Square Root Symbol (√)

Q: How do I calculate a square root in Excel?

Use =SQRT(number), for example =SQRT(16) returns 4. For other roots raise to a fractional power: =27^(1/3) returns 3.

Q: How do I draw the bar over a square root in Word?

Use Word’s equation editor: press Alt + = and type \sqrt(x) then a space. It draws the radical with a bar over the whole expression.

Q: What is the alt code for the square root symbol?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 251 on the numeric keypad to get √. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 221A then Alt + X in Word.

Q: How do I type the square root symbol on a Mac?

Press Option + V. It works in every app on the US keyboard layout. You can also open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search for it.

Q: What is the HTML code for the square root symbol?

Use the named entity √ or the numeric reference √ (hex √). All three display √ in every browser.

Q: What is the Unicode for the square root symbol?

√ is U+221A, officially named SQUARE ROOT, in the Mathematical Operators block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).

The square root symbol √ is Unicode U+221A, the radical sign for square roots. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Alt + 251 on Windows or Option + V on a Mac.

Unicode: U+221A
HTML: √
Windows: Alt + 251
Mac: Option + V

How to type the square root symbol (√)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type √ yourself, use the method for your device below. On a Mac it is Option + V.

Windows

Hold Alt and type 251 on the numeric keypad. This older code (from code page 437) works in Notepad, Word and most desktop apps.
In Word or Outlook, type 221A and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Square Root, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Square root symbol on Windows

Mac

Press Option+V. On the standard US and US-International layouts.
Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for square root and double-click it.

Square root symbol on Mac

Linux & ChromeOS

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 221a, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

Copy √ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;squa. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Square root symbol on iPhone

Android

In Gboard, tap ?123, then =\<. √ is on that page.
Copy √ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Square root symbol on Android

Microsoft Word

Type 221A, then press Alt + X.
Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 221A in “Character code” and click Insert.
On a Mac, Option+V works in Word too.

Google Docs

Insert → Special characters, then search for “square root” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

Enter =UNICHAR(8730) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

Write √ or √ in your HTML.

What does √ mean?

√ is the radical sign: √9 = 3 because 3 × 3 = 9. It first appeared in print in Christoph Rudolff’s algebra book Die Coss in 1525, and it probably grew out of a stylised letter r for radix, “root”. By convention √x means the non-negative root, so √9 is 3, never −3.

In handwriting and typeset maths, a bar called a vinculum extends over the whole expression: the root of (b² − 4ac). A single text character cannot draw that bar, so in plain text use brackets, √(b² − 4ac), to show what is inside. For other roots put an index before the sign (∛ and ∜ exist as characters), or use a fractional power: x^(1/5).

In spreadsheets use the function instead of the symbol: =SQRT(A1) in Excel and Google Sheets.

Common uses

Exact values: √2 ≈ 1.414
Formulas in plain text: d = √(x² + y²)
Calculator and keyboard labels