How to Insert the Copyright Symbol © in Word

How to Make a Copyright Symbol ( © ) in Word

by Heinz Tschabitscher | Jan 14, 2026 | Useful Tech

Updating a contract, adding a copyright notice to corporate slides or drafting a blog post — and that © symbol is nowhere to be seen on the keyboard? No need to copy the copyright… symbol (though you can); Word can help. Find out here how to make and insert the copyright symbol ( © ) in Word ⤓ for Windows, Mac, and the web as well as Word apps for Android and iOS.

First, Count Your A-B-C’s

Start typing, a at the beginning of a line followed by b, then c, and so on. When you have reached z, start again with a. At the end of the line, count your a's.

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Is it three? Four maybe?

Two and a half small case-alphabets are a rule of thumb for the comfortable length of a line.

If less than two ABC’s (or more than four) fit on a line, you can change the line’s length, of course, or the font size, or the typeface, or the font weight, or the letter spacing, or…

Now, it’s off to finding out how much two and a half alphabets are in copyright symbols:

How to Insert the Copyright Symbol ( © ) in Word

Time needed: 1 minute

To insert the copyright sign in a document with Microsoft Word for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS:

  1. Position the text cursor where you want the copyright symbol to appear in your document.

    Here’s where: Use the symbol like you would use the word copyright; see below for placing and whitespace.

  2. Type (c) and watch Word replace it with ©.

    Almost anywhere: Replacing (c) works within and at the end of words as well as separated by whitespace, but not following a period, for example.
    Alternatives: Where text replacement does not work, use an alternative to produce the copyright symbol.
    No ©: If the copyright sign is not automatically inserted, see below for enabling text replacement for the symbol in Word.
    Taking Their word: Microsoft provide terse information on inserting the copyright symbol in their Word support documents.
    Insert a copyright sign using Word for Windows

Copyright… what you needed?

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Enable Text Replacement for the Copyright Symbol in Word

Mac and Windows

To have Word (on Mac and Windows) replace (c) with the copyright sign:

  1. Select File | Options in Word for Windows
    Mac: In Word for Mac, select Word | Preferences… from the menu.
  2. Go to the Proofing category and click AutoCorrect Options….
    Mac: In Word for Mac, select AutoCorrect.
  3. Turn on Replace text as you type.
  4. Verify an entry for © exists.
    No ‘©’: Type (c) under Replace: and © under With: and click Add.
    Pasting ‘©’: You can copy the copyright symbol for pasting below.
  5. Click OK twice on Windows or close the preferences window on a Mac.
    Their word: Microsoft include information on using AutoCorrect in Word help.
    Have Microsoft Word replace (c) with ©

iOS and Android

To enable text replacement in Word for Android and iOS:

  1. Select your account icon on the Word Home screen.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Turn on Autoformat As You Type.

Also on the iPhone: Enter the Copyright Symbol on the iPhone Keyboard

Using the Copyright Symbol Keyboard Shortcut (Mac and Windows)

To use a keyboard shortcut to insert the copyright symbol in a document with Word:

  • Press Ctrl Alt C in Word for Windows and Command Option C in Word for Mac.
    Mac: On a Mac, you do need to set the keyboard shortcut first; see below.
    Custom keys: You can pick a different keyboard shortcut in Word for Windows as well.

Set the Copyright Symbol Keyboard Shortcut

To change which key combination inserts the copyright symbol in Word:

  1. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
  2. Select Symbol | More Symbols (Windows) or Advanced Symbol (Mac).
  3. Go to the Special Characters tab.
  4. Highlight ©   Copyright.
  5. Click Shortcut Key….
  6. Now click in the Press new shortcut key: field.
  7. Press the key combination you want to use to insert the copyright symbol.
  8. Click Close (Windows) or OK (Mac).

Using “Symbols” (Mac, Windows, Word on the Web)

To insert the copyright sign using the Word symbol dialog in Word for Windows and Word on the Web:

  1. Position the text cursor where you want to insert the copyright sign.
  2. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
  3. Click Symbol.
  4. Select the copyright sign from the list that has appeared.
    Insert the copyright sign in Word on the Web

To produce the copyright sign using the symbols dialog in Word for macOS:

  1. Put the cursor where you want the copyright symbol to appear.
  2. Select Insert | Advanced Symbol… from the menu.
  3. Go to the Special Characters tab.
  4. Double-click © Copyright.

In Word on Web, you can also use the operating system’s method of inserting the symbol, of course:

Copying and Pasting the Copyright Symbol (Everywhere)

To add the copyright symbol to a Word document where Word itself prefers not to input or replace the symbol:

  1. Copy the copyright sign using the button below.
  2. Paste it where needed or desired in Word.
Copyright sign ©

More symbols in Word:
How to Insert Square Brackets [ ] in Word
How to Add Umlauts in Word
How to Insert the Ellipsis Symbol ( … ) in Word

How to Insert the Copyright Symbol ( © ) in Word: FAQ

What can I do when a font does not include the copyright symbol?

In the rare case that a font does not supply the copyright sign, you can restort to one of two alternatives:

  • Change the font for just the copyright sign to one that does include the symbol (e.g., Calibri, Andale Mono, Courier, Helvetica, Times New Roman).
  • Use (c) in place of the copyright symbol.

Where should the copyright symbol appear?

Treat the copyright sign like the word “copyright.”

If you use it as part of a copyright notice,

  • insert the copyright symbol followed by the year of publication followed by the copyright holder,
  • and separate the copyright symbol from the year (and typically also the copyright owner) with non-breaking whitespace.
    Narrow space: For a more appealing appearance, you can use narrow space characters or even zero-width space.
    Example: © 2023 Heinz Tschabitscher

Is the copyright symbol mandatory?

Probably not.

In many jurisdictions, copyright arises automatically when you crate a document. While the copyright symbol is not necessary, it clearly signals authorship and can help avoid confusion. For specifics, do consult with a lawyer, of course.

(Tested with Word for Windows Version 2303–2511 on Windows 11, Word for Mac 16,71 on macOS Tahoe 26.0–26.3 and Ventura 13.3, Word for iOS 2.71, and Word on the Web; first published April 2023, last updated January 2026)

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