How to write exponents in Excel, write upper and lower indices in Excel

In Word, there is a shortcut to type exponents and write subscripts very quickly, but that shortcut combination cannot be used in Excel, and even the tool to quickly write exponents is not enabled by default in Excel. 

What are superscripts and subscripts in Excel?

Superscripts are small characters written on top of regular sized characters. You will encounter the above index when writing the exponent 2 ⁶ , writing units such as square meters m ² , cubic meters m ³ , dates, ordinal numbers in English such as 1 ^st , 2 ^nd , 3 ^rd .

Subscripts are small characters located below (usually to the right) of regular sized characters. You will encounter subscripts when writing base 64 ₈ or the chemical formula H ₂ O, H ₂ SO ₄ .

How to write upper index and lower index for text values

Most Excel formatting can be applied to any type in the same way. However, the upper index and lower index are different. The method below only works for text values ​​not numbers. Why is that? Probably because this can convert numbers to strings and Microsoft doesn't want users to accidentally mess with the data.

Use superscript or subscript format

Every time you want to format text in Excel, open the Format Cells dialog box. Here, you can quickly use superscripts, subscripts and strikethrough effects or any other formatting.

In the case of superscript and subscript, there is a bit of difficulty. You can't just apply normal formatting to the entire cell because that would leave all the text above or below the baseline, which we don't want.

Here are the steps to properly insert superscript or subscript:

Step 1 . Select the text you want to format. To do this, double click on a cell and select the text with the mouse. Or do it the traditional way by clicking on the cell, pressing F2to enter editing mode.

Step 2. Open the Format Cells dialog box by pressing Ctrl+ 1or right-clicking on the section and selecting Format Cells… from the context menu.

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Step 3. In the Format Cells dialog box, access the Font tab and select Superscript or Subscript in Effects .

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Step 4. Click OK to save changes and close the dialog box.

So the selected text will be superscripted or subscripted depending on your preferences.

Note: Like other formats in text, it only changes the visual representation of the value in a cell. The formula bar will display the original value without superscript or subscript formatting.

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Keyboard shortcuts for superscript and subscript in Excel

Although there is no literal keyboard shortcut for adding superscript or subscript in Excel, you can do this with a few keystrokes.

Shortcut key to write the above index in Excel

Press Ctrl+ 1, followed by Alt+ Eand then press Enter .

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Shortcut to write subscript in Excel

Press Ctrl+ 1, followed by Alt+ Band then press Enter .

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One thing to note is not to press the keys at the same time, press each key combination in turn and release:

Step 1 . Select one or more characters you want to format.

Step 2 . Press Ctrl+ 1to open the Format Cells dialog box.

Step 3. Then press Alt+ Eto select the superscript option or Alt+ Bto select the subscript option.

Step 4. Press Enter to apply the formatting and close the dialog box.

Add superscript and subscript icons to Quick Access Toolbar

Excel 2016 users with an Office 365 subscription can add superscript and subscript buttons to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). Here are the steps:

Step 1. Click the down arrow next to Quick Access Toolbar in the left corner of the Excel window and select More Commands… from the drop-down menu.

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Step 2. In Choose commands from, select Commands Not in the Ribbon , scroll down, select Subscript in the command list and click the Add button .

Step 3. Similarly, add a Superscript button .

Step 4. Now that both buttons are added to the command list in the right pane, click Ok to save the changes.

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And now, you just need to select the text you want to write superscript or subscript in a cell or on the formula bar and click on the corresponding icon on the Quick Access Toolbar to apply the formatting.

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Additionally, there is a special keyboard shortcut assigned to each button in the Quick Access Toolbar so that users can use superscript and subscript in Excel 206 with just one click. Key combinations vary depending on the number of buttons on the Quick Access Toolbar.

To find the superscript and subscript shortcuts on your calculator, hold down the key Altand look at the Quick Access Toolbar. In this example are the keyboard shortcuts:

Subscript shortcut: Alt+4

Superscript shortcut key: Alt+5

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Add superscript and subscript buttons to the Excel ribbon

If you don't want the Quick Access Toolbar to be cluttered with too many icons, you can add superscript and subscript buttons to the Excel ribbon. Like adding buttons to QAT, this feature is only available in Excel 2016 for Office 365 subscriptions.

Since custom buttons can only be added to custom groups, you need to create a group first.

Step 1 . Right-click anywhere on the ribbon and select Customize the Ribbon… from the menu that appears to open the Excel Options dialog box.

Step 2 . On the right side of the dialog box, under Customize the Ribbon, select the desired tab, such as the Home tab, and click the New Group button .

Step 3 . Click the Rename button to name the new group, such as My Formats.

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Step 4 . In the drop-down list on the left, under Choose commands from, select Commands Not in the Ribbon , then select Superscript in the command list and click Add .

Step 5. Next, select Subscript in the command list and click the Add button again.

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Step 6. Click Ok to save changes and close the dialog box.

Now, you can write the superscript and subscript in Excel by clicking the corresponding button in the ribbon.

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How to remove superscript and subscript formatting in Excel

Depending on whether you want to remove all or just the superscript or subscript in a cell, select the entire cell or just the superscript or subscript text and follow these steps:

Step 1 . Press Ctrl+ 1to open the Format Cells….dialog box.

Step 2 . On the Font tab, delete Superscript or Subscript .

Step 3 . Click OK .

You can remove superscript and subscript formatting by pressing the corresponding keyboard shortcut or clicking the corresponding button on the ribbon and QAT.

How to write upper and lower indices for numbers in Excel

Below are some techniques for writing superscripts and subscripts for numeric values. Some methods will convert numbers to strings, some just change the visual display of the value in a cell. To see the actual value, look at the formula bar.

How to write upper and lower indices for numbers in Excel

To write superscripts and subscripts in Excel, insert an equation in the spreadsheet. Here's how:

Step 1 . Access the Insert tab, Symbol group, click Equation .

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Step 2 . This will open the Design tab, click the Script button in the Structures group and select the desired format, for example Superscript.

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Step 3. Click on the square, type the value.

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Additionally, you can click on the Ink Equation button and write the formula using the mouse. If Excel understands the formula, it displays the correct preview. Click the Insert button to insert the input in the worksheet.

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Note: This method inserts the formula as an Excel object, not a cell value. You can delete, resize, and rotate your equations using handles, but you can't reference them in formulas.

Superscript shortcut for numbers

Microsoft Excel provides an easy way to insert superscripts in cells if 1, 2 or 3. Simply type the following number on the numeric keypad while pressing and holding the key Alt:

With these shortcuts, you can type the superscript in an empty cell and add it to the existing number.

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Note:

1. These shortcuts only work for Calibri and Arial fonts. If using another font, the character code will be different.
2. Numbers with superscripts will turn into strings, which means you cannot perform calculations with them.

How to create the above index with formula in Excel

A quick way to write the above index in Excel is to use the CHAR function with the corresponding code.

Superscript formula 1: =CHAR(185)

Superscript formula 2: =CHAR(178)

Superscript formula 3: =CHAR(179)

This method is very useful when you want to keep the original number intact. In this case, you connect the CHAR function to the original number and enter the formula in the adjacent column.

For example, to add the superscript 2 and the number in cell A2, use the formula:

=A2&CHAR(178)

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Note: As with the previous method, the formula outputs a string, not a number. You should note the left-aligned value in column B and the right-aligned number in column A as shown above.

How to write superscript and subscript in Excel with custom formatting

If you want to add a superscript to a range of numbers, a faster way is to create a custom format. Here's how:

Step 1 . Select all the cells you want to format.

Step 2 . Press Ctrl+ 1to open the Format Cells… dialog box.

Step 3. Open the Number tab, in Category, select Custom .

Step 4 . In the Type box, enter 0 , which is the number placeholder, then hold down the key Altas you enter the corresponding superscript code.

For example, to create a custom number format for superscript 3, type 0 , press Alt, type 0179 on the numeric keypad, then release the key Alt.

Step 5 . Click Ok .

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The superscripted number will look like this:

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To create a custom subscript format or superscript format with numbers other than 1, 2, or 3, copy the corresponding character. For example, to insert a superscript of 5, set the custom format with code 0 ⁵ . To add subscript 3, use code 0 ₃ .

To remove the above index, simply set the cell format to General .

Note: Unlike the previous method, Excel custom number formatting does not change the original value in a cell, it only changes the 'appearance' of the value. In the screenshot above, you can see 1 ³ in cell A2 but the formula bar shows 1, meaning the actual value of the cell is 1. If you reference A2 in the formula, its actual value (the number 1) will be used in all calculations.

How to write the above index in Excel with VBA

In case you need to quickly add a specific superscript to the entire number in a column, you can automate the creation of a custom number format with VBA.

Below is a simple one-line macro to add superscript 2 to all selected cells.

Sub SuperscriptTwo() Selection.NumberFormat = "0" & Chr(178) End Sub 

To add other superscripts, replace Chr(178 ) with the corresponding character code.

Superscript 1: Chr(185)

Superscript 3: Chr(179)

This macro can also be used to attach temperature symbols to numbers in selected cells. For example, using Chr(176) , the number will be formatted as follows:

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To insert and run VBA code in Excel, you can download the sample worksheet with the above index macro and open it along with your worksheet. Then in your worksheet, press Alt+ F8, select the desired macro and click Run .

https://www.ablebits.com/excel-tutorials-examples/excel-superscript-macros.xlsm

Superscripts and subscripts in Excel are as simple as copying and pasting

Microsoft Excel doesn't provide keyboard shortcuts or character codes to insert superscripts other than 1, 2, or 3. But there's a super simple way to copy superscript numbers and subscripts and math symbols from here. :

Subscript: _{₀ ₁ ₂ ₃ ₄ ₅ ₆ ₇ ₈ ₉ ₊ ₋ ₌ ₍ ₎}

Superscript: ^{⁰ ¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸ ⁹ ⁺ ⁻ ⁼ ⁽ ⁾}

In addition to simplicity, this method has the added advantage that it allows you to add superscripts and subscripts to cell, text, and number values.

Wishing you success!

Samuel Daniel

Update 23 August 2024