How to type the squared symbol in Excel
To type the squared symbol ² in an Excel cell, hold Alt and type 0178 on the numeric keypad; in a formula, use =UNICHAR(178). To label areas without losing the numbers, apply the custom format 0" m²". And if you want to square a value, use =A2^2.
Quick answer
Alt + 0178 types ². Format numbers as #,##0" m²". Calculate a square with =A2^2.
Step by step
Select the area cells
Choose the cells that hold areas such as floor sizes.
Press Ctrl + 1
Open Format Cells and pick the Custom category.
Type the format
Enter
#,##0" m²", typing the ² with Alt + 0178. Use0.00" cm²"or" ft²"as needed.Confirm
Click OK. The cells read “1,250 m²” but still add up correctly.
Superscript inside a text cell
Excel can raise part of the text in a cell, but only when the cell holds text. Double-click the cell, select the 2, press Ctrl + 1 and tick Superscript. This is handy for a header such as “Area (m2)”. It does not work on numbers, formulas or custom formats, and the formatting is lost when the data is exported to CSV. Using the ² character avoids all three problems.
Squaring a number is different
If you came here to calculate, the exponent operator is the caret: =A2^2 squares the value in A2, and =A2^3 cubes it. =POWER(A2,2) does the same, and =SQRT(A2) goes the other way. None of these need the ² symbol.
Building labels with formulas
To produce text like “Room: 18 m²”, join the pieces: ="Room: "&A2&" m"&UNICHAR(178). CHAR(178) also works in Windows Excel, because 178 is ² in the Windows-1252 code page, but UNICHAR behaves the same on every platform. For cubic units, 179 gives ³.
Higher powers
Only ¹, ² and ³ are in the old code pages. For ⁴ to ⁹ use UNICHAR with codes 8308 to 8313, for example =UNICHAR(8308) for ⁴. The superscript and subscript collection has every raised and lowered digit ready to copy.
Related: the squared symbol ² page, squared in Word and the cubed symbol ³.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write m² in Excel?
Type m, then hold Alt and type 0178 on the keypad. For numeric cells, use a custom number format such as 0" m²" instead.
What is the Excel formula for the squared symbol?
=UNICHAR(178) returns ². =CHAR(178) works too in Windows Excel.
Why can’t I superscript a number in Excel?
Partial formatting only works in text cells. Use the ² character or a custom number format for numbers.