Looking to write H₂O or CO₂ perhaps with style and ease? You don’t have to resort to copying and pasting or hazy workarounds. Find out here how to insert a subscripted number ‘2’ ( ₂ ) on a Mac using Character Picker or text replacement.
First, You Can Cook an Egg’s Yolk
You can cook an egg’s yolk but not the egg.
For while egg whites will only coagulate at a temperature of 85 °C (185 °F), yolks begin to cook at 65 °C or 149 °F. This makes it easy to overcook the yolk, of course.
That’s not the only difference, though. A typical chicken egg yolk is just shy of half made up of water while the egg white clocks in at some 90% H₂O. So, how does one write H₂O?
How to Insert a Subscripted Number ‘2’ ( ▯₂ ) on a Mac
Using Character Viewer
Time needed: 1 minute
To input a subscript number two ( ₂ ) anywhere on a Mac using macOS:
- Position the text insertion cursor where you want to insert the subscripted (lowered and small) number ‘2’.
Here’s where: In molecular chemical formulae, put the subscripted number immediately after the element’s symbol; if you use a subscripted number as a footnote, do also position it immediately after the character, word or passage to which it marks the footnote.
- Select Edit | Emoji & Symbols from the macOS menu.
Mac keyboard shortcut: You can also press 🌐︎ or Fn E to open the emoji panel.
- Type
subscriptin the search field. - Click ₂ (SUBSCRIPT TWO) in the search results to enter the lowered small number 2.
Example: Type
COfollowed by a subscript two for carbon dioxideCO₂.
Pasting: For one-off use, you can also copy the subscripted ‘2’ below.
Keyboard shortcut: To set up a key combination for inserting the subscript two, use text replacement; see below.
Also super: How to Type “Squared” ( ² ) on a Mac
Using a Shortcut with Text Replacement
To set up a text replacement shortcut for entering a subscript number two:
- Open macOS System Settings on the Mac.
- Go to the Keyboard category.
- Select Text Replacements… (under Text Input).
- Click +.
- Type the character combination you want to use for inserting the subscript two under Replace.
No ideal shortcut: Because whitespace cannot be part of a shortcut while the subscripted 2 should follow the preceding character immediately, an ideal shortcut is hard to find.
Examples: You can use something like--2for ₂ orco2for CO₂, for instance. - Now enter the desired expansion under With.
Pasting: Copy the characters for pasting into the field below. - Now click Add.
How to Insert a Subscripted Number ‘2’ ( ▯₂ ) on a Mac: FAQ
Can I insert the subscripted 2 directly using Unicode?
Yes.
To input subscripted numbers using their Unicode code points on a Mac:
- Turn on and switch to Unicode Hex Input.
- Press and hold Option.
- Now type 2 0 8 2 for ₂.
Other numbers: You can find the code points to type for other subscripted numbers below. - Let go of the Option key.
subscript one ₁ | 2081 |
subscript three ₃ | 2083 |
subscript four ₄ | 2084 |
subscript five ₅ | 2085 |
subscript six ₆ | 2086 |
subscript seven ₇ | 2087 |
subscript eight ₈ | 2088 |
subscript nine ₉ | 2089 |
subscript zero ₀ | 2089 |
Can I copy the small lower number two for pasting?
Yes.
Use the table below to copy subscripted numbers for pasting anywhere on your Mac.
subscript two ₂ | |
subscript one ₁ | |
subscript three ₃ | |
subscript four ₄ | |
subscript five ₅ | |
subscript six ₆ | |
subscript seven ₇ | |
subscript eight ₈ | |
subscript nine ₉ | |
subscript zero ₀ |
(How to insert a subscripted number ‘2’ ( ₂ ) on a Mac tested with macOS Sequoia 15.3: first published February 2025)