Excel Symbols (Everything About Symbols)

Hey there! Are you interested in learning about Excel symbols? If yes, you have landed in the right place for it.

This article describes all possible Excel symbols used in formulas, characters, mathematical symbols, text & notation symbols, units & measurement symbols, and Greek symbols.

Also, the easiest ways are how you can insert special characters, symbols, and fractions in your worksheet.

List of All Symbols in Excel

All kinds of symbols like the ones used in Excel formulas, characters, mathematical symbols, text and notation symbols, units and measurement symbols, and Greek letter symbols are listed in this section. All the symbols are arranged in the table below.

1. Symbols Used in Excel Formula

In the table below, all the symbols used in the Excel formula are listed as follows.

2. Excel Characters Symbol

All possible characters used in Excel are listed in the table as below.

3 Mathematical Symbols in Excel

Mathematical symbols are used in calculation of Excel.  All possible mathematical symbols are listed in the table below.

4. Text and Notation Symbols in Excel

Certainly, text and notation symbols are widely used in various contexts to convey information, represent concepts, and enhance communication. Here’s a list of commonly used text and notation symbols along with their meanings:

5. Excel Units and Measures Symbols

Excel provides a variety of units and measures symbols that you can use within cells, formulas, and text. These symbols are useful for representing different types of measurements and units. Here are some common units and measures symbols in Excel:]

6. Greek Letters Symbol Used in Excel

Greek letters are characters from the Greek alphabet, which is used in the Greek language and has also been adopted for various scientific, mathematical, and technical purposes.

These letters are often used as symbols to represent mathematical constants, variables, and concepts, among other things.

In Microsoft Excel and other applications, you can insert Greek letter symbols to enhance the visual representation of your content.

How to Insert Special Characters and Symbols in Excel

In this section we will learn how we can insert those symbols and special characters in Excel.

1. Using Symbols Menu

We can use the Symbols Menu to insert Excel symbols. You can follow these steps to insert a symbol.

• Go to the Insert tab and select Symbol from the Symbols

• A dialogue box named Symbol will appear. There click on Symbols.
• After that, click on the desired symbol and click on Insert.
• You can also get other symbols by choosing different symbol categories in the Subset

• Selected symbol is added as follows.

2. CHAR Function to Insert Excel Symbols

Another easiest way to use the CHAR function to insert Excel symbols. But you just need to know the code of that character or symbol. Here we are providing a list of symbols and their CHAR function code.

Syntax:

=CHAR(code)

To use the function:

• Select the cell where you want to insert the symbol.
• Now, write the formula and press Enter.

=CHAR(36)

This will formula will add a Dollar symbol ($) in the selected cell.

3. Utilizing ‘Alt codes’

IBM created a way to show special characters on screens when they can’t be typed using a keyboard. You’d hold down the “Alt” key, type a code on the number pad, and a special character would appear where you’re typing.

These codes became popular. Microsoft made new codes (ANSI), but kept the old ones (OEM) because they were widely used. The old codes have three digits, while the new ones start with 0.

To Use Alt Code:

• Select the cell, where you want to add the symbol.
• Hold the Alt key on the keyboard.
• Then, type the numeric code. You can use the numeric code mentioned in the table below.
• Release the Alt key, this will add the desired symbol.

4. Using Run Command Box

There is also a simpler way to find out the code of the character, and then use the Alt code to insert the symbol in Excel. To find out the code of the symbol, follow these steps ahead.

• Press “Windows key + R”. Then a dialogue box will appear.
• Type “charmap” in the Open

• A dialogue box named Character Map will appear.
• There, select your preferred symbol. Here, we have selected the copyright symbol. Later, click on Advanced View. In the bottom left corner, it will show the Alt code of the symbol.

• Now press the Alt code using the keyboard to insert the symbol.

5. Copy And Paste Special Characters

If you somehow think all the methods mentioned above to insert symbols seem boring and tedious. Worry not, we have another easy-peasy solution for you. You can visit Wikipedia and it shows almost all kinds of symbols in it.

You can copy your desired symbol from there, and paste it into the cell in Excel.

Other Types of Special Characters in Excel

There are also some other kinds of symbols and special characters in Excel like section marks (§), fractions ( ⅖), and international characters. You can follow the steps below to add them to your worksheet.

Insert Section Marks (§)

• Click the Insert tab > select the Symbols group > choose Symbol.

• Now click on Special Characters in the Symbol dialogue box.
• Select Section in the symbol.
• Click on Insert.

• Section symbol is added to the cell as follows.

Add Fractions (1/3, 2/5)

In this section, we will learn how to add fractions from symbol options. To add the fractions, follow the steps ahead.

• First, click on Symbol from the Symbols option in the Insert
• A Symbol dialogue box will appear as follows. There in the Subset box, select the Number Forms on the drop-down menu.
• Select your preferred fraction and click on Insert.

• Fractions will appear as follows.

International Characters (¿ or ü)

“International characters,” such as “¿” (inverted question mark) and “ü” (u with an umlaut), are special characters used in languages beyond English. These characters convey unique sounds or meanings and are common in languages like Spanish, German, and French. To add these symbols, follow these keyboard shortcuts.

• CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+? inserts a ¿
• CTRL+SHIFT+~ followed immediately by “a” will insert ã.
• CTRL+SHIFT+: followed immediately by “u” will insert ü.

Using ASCII or Unicode Character Codes

The ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. ASCII codes are represented by seven-bit numbers, ranging from 0 to 127.

Similarly, Unicode is a character encoding standard that supports most of the world’s writing systems. Unicode codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices. Unicode codes are represented by variable-length numbers, ranging from 0 to 10FFFF.

We can use ASCII, or Unicode to insert your desired symbol. To add a symbol using these codes, follow the steps.

• Make sure to click on Insert > Symbols Menu >
• Then in the Character Code box, type the code as follows. And it will show the desired character.
• Click on Insert and this will add the character.

Things to Remember

• Symbols should fit cells without making them too small.
• Pick a font everyone has to avoid symbol display problems.
• Keep a copy of your file before adding symbols.
• Symbols might not sort properly, so double-check.
• If symbols have meanings, add a legend for others to understand.
• Symbols can look like data, be careful.
• Stick to common symbols to ensure compatibility.
• Symbols might not print or show when shared, so test before finalizing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What is the @ symbol in the Excel formula?

The “@” symbol in Excel formulas signifies an external reference to another worksheet within the same workbook. When you use it, you’re indicating that you want to pull information from a different sheet. For instance, if you have a workbook with “Sheet1” and “Sheet2,” and you want to use a value from cell A1 in “Sheet2” within a formula in “Sheet1,” you’d write:

=@Sheet2!A1

Q2. What is ‘#’ in Excel?

In Excel, the ‘#’ symbol is often used to represent cell error values. These error values indicate that there’s an issue with the cell’s content, formula, or reference. Each error type has its own code that follows the ‘#’ symbol. For instance:

• #DIV/0!: Division by zero error.
• #N/A: Value, not available error.
• #VALUE!: Incorrect data type error.
• #REF!: Invalid cell reference error.
• #NAME?: Unrecognized function or name error.
• #NUM!: Invalid numeric value error.

When you encounter a cell displaying a value starting with ‘#’, it means an error occurred, helping you identify and resolve the problem in your Excel worksheet.

Q3. How many symbols are there in Excel?

Excel has many symbols, like plus (+) or minus (-). There are many different types of math, money, and more. It’s hard to count them all exactly because there are so many fonts and versions of Excel. But you can find them in the “Symbol” menu or use keyboard shortcuts to put them in your work.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article covers all the details including inserting Excel Symbols using CHAR code and Alt code, and other shortcuts. Despite this, if you still have any questions related to this subject, please feel free to comment below. Our team of professionals is dedicated to responding promptly to your inquiries. Also, if you know anyone searching for an Excel learning platform, feel free to endorse our services.

Excel Symbols: Knowledge Hub

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• How to Remove Symbol in Excel

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