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Excel for Mac 2019 - Inserting squared symbol in Custom Format Cells?

Anonymous
2020-10-19T12:44:06+00:00

Hi Everyone,

I've been trying to insert a custom number format m2 (squared) for a range of cells. While I can use the superscript function in an ordinary cell to obtain the small '2', I cannot copy this into the custom number box as the paste function is not available. I also do not see a direct keyboard shortcut for squared (or cubed for that matter) in order to type it directly in.

I am doing a course which requires this and whereas other students using Windows seem to be able to do this using an alt-code, I cannot see how to do this in Mac.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-10-20T08:01:58+00:00

    Hi Jake,

    Thanks for using Microsoft products and posting in the community, I'm glad to offer help.

    To enter ² (superscript two) in Excel for Mac, you can go to Insert > Symbol > type "2" to find it.

     

    As for how to set the cell format so that m2 can become m² automatically, I found the following threads, but none of the methods provided in them work on my side, and I'm not sure if there was any changes in Excel, considering that I may not have enough professional skills in Excel, we also welcome anyone to share insights here if he or she has related experience.

    Reference:

    -      Format in a cell that shows square meter (m2)

    -      Add square meter sign automatically in a cell ?

    -      Formating to show square meters ie m2

    ***Disclaimer:****Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.*​

    Hope the above information can help you a little, please feel free to let me know if you have any concerns, I'll continue to help you.

    Best Regards,

    Arck

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  2. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435K Reputation points
    2020-10-20T17:57:55+00:00

    I'm afraid that the reply from Arck Tang just sends you back into the Windows methods which as you already know do not work on a Mac.

    You should be able to apply the same technique using the macOS Character Viewer to obtain the superscript digit from its Digits category. It also can be accessed by going to Edit> Emoji & Symbols while in the Format Cells dialog.

    BTW: It won't work for a formatted digit [formatting of the copied content isn't retained] but Copy/Paste is available in that dialog. You simply have to use the keyboard shortcut or the right-click method because the Ribbon & menus aren't active.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-10-19T15:29:59+00:00

    Hi Bob,

    Thank you for your reply. I'm not trying to perform a mathematical calculation. I am trying to format a range of cells (containing sums of numbers) with a descriptive suffix eg 5 m2 or 10 m3. Since this is not a standard option when formatting cells I have tried to create a custom format. This is where I have a problem. If writing ordinary text into a cell on the spreadsheet, one can use the superscript function, and this is fine. The superscript function however does not operate within the custom options entry box (in Format Cells / Custom). Furthermore there is no direct keyboard shortcut for this 'squared or cubed' digit, and right-clicking does not allow the option to paste either (I tried copying the m2 using superscript from a cell).

    I hope this clarifies the question. I certainly would appreciate any suggestions as to how to overcome this.

    Many thanks and kind regards,

    Jake

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  5. Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435K Reputation points
    2020-10-19T13:30:55+00:00

    I'm not sure I understand your requirement.

    Exponentiation is a math operation, not a number format. In Mac Excel the caret character [^] is used to indicate the power to which the preceding value is to be raised by the value which follows it. E.g., 5 squared would be written as 5^2 rather than 5^2^. In the same vein, 5 cubed would be entered as 5^3, etc.

    Mac Excel does not directly support sub/superscript (or Bold, Italic, or any other character formatting) in formulae.

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