Inserting Symbols in Excel

Until the latest version of Excel 2002, one command that was noticeably missing (at least to experienced MS Word users where the command exists) was the Insert Symbol command.  It was not there.  Prior to these latest versions, the Excel help screens advised you to use the character map utility in Windows to insert symbols.  Here is how that works:

On the Windows Start menu, select Programs, Accessories, Character Map. In the Font box, select the character you want, click Copy, and then paste it into your workbook. If the character looks different from the one you selected, select the character and apply the same font you selected in Character Map.

Character Map Windows Accessory

 Another approach is to use AutoCorrect to insert these symbols when you type a specific sequence of letters.  AutoCorrect already includes shortcuts for the © ™ and ® symbols.   For example, you could set up yyy and a keystroke sequence to return the ¥ symbol.

Yet another approach is to insert the symbol you want into a Word document, then copy and paste it into your Excel document. Unfortunately, some of the font sets don’t work across applications and some AutoCorrect entries you set up in Word do not appear in Excel. 

Finally, Excel 2002 offers this symbol functionality. You can use this function from the Insert Menu, or you can use the symbol icon shown to the left. Here are some examples of symbols that might be useful, particularly to the CPA and financial professional. 

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