Copy ✓, ✔, ☑, ✗, or ☐ from the panel above, or insert them yourself. Microsoft documents a Symbol dialog route for Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, Apple documents Character Viewer on Mac, and Google documents a special-character picker in Docs and Slides.
Every character in the panel is a Unicode character, so it keeps its identity when text moves between fonts, files, and search indexes. A check mark taken from the Wingdings font behaves differently, and the Word section explains why.
Identify the check mark you need
Unicode names ✓ as CHECK MARK at U+2713 and ✔ as HEAVY CHECK MARK at U+2714. Both sit in the Dingbats block, which covers U+2700 through U+27BF. A third variant, WHITE HEAVY CHECK MARK, sits at U+2705 in the same block.
Checkbox characters come from a different block. ☐ is BALLOT BOX at U+2610, ☑ is BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK at U+2611, and BALLOT BOX WITH X at U+2612 is the crossed box. All three belong to Miscellaneous Symbols, which covers U+2600 through U+26FF.
For a negative mark, ✗ is BALLOT X at U+2717, which pairs visually with U+2713. It is not the letter x at U+0078, MULTIPLICATION X at U+2715, or the multiplication sign at U+00D7, and those characters carry different meanings in text, spreadsheets, and source code.
For list work that needs a marker rather than a verdict, use a literal bullet point, and for decorative marks that read as ratings rather than answers, see the star symbols guide.
Insert a check mark in Word and Outlook
Choose Insert, select Symbol, then select More Symbols. In the Font box, select Wingdings, and in the Character code box at the bottom, enter 252. Microsoft notes that another check-mark option is available two squares away from it, at character code 254.
Those numbers are positions inside Wingdings rather than Unicode values, so the mark depends on that font staying applied. Select Segoe UI Symbol in the same Font box for a portable result. Microsoft lists three check-mark options in that font at character codes 2705, 2713, and 2714, which are the Unicode values themselves.
Word also supports Unicode conversion. Type 2713 where the mark belongs, press Alt, then press X, and Word converts the code into ✓. The same route works for 2714, 2611, and 2610.
Insert a check mark in Excel and PowerPoint
The dialog lives in a slightly different place. Choose Insert, select Symbols, then select Symbol. The Font box and the Character code box then work the same way, so Wingdings 252 and Segoe UI Symbol 2713 both apply. Microsoft documents the Alt and X conversion for Word, so use the dialog or paste an already copied character here.
Copy a check mark with Windows Character Map
Character Map is a program built into Microsoft Windows that shows the characters available in a selected font. Open Character Map, choose a font that contains the mark, select the character, copy it, and paste it into the destination app. Because it puts a real character on the clipboard, it works in apps that ignore the Symbol dialog and Word style conversion.
Insert a check mark on Mac
Apple documents opening the emoji and symbols panel with Fn and E, with the Globe key and E, or by choosing Edit and then Emoji & Symbols. Enter a word or phrase in the search field to find a character by name, then select it to insert it. Searching for check or for ballot reaches the characters described above without needing their code points.
Insert a check mark in Google Docs or Slides
Choose Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters. Pick from categories, enter the Unicode value such as 2713, or write the character in the box on the right, then click the result to add it to the file. Google states that special characters cannot be inserted directly in Sheets, so copy the character from Docs and paste it into the cell instead.
Use check marks in HTML
A UTF-8 page can contain ✓ directly. HTML also defines named references for two of these characters. ✓ and ✓ both resolve to U+2713, and ✗ resolves to U+2717.
The remaining marks have no named reference, so use numeric references. ✔ or ✔ gives ✔, ☑ or ☑ gives ☑, and ☐ or ☐ gives ☐.
Fix a check mark that renders wrong
- 1.Confirm the character is U+2713 or U+2714 and not a Wingdings position that only looks right while that font is applied.
- 2.Select Segoe UI Symbol and use character code 2705, 2713, or 2714 when the text will later change fonts.
- 3.Use Insert, Symbols, Symbol in Excel and PowerPoint, because More Symbols is the Word and Outlook route.
- 4.Use Character Map, Character Viewer, or Google special characters when an app does not convert a code with Alt and X.
- 5.Add U+FE0E after U+2714 or U+2611 to request the text style, or U+FE0F to request the emoji style.
- 6.Check that a checked box is U+2611 rather than U+2612, which is the box with an X.
Common questions
Is the Wingdings check mark the same as U+2713?
No. Wingdings character code 252 identifies a position in that font. Segoe UI Symbol character code 2713 identifies the Unicode character CHECK MARK, which stays the same character in any font that contains it.
Why do ✔ and ☑ sometimes look like emoji?
Unicode defines both a text-style and an emoji-style variation sequence for U+2714 and for U+2611. Follow either character with U+FE0E to request the text style or with U+FE0F to request the emoji style. U+2713 has no variation sequence in that list, so it has no emoji style to select.
Is there an Alt code for a check mark?
Microsoft's check-mark instructions do not publish one. They document the Symbol dialog with a font and a character code, and Word converts a typed code with Alt and X.
