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Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program that offers a multitude of features that can significantly boost your productivity. One such feature is to use a checkmark to indicate completion, approval, or other status markers.
Checkmarks are often represented by a small mark resembling a tick or “V” shape. l provide a valuable tool for users seeking to enhance the visual representation of their data. These are special symbols that are not present in the standard keyboard and you need to use alt code for checkmark in Excel.
Download the Excel Workbook below to follow along and understand How to Use Alt Code for Checkmark in Excel –
download excel workbookAlt-Code-for-Checkmark.xlsx
Table of Contents
What is Alt Code?
Alt codes, short for alternative codes, are a unique set of keyboard shortcuts that enable users to input special characters, symbols, and glyphs not typically found on the standard keyboard layout. These codes are based on the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) character set, which assigns numerical values to various characters, including letters, digits, and symbols.
It allows users to access a wide range of symbols without the need for a specialized keyboard. Alt codes can be particularly handy for inserting symbols like checkmarks without the need for additional formatting or copy-pasting.
To insert a checkmark in Excel you would press and hold Alt and then enter 0 > 2 > 5 > 2.
Steps to Insert Alt Code
Follow these simple steps to insert a checkmark using Alt codes in Excel –
STEP 1: Select the cell where you want to insert a checkmark.
STEP 2: Go to Home and under the Font group, change the font style to Wingdings font. Wingdings is a font set that includes various symbols, including checkmarks.
STEP 3: Press and hold the Alt key on the keyboard. This is located on the left side of the spacebar.
STEP 4: While keeping the Alt key pressed, use the numeric keypad to enter the Alt code for the desired checkmark. For example, for a standard checkmark, you can use Alt + 0252.
STEP 5: After entering the Alt code, release the Alt key. The checkmark should appear in the selected cell.
You can repeat these steps whenever you need to insert a checkmark in your Excel spreadsheet.
Additional Tips
Here are some additional tips to further enhance your Excel experience –
- Once you’ve inserted a checkmark in one cell, you can easily copy and paste it into other cells. This saves time, especially when dealing with repetitive tasks.
- Instead of using Alt codes, you can employ the shortcut Shift + P after changing the font to Wingdings 2. This method offers a quick alternative to the numeric keypad input.
- You can adjust the size of your checkmarks by changing the font size in the Excel cell. This allows for better integration with your spreadsheet’s design.
- If you have difficulty remembering Alt codes, you can use the Character Map utility in Windows. It provides a graphical interface for selecting and copying special characters.
Conclusion
Alt codes provide a quick and efficient way to insert special characters like checkmarks directly into your Excel cells. It provides a direct method for incorporating symbols without the need for complex formatting. In this article, we have explored what Alt codes are, the steps to insert them, and some additional tips to make your spreadsheet work even more efficiently.
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John Michaloudis is a former accountant and finance analyst at General Electric, a Microsoft MVP since 2020, an Amazon #1 bestselling author of 4 Microsoft Excel books and teacher of Microsoft Excel & Office over at his flagship Academy Online Course.
