How to Type the Greater Than or Equal to Symbol

Copy ≥ when you need the single greater-than-or-equal sign. In Microsoft Word on Windows, type 2265 and press Alt+X. In a Word equation, type \geq and press Space. On Mac, use Character Viewer; in Google Docs, use Insert > Special characters. Do not substitute >= when exact mathematical typography or character identity matters.

Copy and identify the symbol

The character ≥ is Unicode U+2265 GREATER-THAN OR EQUAL TO. It is one mathematical operator. By contrast, >= is a sequence of two Basic Latin characters, greater-than followed by equals. Some programming languages accept that ASCII sequence as an operator, but it is not the same text as U+2265. Use the Symbol Finder when another mathematical mark is required.

Insert greater than or equal to in Word

Use the Unicode value with Alt+X

1. 1.Place the cursor where the symbol belongs.
2. 2.Type 2265.
3. 3.Press Alt+X.

Word converts the hexadecimal value to ≥. If a nearby hexadecimal character is included, select only 2265 before pressing Alt+X. Microsoft documents this conversion for Word; it is not a general Windows input shortcut.

Use Word's equation input

1. 1.Start an equation with Alt+=, or place the cursor in an existing equation.
2. 2.In UnicodeMath input, type \geq or \ge.
3. 3.Press Space to resolve the command to ≥.

Microsoft lists both commands for U+2265. Equation input is useful when the sign belongs in a formula because Word can build the surrounding expression as mathematical content. For ordinary prose, Alt+X or Insert Symbol is simpler.

Use verified character pickers

Google Docs and Slides

1. 1.Choose Insert > Special characters.
2. 2.Enter 2265 as the Unicode value, browse the symbol categories, or draw the shape.
3. 3.Select ≥.

Google documents the direct special-character picker for Docs and Slides. It is not available directly in Sheets, where copying and pasting the character is the supported workaround described in Google's help.

macOS Character Viewer

1. 1.Choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols in an app that provides the menu, or open Character Viewer from the Input menu.
2. 2.Search for greater than or equal to.
3. 3.Select ≥.

Apple's Character Viewer is preferable to guessing a keyboard shortcut. Available keyboard combinations can change with the active input source, while searching by the Unicode name identifies the intended symbol.

Unicode and HTML values

• Unicode name: GREATER-THAN OR EQUAL TO
• Code point: U+2265
• HTML named reference: ≥
• HTML decimal reference: ≥
• HTML hexadecimal reference: ≥

A page may also contain the literal ≥ when its text encoding is UTF-8. WHATWG's named-reference table maps ≥ to U+2265, and HTML's numeric-reference syntax resolves the decimal and hexadecimal forms to the same code point. Character references are source notation, not alternate visual approximations.

Use the correct meaning

In mathematics, x ≥ 5 states that x is greater than or equal to five. The line beneath the greater-than shape carries the equality part of the relation. Do not replace it with U+003E GREATER-THAN SIGN alone, and do not use a visually similar glyph from another mathematical block. In code, follow the programming language's syntax: many languages require >=, while documentation and rendered equations may use ≥.

For other copyable marks, compare the underscore guide or the em dash guide.

Troubleshoot insertion and display

• If Word leaves 2265 unchanged, confirm that the cursor is in Word and press Alt+X directly after the code.
• If \geq remains text, make sure the cursor is in a Word equation using UnicodeMath input, then press Space.
• If a box or missing glyph appears, choose a font containing U+2265; the character can still be correct underneath.
• If a website displays the reference text literally, check that the ampersand, number sign, digits, and semicolon form valid HTML source.
• If a program rejects ≥, consult that program's syntax rather than assuming a typeset symbol is accepted as an operator.

Official references

• Unicode Consortium Mathematical Operators chart
• Unicode Consortium UnicodeData file
• Microsoft Support Unicode input in Word
• Microsoft Support Word linear-format equations
• Google Docs Editors Help for special characters
• Apple User Guide for Character Viewer
• WHATWG named character references
• WHATWG HTML character reference syntax