We’ve all been there: you’re typing up math notes, a finance report, or a physics problem, and you need the square root symbol (√). Reaching for your mouse to hunt through a character map or Googling “square root sign” to copy-paste kills your flow.
You must use the number pad (the block of numbers on the right side of your keyboard) with Num Lock turned on. Using the number row above the letters usually won’t work. 2. Mac Keyboard Shortcut
That’s it. Works in any app—Pages, Word, email, or Slack. square root keyboard shortcut
You have two fast options:
Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols and search for the square root character. 4. Excel and Google Sheets We’ve all been there: you’re typing up math
If you need to write inside a square root (e.g., √(x² + y²)), use the dedicated equation tools:
Hold the Alt key and type 8730 on your numeric keypad (the number row above the letters will not work). Release Alt → √ appears. Using the number row above the letters usually won’t work
Note: Laptop without a numpad? Enable NumLock (often Fn + F11 ) or use Method B.
There is no default keyboard shortcut, but you can create a :
These shortcuts and methods can save you time and make it easier to insert mathematical symbols into your documents.
Press Alt + = to open the equation tool, type \sqrt and hit Space . This is the best method if you need to write complex formulas where the bar extends over the numbers.