-click any cell to enter edit mode (or click in the formula bar), hold down the left Alt key, type the numeric code on the number pad, and release Alt.

For example, Alt + 0176 inserts the degree symbol (°), Alt + 0169 inserts copyright (©), and Alt + 0153 inserts trademark (™). If your alt codes fail to appear, consult our troubleshooting guide on fixing alt codes on Windows.

4. Custom cell number formatting with symbols

Often you want a symbol to appear alongside a number without converting the cell value from a number into text. If you type “+12% ▲” directly into a cell, Excel treats it as a text string, breaking sums, averages, and chart references.

The professional solution is Custom Number Formatting. Select your cells, press Ctrl + 1 to open Format Cells, choose the Number tab, and select Custom. In the Type input field, enter a format string using copied symbols:

▲ +0.0%;▼ -0.0%;"–" 0.0%

With this format applied, positive numbers automatically display with ▲, negative numbers display with ▼, and zero values display with an en dash. Because the underlying value remains purely numerical, your formulas continue to calculate accurately. Discover more indicators in our triangle symbols collection.

5. Symbols on Excel for Mac and in Chart Titles

On macOS versions of Microsoft Excel, keyboard shortcuts differ slightly. Alt codes do not exist on Mac. Instead, use the Mac Option key shortcuts (such as Option + Shift + 8 for the degree symbol ° or Option + G for copyright ©) or open the macOS Character Viewer via Control + Command + Space.

Symbols also add immense clarity when placed inside Excel chart titles and axis labels. To add a degree symbol or currency icon to a chart axis, edit the chart title box directly and paste the glyph from SymbolHub. Excel renders Unicode symbols cleanly across all modern vector chart elements, PDF exports, and PowerPoint presentation embeds.

6. Copy and paste from SymbolHub

The fastest method for one-off tasks is copying the exact character from our reference pages. When you copy a glyph from SymbolHub, it enters your clipboard as clean, unstyled Unicode text. Simply select your Excel cell, press Ctrl + V, and Excel adopts the character seamlessly using the active font. Learn how companion programs handle characters in our guide to inserting symbols in Word.