By Igor R. · Updated September 2026 Tested on Google Docs in Chrome on Windows 11, macOS and ChromeOS, plus the Docs mobile apps. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.
Short answer: go to Insert → Symbols → Special characters, then search by name — or draw the symbol with your mouse and Docs will find characters that match your sketch. That drawing tool is the fastest way to find a symbol when you don’t know its name, and no other office app has it.
Tap to copy
Not sure what a character actually is? Paste it into the Symbol Identifier and it'll tell you the name, code point and how to type it anywhere.
Insert → Symbols → Special characters
- Put your cursor where the symbol goes.
- Click Insert. Depending on your version you'll either see Special characters directly, or a Symbols submenu containing it. Google's current documentation uses Insert → Symbols → Special characters.
- The picker opens with three ways to find a character — the two category dropdowns, the search box, and the draw canvas.
- Click a character to insert it. The dialog stays open, so you can insert several in a row before closing.
Keyboard users on Windows can open it with the menu accelerator: press Alt, then I, then C.
Draw the symbol you need
This is the feature worth knowing about, and the reason Docs beats Word for finding an unfamiliar character.
In the panel on the right of the dialog, draw the symbol with your mouse or trackpad. Docs matches your sketch against its character set and lists the candidates on the left. It handles rough drawing well — you don't need a steady hand.
It's the best available answer to "I know what it looks like but I have no idea what it's called." Sketch a rough ∫ and you get the integral sign without ever learning the word. Sketch a squiggle and you'll find the tilde, the approximately-equal sign and the several other squiggles that are easy to confuse.
Search by name or by Unicode value
The search box takes two kinds of input.
By name — type arrow, degree, check. Plain-language terms work; you don't need the formal Unicode name.
By Unicode value — type the hex code without the U+ prefix. Enter 2192 for →, 00b0 for °, 20ac for €. This is the precise route when you know exactly which character you want and the name search returns a crowded list.
| Symbol | Type this in the search box |
|---|---|
| ° | 00b0 |
| → | 2192 |
| ✓ | 2713 |
| ✗ | 2717 |
| — | 2014 |
| ± | 00b1 |
| × | 00d7 |
| ÷ | 00f7 |
| ≈ | 2248 |
| € | 20ac |
| π | 03c0 |
| • | 2022 |
Set up automatic substitutions
If you use the same symbol constantly, stop opening the dialog and teach Docs to type it for you.
- Tools → Preferences → Substitutions tab.
- In the Replace column, type a trigger —
(c),\deg,->. - In the With column, paste the character itself.
- Click OK.
Docs ships with a set of these already switched on, which is why (c) becomes © and straight quotes turn curly as you type. That's also where unwanted substitutions come from — if Docs keeps changing something you typed deliberately, this tab is where you turn it off. More patterns in text replacement for symbols.
One to know about: Docs converts -- into an em dash automatically. Handy, until you're writing code samples.
Emoji with the colon trigger
Type : followed by a search term and press Enter — :cat, :check, :arrow — and Docs offers matching emoji inline.
It's fast, but it fires whenever you type a colon followed by letters, which catches people writing ratios or time stamps. Turn it off under Tools → Preferences by unticking Insert emojis using the colon character.
Emoji are not the same as text symbols: they render in colour, change appearance between platforms, and behave differently for screen readers. For a tick in a document, ✓ is usually the better choice than ✅.
Do Alt codes work in Google Docs?
Partly, and that nuance matters more than a yes or no.
Windows Alt codes are an operating-system feature — Windows reads the number you type on the numeric keypad while holding Alt, and hands the character to whatever has focus. That includes browser text fields, so Alt + 0176 for ° often does work inside Docs.
The catch is that browsers claim Alt combinations for their own menus and shortcuts, so some codes get intercepted and never reach the document. It's inconsistent across browsers and codes, which makes it a poor method to rely on mid-sentence.
If they're failing, the usual culprits are the ordinary ones: no numeric keypad, or Num Lock off. See why Alt codes don't work. The dependable alternatives in Docs are the special characters dialog, the Windows symbol panel (Win + .), or copy and paste.
Mac
- Character Viewer: Ctrl + Cmd + Space, search by name, double-click to insert.
- Option shortcuts for characters that have one — Option + Shift + 8 for °, Option + Shift + 2 for €, Option + G for ©.
- The special characters dialog works identically to Windows.
macOS has no Alt codes. The Alt key is Option and does something else entirely.
Chromebook
ChromeOS has no Alt code system at all, so the Docs dialog is your main tool. Ctrl + Shift + U followed by a hex code works in many ChromeOS text fields but is unreliable inside Google Docs specifically — Docs intercepts some key combinations for its own shortcuts.
Use Insert → Symbols → Special characters, or the emoji picker at Launcher + Shift + Space. Full detail in typing symbols on a Chromebook.
Google Docs mobile
The Docs apps for Android and iOS have no special characters menu. Your options are the OS keyboard and the clipboard:
- Long-press a related key — hold
-for dashes,$for other currency signs, a vowel for its accented forms. - Copy and paste from the widget at the top of this page.
- Set up your substitutions on desktop first — they sync with the document, so a trigger you defined there still fires on mobile.
Math symbols and the equation editor
For a stray × or ±, use the special characters dialog. For actual mathematics, Insert → Equation opens a toolbar of operators, relations, arrows and Greek letters, and handles fractions and exponents as structures.
Inside an equation field, typing a backslash command and pressing space converts it — \pi becomes π, \times becomes ×, \geq becomes ≥. That's often quicker than the dialog once you know a few.
For ordinary text, Docs also has real superscript and subscript formatting, which beats hunting for Unicode variants: Ctrl + . for superscript and Ctrl + , for subscript (Cmd on Mac).
Special characters don't work in Google Sheets
Worth knowing before you go looking: Google's own documentation states you can't insert special characters directly in Sheets. The Insert → Special characters dialog exists in Docs and Slides only.
The workaround is to insert the character in a Doc, copy it, and paste it into the cell — or use the CHAR() function with the character's decimal value. Full detail in symbols in Google Sheets.
Fonts and sharing
Docs runs in the browser and carries its fonts with the document, so a symbol that renders for you will usually render for whoever opens the file. That's a genuine advantage over PowerPoint, where a missing font on another machine turns symbols into boxes.
Two places it can still break. Downloading as .docx hands the file to Word on someone else's machine, with their fonts — rare glyphs may not survive. And very new or obscure characters can render as empty boxes if Google's font set doesn't cover them. Exporting to PDF is the safe route, since PDF embeds the glyphs.
Accessibility
Screen readers announce symbols by Unicode name, so → is read as "rightwards arrow" and ✓ as "check mark". That's usually helpful, but a row of decorative symbols becomes a long string of names.
Two habits: pair a symbol with a word on first use, and prefer real text symbols over emoji in body text, since emoji names are often longer and less predictable. More in how screen readers pronounce symbols.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Can't find Special characters in the Insert menu | Newer UI nests it under a Symbols submenu | Insert → Symbols → Special characters |
| Alt code does nothing | Browser intercepted it, or no numpad / Num Lock off | Use the dialog, or Win + . |
Ctrl + Shift + U fails on Chromebook | Docs intercepts the shortcut | Use the dialog or Launcher + Shift + Space |
| Docs keeps changing what I type | An automatic substitution is firing | Tools → Preferences → Substitutions, untick it |
: keeps opening an emoji list | Colon emoji trigger is on | Tools → Preferences, untick Insert emojis using the colon character |
-- turns into an em dash | Default substitution | Same tab — remove the entry |
| No Special characters option on mobile | Mobile apps don't have it | Copy and paste, or long-press a related key |
| Symbol is a box after downloading as .docx | Recipient's fonts don't cover it | Export as PDF instead |
| Search returns nothing for a name | Name search is loose, not exact | Try the hex value without U+, or draw it |
Recap
- Don't know the name? Draw it.
- Know the character? Type its hex value in the search box, without
U+. - Use it constantly? Tools → Preferences → Substitutions.
- On mobile or a Chromebook? Copy and paste is the reliable route.
- Sheets? Doesn't have the dialog — paste it in instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I insert a special character in Google Docs?
Go to Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters. Depending on your version, Special characters may appear directly in the Insert menu instead. Search by name, enter the Unicode hex value without the U+ prefix, or draw the symbol with your mouse and Docs will find characters matching your sketch.
Can I draw a symbol to find it in Google Docs?
Yes, and it's the fastest method when you don't know a character's name. The special characters dialog has a draw panel on the right. Sketch the shape with your mouse or trackpad and Docs lists matching characters. It tolerates rough drawing well.
Do Alt codes work in Google Docs?
Partly. Windows Alt codes are an operating-system feature, so they often reach Google Docs in the browser. But browsers claim some Alt combinations for their own shortcuts, so certain codes get intercepted. They work often enough to try and not reliably enough to depend on — the special characters dialog is the dependable route.
How do I make Google Docs type a symbol automatically?
Open Tools, then Preferences, then the Substitutions tab. Put your trigger text in the Replace column and the symbol itself in the With column. Docs already uses this feature by default, which is why typing (c) produces a copyright symbol.
Why does Google Docs keep changing what I type?
An automatic substitution is firing. Docs ships with several enabled, including straight quotes becoming curly and a double hyphen becoming an em dash. Turn off the ones you don't want in Tools, then Preferences, then Substitutions.
Why can't I insert special characters in Google Sheets?
Because Sheets doesn't have the dialog — Google's documentation confirms special characters can only be inserted directly in Docs and Slides. Insert the character in a Doc and copy it into your cell, or use the CHAR function with the character's decimal value.
Written by Igor R. Tested on Google Docs in Chrome on Windows 11, macOS and ChromeOS, plus the Docs mobile apps. Last updated September 2026. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.