Software & Apps MS Office How to Do Superscript in Word Commands and shortcuts for above-the-line typing by Scott Orgera Writer Scott Orgera is a former writer who covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications. our editorial process Facebook Twitter Scott Orgera Updated on December 02, 2020 MS Office Word Excel Powerpoint Outlook Tweet Share Email Superscript lets you type characters that appear slightly above the current line of text. It is used when displaying exponents in mathematical expressions, footnote citations, and temperatures. Incorporating superscript text in your Microsoft Word documents can be done by taking the following steps. How to Superscript in Word Formatting superscript text is faster than using the keyboard shortcut for a degree symbol. Open the document in which you would like to add superscript text or create a new document. Type in your text as you would normally, with no special formatting applied. For example, to depict a formula that begins with the letter x squared, type x2. Select the text you want to appear as superscript, so it becomes highlighted. In this example, select the number 2. On Windows and Mac, go to the Home tab and select the Superscript button, located in the Font section of the Word toolbar and represented by the letter x and a raised number 2. You can use a keyboard shortcut instead of selecting the Superscript button. On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift++ (the Plus sign). On macOS, press Cmd+Shift++ (the Plus sign). Your selected characters appear in superscript format, such as x2. Repeat these steps at any time to reverse this formatting. How to Superscript in Word Online In Word Online, the process is slightly different and uses another menu in the header. Here's how to do it. Type in your text as you would normally, with no special formatting applied. For example, to depict a formula that begins with the letter x squared, type x2. Select the text you want to appear as superscript, so it becomes highlighted. In this example, select the number 2. Select the More Font Options button, which looks like three dots. Click Superscript. The selected characters appear in superscript format, such as x2. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit