How to Insert Signs and Symbols in Excel & Google Sheets

Are you tired of searching for symbols and emojis online and copying them into your Excel or Google Sheets documents? Well, worry no more! In this tutorial, we will show you how to easily insert symbols and emojis directly into your spreadsheets, saving you time and effort.

Insert Symbols

Excel offers various methods to add symbols to your spreadsheets. One way is to use the built-in symbol feature. Here’s how:

1. In the Ribbon, select Insert > Symbols > Symbol.
   

2. The Symbol field will appear. You can resize it by dragging the lower right corner if you want to see more symbols.
   

3. Let’s use the Delta symbol as an example. Set the font to (normal text) and choose Mathematical Operators as the subset. Then select the Increment icon. (Delta is also available under Greek and Coptic as Greek Capital Letter Delta).
   

4. Click on Insert and then Close.

You can follow the same steps to insert other symbols, such as the sum symbol (∑), division sign (÷), or left arrow (←).

Icons, Webdings, and Wingdings Fonts

If you want to add more built-in symbols, you can change the font to Symbols, Webdings, or Wingdings. For example:

1. Choose Wingdings as the font.
   

2. Select the smiley face and click Insert.
   

3. Click Close to close the Symbol panel. You’ll see that the smiley face is displayed in the formula bar as the letter J, and the font has now changed to Wingdings.
   

You can also type a specific letter in a cell and then change the font to Wingdings to insert different symbols. For example, typing “J” and switching the font to Wingdings inserts a smiley face, while typing “L” changes to a sad face.

Insert Symbols With Alt Codes

Another method to insert symbols is by using Alt codes. Here’s how:

1. Hold down the Alt key and type a number on the keyboard to display the corresponding Alt code. For example, typing ALT + 3 > 0 (Alt 30) inserts the Delta symbol (▲).
   

You can use Alt codes to insert symbols like smiley faces (☻), hearts (♥), diamonds (♦), clubs (♣), and many others.

Insert Emojis

In Windows 10, you can also insert emojis in Excel using the built-in touch keyboard. Here’s how:

1. If the keyboard button is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, right-click on the taskbar and select Show Touch Keyboard Button.
   

2. The keyboard button should now appear in the lower right corner of the screen.

3. Click the button to display the keyboard below Excel.
   

4. Click the smiley face on the keyboard to display face emojis.
   

Insert Symbols Into Google Sheets

If you’re using Google Sheets, you can also insert symbols and emojis. Here are a few ways to do it:

Google Sheets Add-in

If you frequently use symbols, consider using the Google Sheets add-in, which simplifies the process. It is available for $7.

Alt Codes in Google Sheets

Alt codes work the same way in Google Sheets as they do in Excel. Just make sure you are in edit mode before pressing the Alt key. Follow these steps:

1. Select the cell where you want to place the symbol.
2. Press F2 to enter edit mode.
3. Press ALT plus an appropriate number to enter the desired symbol in the cell. For example, Alt 30 inserts a delta symbol (▲).

Special Characters in Google Docs

If you want to insert symbols into Google Sheets, you can open a Google document and copy and paste the symbols from there. Here’s how:

1. From the File menu, choose New > Document.
   

2. A new tab will open with a Google document.

3. From the Insert menu, choose Special Characters.
   

4. In the left drop-down box, you can choose from various categories, such as icons, emojis, and punctuation.
   

5. Select the symbol you want to insert, and then click Insert.

6. Click the X in the upper right corner to close the Insert Special Character box.

7. Highlight the symbol with your mouse, press CTRL + C to copy it, switch back to the Google sheet, and press CTRL + V to paste it into a cell.

Insert Emojis in Google Sheets

You can use the touch keyboard in the same way as in Excel to insert emojis into Google Sheets.

1. Click the Touch Keyboard button to display the keyboard on the screen, and then click the smiley face.
   

2. Click each emoji you want to type into the Google sheet. You can type multiple emojis into a cell if necessary.

Now you know how to easily insert symbols and emojis into Excel and Google Sheets. Enjoy expressing yourself with these creative elements in your spreadsheets!

For more tips and tricks on using Excel and Google Sheets, visit Mr Reviews. Happy symbolizing!