How to Insert the Square Root Symbol ( √ ) on a Mac

Tired of typing “square root” when you could just as well type ‘√’? Find out here how to insert the square root symbol on a Mac (and in HTML), and how to input other radix characters to boot.

First, Clearly, You’ve Been to Costa Rica

Think you’ve seen a mountain shaped like the square root of two?

Clearly, you have been to the north of Costa Rica and marveled at the triangular shape of Arenal. (Perhaps, you have also visited Hakone to see Mount Fuji, stood in amazement before Mount Mayon rising out of a Philippine island or traveled the Ecuadorian highlands around Cotopaxi for similarly shaped stratovolcanoes.)

Now, with all these structures approaching the square root of two in a manner when seen from the side, let’s find out how to write that square root faster and more elegantly:

How to Insert the Square Root Symbol ( √ ) on a Mac

Not just inserting: How to Compute the Square Root on a Mac

Find the Square Root Symbol Shortcut for Your Mac Keyboard Layout

To identify the key combination that will insert √ on your keyboard using your macOS keyboard layout:

1. Open the Mac keyboard viewer.
2. Hold the Option, Shift and, perhaps, Command keys individually and together to reveal key combinations and find the √ character.

Here are a couple of random examples for the square root symbol:

Keyboard	Square Root Symbol √
French	Option Shift V
German	Option V
Italian	Option V
Norwegian (Bokmål)	Option J
Spanish	Option V

Back again: How to Type “Squared” ( ² ) on a Mac

Insert Root Symbols Using Character Viewer

To find and insert symbols for square root, cube root and fourth root using Character Viewer or the emoji panel on a Mac:

1. Position the text cursor where you want to insert the root symbol.
2. Select Edit | Emoji & Symbols from the menu.
   Mac keyboard shortcut: Press Fn E or 🌐︎ to open the emoji panel.
3. Search for root to find all the root symbols.
   Here or there: Searching works both in the emoji panel and full-sized Character Viewer.
   Character search: You can also search for an individual symbol, of course, e.g., for square root.
4. Click or double-click √, ∛ or ∜ to insert the desired symbol.
   

On Windows? How to Insert the Sign for Square Root on Windows

Continue the Radix’s Vinculum with Unicode

While not mathematically correct or satisfyingly beautiful, you can extend the vinculum (a bar, in this case at the top of the radix symbol that expands to cover everything beneath the root) using Unicode.

To extend the root symbol bar:

1. Insert the radix and the first character under it as above.
2. Bring up Character Viewer or the emoji panel (see above).
3. Search for combining double macron.
4. Insert the combining double macron character.
5. Type the next character under the root.
6. Continue with further macrons as needed.
   

Using Roots in Microsoft Word

In MS Word, you can use equations to insert the radix symbol in addition to using the Unicode characters.

How to Insert the Square Root Symbol ( √ ) on a Mac: FAQ

How can I insert the radix symbol in HTML?

In HTML, you can insert the square root symbol as an entity (like a character) or use it as part of mathematical display.

To use the HTML entities, employ &sqrt; for √ (and ∛ for ∛ as well as ∜ for ∜.

In MathML, you can use <msqrt> for a square root and <mroot> for arbitrary roots.

Example

<math display="block">
    <mroot>
      <mrow>
        <mi>a</mi>
        <mo>+</mo>
        <msqrt>
          <mn>2</mn>
        </msqrt>
      </mrow>
      <mn>3</mn>
    </mroot>
</math>

will display as

$$\sqrt[3]{a+\sqrt{2}}$$

(or as converted to an image).

Can I insert the square root and other root symbols using Unicode directly?

Yes.

To insert root symbols such as square root using Unicode on a Mac:

1. Enable and switch to Unicode Hex Input on your Mac.
2. Press and hold the Option key.
3. Type 2 2 1 A for √;
   type 2 2 1 B for ∛ and
   type 2 2 1 C for ∜.
4. Let go of the Option key.

Can I copy the radix symbols for pasting?

Certainly.

Use the table below to copy the desired root symbol for pasting:

Square root symbol √	copy
Cube root symbol ∛	copy
Fourth root symbol ∜	copy

Combining double macron ͞

copy

(How to insert the square root symbol on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.3–14.6; first published March 2024, last updated August 2024)