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Do you need to use a Euro symbol in an economics paper? How about a Celsius degree in a lab report? Or, maybe you need to insert special characters into your math homework. I recently discovered the Math AutoCorrect feature in Word and realized that I could use it for more than just math stuff. Math AutoCorrect lets me insert symbols and special characters into my documents using keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts are sets of one or more keys that you type to complete an action rather than clicking with your mouse. Shortcuts are especially useful if you're using the same symbols or special characters over and over again. It's just faster!
This short video shows you how to insert symbols and special characters into a Word 2010 or Word 2007 document. Or, if you prefer to scan through instructions, look below for the step-by-step procedures and links to keyboard shortcuts.
To use the Math AutoCorrect keyboard shortcuts, you'll need to enable Math AutoCorrect. To do this:
1. On the Word ribbon, click the File tab. 2. Click Options. 3. In the left pane, click Proofing. 4. Under AutoCorrect options, click the AutoCorrect Options button.
5. Click the Math AutoCorrect tab.
6. Click to select the Use Math AutoCorrect rules outside of math regions checkbox.
The Math AutoCorrect tab is where you'll find an alphabetized list of keyboard shortcuts. To find a keyboard shortcut, scan the With column for the symbol you want to use and then look under the Replace column for the set of keys you need to enter as your keyboard shortcut. When you type the shortcut into your document, Math AutoCorrect will automatically replace that text with the associated symbol. In the video above, I use the keyboard shortcut "\infty" to insert an infinity symbol into my document. For a complete list, see Math AutoCorrect keyboard shortcuts.
If you liked this, check out field codes--which is featured on the Microsoft Word blog.
-- Jennifer Bost
Comments: (25) Collapse
Where is the euro symbol?
How do you type the symbol for degrees Fahrenheidt or centrigrade degrees?
@ John W. Curran: Press and hold the ALT key on your keyboard while typing 0176 on the numeric keypad. You must use the numeric keypad to type the numbers and not the keyboard. Oh, and make sure that the NUM LOCK key is on if your keyboard requires it to type numbers on the numeric keypad.
@Hillhead: Press and hold the ALT key on your keyboard while typing 0128 on the numeric keypad. You must use the numeric keypad to type the numbers and not the keyboard.
What a mess. This used to be simple. Now Microsoft has made it complicated. Bill Gates is discredited.
@ACMierzeje: Thanks for your comment. I should mention that you can still add symbols to your documents using the Insert tab from the Word ribbon, which may be how you are used to doing things. This blog post addresses keyboard shortcuts for people that prefer using their keyboard in place of a mouse (for example, for accessibility purposes).
I need to use the "section" symbol a lot. When I type in the Word 2010 shortcut (alt+ctrl+shift+s) i get a style dialogue box, not the "section" symbol. What's up?
@Ulysse60: Thanks for your comment. To quickly add section marks to your document, use the following keyboard shortcut: [Alt] + 0167.
Thank you. This was clear and useful.
Wonderful explanation! I use Word 2010 a lot for my work at superiorpapers.com and many times we get orders when we must use special characters. This tutorial will easen my life :) The keyboard shortcut: [Alt] + 0167 works and that is real important. Thank you!
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