Whether you regularly use a text editor or are an occasional user of this type of software, you have surely faced the problem of having to type a character that does not appear on your keyboard at some point. So that this does not mean a waste of time for you when doing your work, we are going to explain how to add special characters to a Word document.
With a few simple tricks you will know how to correctly write the abbreviation for square meters, and you will even learn to create mathematical formulas. Take good note of what we tell you.
What are special characters in Word?
They are all those that do not appear on the standard keyboard or on the Windows virtual keyboard. Some of the most common examples are:
- Punctuation marks. Such as quotes, dashes, periods and certain commas. It is important to know how to write them, because they are essential for formatting the text.
- Mathematical and scientific symbols. This includes everything from the symbols of mathematical operations such as plus and minus to currency symbols such as the dollar or the euro.
- Marking lists and bullets. They are circles, squares and other symbols that we use to create lists like this one you are reading right now.
- Format characters. These are tabs, line breaks, page breaks, etc.
Format symbols. They refer to issues such as a trademark or copyright.
There are so many special characters available in Word, it would be impossible to collect them all on one keyboard. We would have to have a huge keyboard. But There are a series of keyboard shortcuts and actions that help us enter this type of signs in our documents quickly and easily.
How to add the square meter symbol in Word
The symbol for square meters is written by placing a superscript (2) above the “m”. If we want to mark cubic meters, we will have to use a 3 instead of a 2.
The problem is that many times we don't know how to put a superscript in Word, and we end up marking the square meters like this: “m2”. Although what we want to communicate is understood, it is not as professional as if we do it well.
What you may not know is that Word has a specific button for superscripts. You find it in the taskbar, in the tab "Start", You'll see it below the font name, indicated by an X with a superscript.
To use this functionality, type “m2” in your document. Then click on the superscript button and it is created automatically. Of course, you can also use it to highlight cubic meters or to highlight any other number or text.
How to create mathematical formulas
Using special characters in Word too It allows us to create mathematical formulas. Something that can be very useful if you are cleaning up your notes, or need to present a report that contains this information.
To write the mathematical formulas click on the tab "Insert" for your menu to display. You will see that an option marked as appears directly "Equation". Natively, Word has more than 30 types of equations and symbols, so it's rare that you won't find the one you need. However, you can also use the formula editor and create as many as you need.
Insert other special characters in Word
If you have to add characters to your document that you cannot find on the keyboard, try following these steps:
- Open the Word document.
- Place the cursor where you want to insert the special character.
- Click on the tab "Insert" which appears at the top of the screen.
- Click on the button "Symbol" or in the group “Symbols”.
- In the drop down menu choose "Symbol" and a pop-up window will appear with all the pop-up symbols that can be inserted. Click on the one you need.
- Once the special character is selected, click on "Insert" and it will be added to your document.
Click on "Shut down" so that the symbol window disappears and you can continue working.
If instead of using the Word text editor you are working with the Google one, you can enter symbols and equations from the “Insert” tab. In the drop-down menu you will see the options “Special Characters” and “Equation”.
Insert special characters with the keyboard
Another way to add special characters in Word is by using keyboard shortcuts. There are many different ones. In the Office support page You have more information about this.
Using AutoText to Create Special Characters
If there are special characters that you use frequently, you can create your own autotext entries by following these steps:
- Select the special character.
- Go to "Insert" > “Autotext” > “Save selection as autotext”.
- Give your entry a name and save it.
- In the future, when you want to enter that special character in the document, type the first letters of the name you gave to the autotext and press Enter.
Tricks to get more out of Microsoft Word
To get even more out of Microsoft's text editor, here are other tricks that can help you:
Keyboard shortcuts
Make sure you know the keyboard shortcuts to perform basic actions like cutting and pasting or opening a new document, because they can save you a lot of time.
- Ctrl N to open a new document.
- Ctrl S to save.
- Ctrl C to copy.
- Ctrl V for paste.
Styles and themes
To create documents with consistent formatting, try using predefined styles and themes. This will ensure that the appearance of the text is uniform and, if you need it, You can change it with a few clicks.
Document Review
Proofreading tools let you stay on top of spelling and grammatical errors. They also let you track the modifications in case it is a collaborative document and You want to monitor changes made by other people.
Reading view
If you have to read a long document, use reading view to eliminate on-screen distractions and read more comfortably.
Now that you know how to insert special characters in Word and you know some more tricks to speed up their use, you will surely work more comfortably and quickly with your text editor.