How to Insert a Check Mark in Word (Windows & Mac)

Updated October 2026 · 2 min read

Illustration of a computer monitor showing a document with a checklist of violet check marks

There are four solid ways to put a ✓ in a Word document, and the best one depends on how often you do it: paste it once, use the Symbol dialog occasionally, learn the Alt+X shortcut for regular use, or set up AutoCorrect so Word types it for you. All four are below, for Windows and Mac.

On this page
  1. Method 1 — Copy and paste (works everywhere, including Word Online)
  2. Method 2 — Insert → Symbol
  3. Method 3 — Type 2713, then Alt+X (the shortcut worth learning)
  4. Method 4 — Alt+0252 with Wingdings
  5. Make Word do it for you — AutoCorrect
  6. Ticks as checklist bullets
  7. On a Mac
  8. Frequently asked questions
Skip the steps — use the free tool

✓ ✔ ✅ ☑ — click any tick or check mark to copy it instantly.

Open Check Mark Symbols — Copy & Paste

Method 1 — Copy and paste (works everywhere, including Word Online)

Copy a ready symbol from our Checkmark Symbols page — ✓ ✔ ☑ ✅ — and paste with Ctrl+V. Because the symbol is ordinary Unicode text, it works in Word for Windows, Mac, the free web version and the mobile apps, and it keeps its look when the document is shared or exported to PDF. For occasional use, stop here.

Method 2 — Insert → Symbol

  1. Click where the tick belongs.
  2. Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols.
  3. Set Font to Segoe UI Symbol and type 2713 in the Character code box (2714 gives ✔).
  4. Click Insert.

The classic alternative in the same dialog: Font = Wingdings, character code 252. Word remembers recently used symbols, so after the first time the tick sits right in the Insert → Symbol dropdown.

Method 3 — Type 2713, then Alt+X (the shortcut worth learning)

Click in the document, type 2713 and immediately press Alt+X. Word replaces the code with ✓, in place. Use 2714 for ✔ or 2611 for ☑. Two things that trip people up: the cursor must be directly after the last digit with no space, and this conversion is a Word feature — it does not work in Excel or Notepad. Once it clicks, it is the fastest method of all.

Method 4 — Alt+0252 with Wingdings

Hold Alt and type 0252 on the numeric keypad, then select the character you just typed (it appears as "ü") and set its font to Wingdings — it renders as a tick. The numeric keypad part matters: the number row does not work for Alt codes, and laptops usually need the Fn-key numpad. Honestly, Method 3 is easier — this one survives mainly because older tutorials teach it.

Make Word do it for you — AutoCorrect

If you insert ticks weekly, teach Word a shortcut: insert a ✓ once via Method 2, select it, then go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options. The selected symbol appears in the "With" box; type a trigger like \tick in the "Replace" box and click Add. From now on, typing \tick followed by a space gives you a ✓. The same dialog lets you assign a keyboard shortcut via the Symbol dialog's "Shortcut Key" button, if you prefer keys to triggers.

Ticks as checklist bullets

For a whole list of ticks, do not insert them one by one: select the list, open the Bullets dropdown (Home → Bullets ▾), choose Define New Bullet → Symbol, and pick ✓ from Segoe UI Symbol. Every line gets a perfectly aligned tick. If what you really need is boxes people can tick on paper or click on screen, that is a different feature — see our guide to adding a checkbox in Word.

On a Mac

Use Insert → Advanced Symbol and pick ✓ from Segoe UI Symbol, or open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space, search "check", and double-click ✓. There is no Alt+X in Word for Mac. (The quick keyboard character Option+V produces √ — technically the square-root sign, fine for casual lists, wrong for documents you send to clients.)

Frequently asked questions

Why did Alt+X not work?

Almost always one of three reasons: a space crept in between the code and the cursor, the code was typed but the cursor moved, or you are not in Word (Alt+X conversion does not exist in Excel, Google Docs or Notepad). Put the cursor immediately after 2713 and try again.

What is the check mark code for Word?

2713 for ✓ and 2714 for ✔ — type the code and press Alt+X, or enter the same numbers as the character code in Insert → Symbol with the Segoe UI Symbol font.

How do I add a checkbox someone can tick?

A pasted ☑ is a picture-like symbol, not a control. For clickable boxes on screen you need a Check Box Content Control from the Developer tab — full steps in our checkbox in Word guide. For printed forms, a row of ☐ symbols is usually better.

Will the tick still show on someone else's computer?

Yes, if you use the Unicode methods (paste, Alt+X, Segoe UI Symbol) — those fonts ship with Windows, macOS and Office. Wingdings ticks also travel fine inside Word files because the reference is font-based, but they can break if the text is copied into a system without Wingdings.

Related guides

Illustration of a laptop showing a spreadsheet with a column of green check marks How to Insert a Check Mark in Excel (5 Methods, With Formulas) Insert a tick/check mark in Excel five ways: copy-paste, the Symbol dialog, UNICHAR and CHAR formulas, Wingdings keyboard trick, and real clickable checkboxes. Illustration of a clipboard form with square checkboxes, one ticked with a green check mark How to Add a Checkbox in Word (Clickable & Printable) Add checkboxes in Microsoft Word two ways: clickable check box content controls from the Developer tab for on-screen forms, and printable tick boxes for paper forms. Illustration of a keyboard with highlighted violet keys and a large green check mark above it Check Mark Alt Codes & Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows & Mac) Every way to type a check mark: Alt codes, the Word Alt+X trick, Character Map, Mac shortcuts and HTML codes — with an honest note on which ones actually work where.