By Igor R. · Updated September 2026 Tested on PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 (Windows 11), PowerPoint for Mac, and PowerPoint for the web. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.
Short answer: click into a text box, then Insert → Symbol. For speed, Windows Alt codes work in PowerPoint — hold Alt and type the decimal code on the numeric keypad. The one method that does not work is hex + Alt + X, which is Word and Outlook only.
Tap to copy
Need the code for a different character? The Alt Code Finder gives the Windows code, Mac shortcut and HTML entity for any symbol.
What works in PowerPoint, and what doesn't
This table is the reason this page exists. PowerPoint is not Word, and the methods people carry over from Word are exactly the ones that fail.
| Method | Works in PowerPoint? |
|---|---|
| Insert → Symbol dialog | Yes — the reliable route |
| Alt + decimal on the numeric keypad | Yes, including codes above 255 |
| Hex + Alt + X | No — Word and Outlook only |
| Ctrl + ' and other accent shortcuts | No — Word and Outlook only |
| AutoCorrect substitutions | Yes |
| Insert → Equation | Yes |
| Copy and paste | Yes, always |
Insert → Symbol — the reliable way
- Click inside a text box or placeholder. PowerPoint has no body text layer — if nothing is selected, the Insert → Symbol option is greyed out. This trips up more people than any code.
- Go to Insert → Symbol.
- Set Font to (normal text) to see the full Unicode range rather than one typeface's glyphs.
- Pick a Subset — Currency Symbols, Mathematical Operators, Arrows, Dingbats — or type a code in the Character code box.
- Click Insert, then Close.
The dialog shows the Character code for whatever you select, which is how you learn the Alt code for next time. Recently used symbols sit in a row at the bottom, so a symbol you use often is two clicks away.
Alt codes — and the part most guides get wrong
Hold Alt, type the decimal code on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, release. The number row does not work — that's the usual reason Alt codes stop working.
| Symbol | Code | Symbol | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| ° | Alt + 0176 | → | Alt + 8594 |
| ± | Alt + 0177 | ✓ | Alt + 10003 |
| × | Alt + 0215 | ✗ | Alt + 10007 |
| • | Alt + 8226 | ★ | Alt + 9733 |
| € | Alt + 8364 | ● | Alt + 9679 |
| ™ | Alt + 8482 | ≈ | Alt + 8776 |
Notice the codes above 255. Outside Office, Windows Alt codes are capped there — an 8-bit code page, so Alt + 8594 in a browser field gives you nothing useful. Office extends the Alt-keypad method to the full Unicode range, which is why Alt + 8594 really does produce → inside PowerPoint. It's one of the few places the legacy Alt system stretches that far.
Below 256, the usual leading-zero rule still applies: with a leading zero you get Windows-1252, without one you get CP437.
Why Alt + X doesn't work here
In Word you can type 2192, press Alt + X, and watch it become →. In PowerPoint nothing happens — you're left with the digits, or the Alt key jumps you into the ribbon.
This isn't a broken install or a setting you can switch on. Hex + Alt + X is a Word feature, inherited by Outlook because Outlook uses Word as its editor. It was never implemented in PowerPoint or Excel, and it doesn't work inside PowerPoint's equation editor either.
Your options instead: convert the hex to decimal and use the Alt code, use Insert → Symbol, or type it in Word and paste it across.
Word's accent shortcuts don't work either
The same trap catches accented letters. In Word, Ctrl + ' then e gives é, and Ctrl + Shift + ~ then n gives ñ. Those shortcuts live in Word, not PowerPoint.
For accents in PowerPoint, use Alt codes (Alt + 0233 for é), Insert → Symbol, or add the relevant keyboard layout in Windows. The accents on a US keyboard guide covers the layout route, which is the better fix if you type another language regularly.
Make your own shortcut with AutoCorrect
This is the best-value trick on the page. AutoCorrect is per-application but it works properly in PowerPoint.
- File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options.
- In Replace, type a trigger you'd never use otherwise —
\deg,\arrow,\check. - In With, paste the symbol itself.
- Click Add, then OK.
Now \arrow becomes → as you type. Pick triggers with a leading backslash or similar so you never fire one by accident. More patterns in text replacement for symbols.
PowerPoint also ships with substitutions already on, which is why typing --> turns into an arrow by itself. Be aware that Office's --> AutoCorrect entry inserts a formatted Wingdings character, not a Unicode arrow — it looks right but it isn't the same character, and it will not survive being pasted somewhere without Wingdings. If you need a real arrow, insert → properly.
Custom bullet symbols
Presentations run on bullets, and PowerPoint lets you use any character as one.
- Select the list.
- Home → Bullets dropdown → Bullets and Numbering.
- Click Customize (Windows) and pick a character.
- Set the Size as a percentage of text and a Color if you want.
Arrows, check marks and filled circles all work well. See bullet point symbols and check marks and crosses for the characters worth using.
One warning: if you pick a bullet from Wingdings, Webdings or another symbol font, that bullet depends on the font being present on whatever machine runs the deck. See the font-embedding section below — this is the single most common way a polished deck falls apart on someone else's laptop.
Math symbols via the equation editor
For anything beyond a stray × or ±, use Insert → Equation. It opens the Equation tab with galleries of operators, relations, arrows and Greek letters, and handles fractions, exponents and matrices as structures rather than characters.
Equations are objects, not text, so they won't reflow with a text box and they aren't searchable. For a single symbol in a sentence, Insert → Symbol is the better tool. For an actual formula on a slide, the equation editor is the right one.
Insert → Icons is not the same thing
Insert → Icons opens Microsoft's SVG library — arrows, ticks, people, objects. These look like symbols but they are graphics, not characters.
That difference matters:
- Icons can be recoloured and resized freely without a font dependency.
- Icons are not text — they won't be read as characters by a screen reader, they don't inherit text formatting, and they can't sit inline in a sentence.
- A Unicode character is text — searchable, accessible, and font-dependent.
Use icons for decoration at size. Use characters when the symbol belongs inside a sentence.
Embed fonts before you present
This is the PowerPoint-specific problem, and it's worth more than any shortcut on this page.
A symbol that renders perfectly on your machine can appear as an empty box on the laptop in the conference room, because that machine lacks the font. It's the same tofu problem as anywhere else, except here it happens in front of an audience.
Windows: File → Options → Save → tick Embed fonts in the file, then choose:
- Embed only the characters used in the presentation — smaller file, but nobody can edit the text later without the font.
- Embed all characters — bigger file, safe for someone else to edit.
If the deck will be edited by a colleague, pick the second. If you're just presenting it, the first is fine.
Two things embedding won't save you from. Fonts with licence restrictions refuse to embed, and PowerPoint will tell you so. And if you're presenting from PowerPoint for the web, embedded fonts don't apply — stick to characters covered by common system fonts, or export to PDF, which carries the glyphs with it.
PowerPoint for Mac
Insert → Symbol is there but leaner. The better routes are macOS-level:
- 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 + 2 for ™.
- Unicode Hex Input: enable it in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, then hold Option and type the four hex digits. Basic Multilingual Plane only.
Windows Alt codes don't exist on macOS — the Alt key is Option and does something else entirely.
PowerPoint for the web
Insert → Symbol isn't available in the browser version. Copy and paste from the widget at the top of this page, or from the Win + . emoji and symbol panel on Windows. Alt codes may work depending on the browser, but they're unreliable in a web text field — don't count on them mid-edit.
Accessibility
Screen readers announce symbols by their Unicode name, so a slide reading "Revenue ↑ 40%" is announced as "Revenue upwards arrow forty percent." That's usable. A slide built from Wingdings characters is not — the reader announces the underlying Latin letter the glyph is mapped to, which is gibberish.
Two habits worth keeping: pair a symbol with a word on first use, and give every decorative icon alt text (right-click → Edit Alt Text), or mark it decorative. More in how screen readers pronounce symbols.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Insert → Symbol is greyed out | No text box or placeholder active | Click into a text box first |
| Alt + X does nothing | It's a Word/Outlook feature | Use the Alt decimal code, or Insert → Symbol |
| Alt key jumps to the ribbon | Alt released before the code was typed | Hold Alt down for the whole sequence |
| Alt codes do nothing at all | No numeric keypad, or Num Lock off | Turn on Num Lock; the number row won't work |
Ctrl + ' accent shortcut fails | Word-only shortcut | Use Alt + 0233 for é, or add a keyboard layout |
| Symbol is a box on another PC | Font missing on that machine | Embed fonts, or switch to a common font |
| Bullets change shape on another PC | Bullet came from Wingdings/Webdings | Embed fonts, or use a (normal text) character |
| Symbol looks wrong after pasting elsewhere | It was a formatted Wingdings AutoCorrect glyph | Insert the real Unicode character |
| Symbol won't recolour | It's an SVG icon, not a character | Icons recolour under Graphics Format; characters use font colour |
Recap
- Reliable: Insert → Symbol, with a text box selected.
- Fast: Alt + decimal on the numpad — and in Office it works above 255.
- Doesn't exist here: Alt + X, and Word's accent shortcuts.
- Before you present: embed fonts, or your symbols and custom bullets may not survive the trip.
Frequently asked questions
Why doesn't Alt + X work in PowerPoint?
Because hex followed by Alt + X is a Microsoft Word feature. Outlook has it too, since Outlook uses Word as its editor, but it was never built into PowerPoint or Excel and it doesn't work inside PowerPoint's equation editor either. Use the decimal Alt code or Insert → Symbol instead.
Do Alt codes work in PowerPoint?
Yes. Hold Alt and type the decimal code on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. Office also extends the method beyond the usual 255 limit, so codes like Alt + 8594 for an arrow work in PowerPoint even though they fail in most other Windows applications.
Why is Insert Symbol greyed out in PowerPoint?
Because no text box is active. PowerPoint has no body text layer the way Word does, so a symbol needs somewhere to go. Click inside a text box or placeholder first and the option becomes available.
How do I use a symbol as a bullet point in PowerPoint?
Select the list, open the Bullets dropdown on the Home tab, choose Bullets and Numbering, then Customize, and pick a character. You can set its size as a percentage of the text and give it its own colour. Avoid bullets from Wingdings or Webdings unless you embed fonts.
Why do my symbols show as empty boxes on another computer?
That machine doesn't have the font your symbol came from. Go to File → Options → Save and tick "Embed fonts in the file". Choose "Embed all characters" if someone else will edit the deck. Fonts with licence restrictions can't be embedded, and embedding doesn't apply in PowerPoint for the web.
What's the difference between Insert → Icons and Insert → Symbol?
Icons are SVG graphics; symbols are text characters. Icons recolour and scale freely with no font dependency, but they aren't text, so they can't sit inline in a sentence and aren't read as characters by screen readers. Use symbols inside sentences and icons for decoration.
Written by Igor R. Tested on PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 (Windows 11), PowerPoint for Mac, and PowerPoint for the web. Last updated September 2026. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.