How to Type the Squared Symbol (²) on Any Keyboard
Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, Word, and HTML — every method to get ² without hunting through a symbol menu.
In a hurry? Copy it now.
Windows: Alt code
Hold Alt and type 0178 on the numeric keypad (not the top-row numbers), then release Alt. This works in almost any Windows app — Word, Chrome, Notepad, Excel.
Mac: Option key
Press Option + 00B2 using Unicode Hex Input, or simply copy the symbol from this page — most Mac users find copy-paste faster than the Unicode input method for a symbol they type occasionally.
Linux
Press Ctrl + Shift + U, then type 00B2 and press Enter or Space. This is the standard IBus Unicode input sequence used across GNOME and KDE.
Android (Gboard)
Open the symbols keyboard (tap ?123), then the extended symbols page (=\<). Long-press the number 2 — many Gboard layouts surface superscript variants this way. If it isn't available on your layout, search "squared symbol" in Gboard's built-in search bar and it will appear in suggestions.
iPhone / iPad
iOS has no dedicated key for ². The fastest fix is a one-time setup: go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, add a new shortcut (e.g. typing "sq2" auto-inserts ²). After that it's available system-wide, including in Notes, Messages, and Safari.
Microsoft Word
Type the number 2, select it, then press Ctrl + Shift + = to toggle superscript formatting on the selection. Press the same shortcut again to turn superscript off before continuing to type normally.
Google Docs
Select the character and press Ctrl + . (period) on Windows/Linux, or ⌘ + . on Mac, to toggle superscript.
Google Sheets & Excel formulas
Formulas don't render superscript characters — use the caret operator instead: =3^2 returns 9. If you need the visual ² inside a cell's text (not a calculation), paste the copied symbol directly.
HTML, CSS & LaTeX (for developers and writers)
| Context | Code |
|---|---|
| HTML named entity | ² |
| HTML numeric entity | ² |
| CSS content property | content: "\00B2"; |
| LaTeX | x^2 or ^{2} |
| Unicode code point | U+00B2 |
Quick reference table
| Platform | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Windows | Alt + 0178 |
| Mac | Option + 00B2 |
| Linux | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 00B2 |
| Word | Ctrl+Shift+= |
| Google Docs | Ctrl/⌘ + . |
| Excel / Sheets | ^2 in formula |