Copy § from the panel above when you need a section reference, and copy ¶ when you need a paragraph mark. Microsoft lists § among the legal symbols in its character-code table with the Alt-0167 numeric-keypad code, and both characters are also reachable through Word's symbol menu, Windows Character Map, Mac Character Viewer, and the special-character picker in Google Docs.
The section sign marks a numbered section in statutes, contracts, and style manuals, and a doubled §§ points at a range of sections. The pilcrow marks the start or end of a paragraph. Word also uses the pilcrow as the icon for its formatting-marks toggle, which is a display setting rather than a character you insert.
Identify the section sign and the pilcrow
The section sign is §, named SECTION SIGN by Unicode and assigned U+00A7. The pilcrow is ¶, named PILCROW SIGN and assigned U+00B6. Both live in the Latin-1 Supplement block, so ordinary text fonts carry them and neither needs a specialty font.
Two mix-ups cause most of the trouble. The reversed pilcrow ⁋ is a separate character at U+204B in the General Punctuation block and is not an alternative spelling of ¶. The paragraph marks that appear when Word's Show/Hide button is on are formatting marks drawn on screen; they share the shape of ¶ but stand for paragraph breaks already in the document rather than a character you inserted.
Legal front matter often carries several of these marks in one line, so check each against its code point rather than its shape. A notice can put a section reference beside a copyright sign at U+00A9, and similar appearance is never proof that two characters hold the same value once text moves between fonts, search indexes, database fields, and source code.
Insert § in Microsoft Word
Microsoft documents Alt-0167 for the section sign and groups it with the legal symbols in its character-code table. Hold Alt, type 0167 on the numeric keypad, and release Alt. Microsoft states that these codes require the numeric keypad and will not work from the number row along the top of the keyboard.
For the menu route, go to Insert and Symbol, then choose More Symbols. Toward the bottom right of the dialog there is a Character code box and a from list. Set from to Unicode (hex), type 00A7, and insert the character that the dialog selects. The same dialog carries a Special Characters tab, which is where Word keeps punctuation such as the em dash.
Word also converts a typed code in place. Type 00A7, then press Alt and X. Microsoft notes that the value may be preceded by U+, and that you should select the intended code first if hexadecimal characters sit next to it.
Insert ¶ in Microsoft Word
Microsoft's character-code table does not list an Alt code for the pilcrow, so use Word's Unicode conversion or its symbol menu instead of guessing a keypad number. Type 00B6 and press Alt and X, or open Insert, Symbol, and More Symbols, set from to Unicode (hex), and enter 00B6 in the Character code box.
Inserting the character is not the same as displaying formatting marks. The Show/Hide button in the Home tab's Paragraph group turns hidden characters such as spaces, paragraph markers, and tab marks on and off. That same Paragraph group also controls list formatting, so a document can show a paragraph mark next to a generated bullet point while neither one is text you typed. To keep chosen marks visible no matter how the button is set, go to File, Options, and Display on Windows, or Word, Preferences, and View on a Mac.
Copy § and ¶ 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 covers Latin-1 Supplement, select § or ¶, copy it, and paste it into the destination app. The character arrives as finished text, so this route works in apps that ignore Word's shortcut handling.
Insert § and ¶ with Mac Character Viewer
Apple documents opening Character Viewer by pressing Fn-E or the Globe key and E, or by choosing Edit and then Emoji & Symbols. Character Viewer has a search field, so you can enter a word or phrase and select the result without knowing any key position. Apple also documents adding the Input menu to the menu bar, which opens Character Viewer straight from the desktop.
Insert § and ¶ in Google Docs or Slides
In Google Docs or Slides, click Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters. Locate the character by picking a category, entering its Unicode value, or drawing it in the search box. Google states that special characters cannot be inserted directly in Google Sheets and recommends copying the character and pasting it into a cell instead.
Use § and ¶ in HTML
A UTF-8 page can contain § and ¶ directly. The HTML Standard also defines the named references § for U+00A7 and ¶ for U+00B6, the decimal references § and ¶, and the hexadecimal references § and ¶. Each resolves to the same character when the document is parsed as HTML.
The Standard also lists variants of both names without the trailing semicolon. Those exist for legacy compatibility, so write the semicolon form in new markup.
Fix the wrong output
- 1.Confirm the character is U+00A7 for § or U+00B6 for ¶ rather than the reversed pilcrow at U+204B.
- 2.Use a numeric keypad for Alt-0167, because Microsoft's codes do not work from the number row.
- 3.Use Word's symbol menu or the Alt and X conversion when no numeric keypad is available, and select only the intended code before converting.
- 4.Turn Word's Show/Hide button off to check whether you are looking at a formatting mark instead of an inserted ¶.
- 5.Use Character Map, Character Viewer, or the Google Docs special-character picker when an app ignores keyboard shortcuts.
- 6.Remember that HTML references are source syntax and appear literally in a plain-text field or an editor that does not parse markup.
Common questions
Are § and ¶ the same character?
No. Unicode names § SECTION SIGN at U+00A7 and ¶ PILCROW SIGN at U+00B6. A citation to a numbered section uses §, a doubled §§ refers to more than one section, and ¶ refers to a paragraph.
Does Microsoft document an Alt code for the pilcrow?
Its character-code table lists Alt-0167 for § but does not list the pilcrow at all. Use the Unicode conversion route with 00B6 and Alt and X, or the symbol menu, rather than guessing a keypad number.
Does the Show/Hide button insert a ¶ character?
No. It turns hidden characters such as spaces, paragraph markers, and tab marks on and off for display. Inserting the character is a separate action through the symbol menu, a picker, or Unicode conversion.
Official references
- Unicode Latin-1 Supplement chart
- Unicode General Punctuation chart
- Microsoft guide to ASCII and Unicode symbols and characters
- Microsoft guide to inserting a symbol in Word
- Microsoft guide to ASCII and Unicode character codes in Word
- Microsoft guide to showing or hiding formatting marks
- Apple guide to Character Viewer
- Google Docs special-character guide
- HTML named character references
- HTML character-reference syntax
