Looking to write m², mi² or, of course, x²? You need not explore making numbers tiny or changing baselines. Find out here how to type the character for “squared” (as well as other superscripted numbers) on a Mac.
First, Look to the Great Square in the Sky
Locate Pegasus’ Great Square and count the stars you can make out in it. This will give you an idea of your disadvantage at counting stars. Chances are you will not see more than some eight stars (out of thirty-seven under ideal conditions).
Even under these ideal conditions, no more than 4,500 stars will be visible from a single point on earth at a time.
Compare that to a current estimate of stars in universe: 200 billion trillion; that’s 200 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 or 2 × 10²³.
Now, let’s… see how to type that… little square(d) on a Mac:
How to Type “Squared” ( ▯² ) on a Mac
Time needed: 1 minute
To type a superscripted number 2 (for squared) on a Mac:
- Position the text cursor where you want to insert the “squared” symbol.
- Select Edit | Emoji & Symbols from the macOS menu.
Mac keyboard shortcut: Press Fn E to open the emoji panel.
- Type
superscriptin the search field. - Click ² (SUPERSCRIPT TWO) in search results to enter the squared symbol.
Example: Type
m²for meters squared.
Copy and paste: See below for copying and pasting the squared symbol instead of typing it.
Keyboard shortcut: You can set up a text replacement for the squared symbol (as well as other superscripted numbers), if you use it frequently; see below.
Squared by ½: You can also insert the square root symbol on a Mac, of course.
Compute it: Your Mac can also quickly compute the square of any number.
Using Windows? How to Make the Squared Symbol on a Windows Keyboard
Use Copy and Paste for Superscript Numbers
Use the following table to copy the superscripted characters for squared and other numbers to paste anywhere as plain text:
superscript two ² | |
superscript three ³ | |
superscript one ¹ | |
superscript four ⁴ | |
superscript five ⁵ | |
superscript six ⁶ | |
superscript seven ⁷ | |
superscript eight ⁸ | |
superscript nine ⁹ | |
superscript zero ⁰ |
Set up and Use a Mac Shortcut for Typing “Squared”
To create a text replacement shortcut to type the squared character quickly:
- Open System Settings.
- Go to the Keyboard category.
- Click Text Replacements… (under Text Input).
- Now click +.
- Type the character combination you want your Mac to replace with the squared symbol under Replace.
No ideal shortcut: Since whitespace cannot be part of the shortcut but the superscripted 2 should follow the preceding character immediately, a perfect shortcut is hard to find.
Examples: You can use something like^^2for ² orm2for m², for instance. - Now enter the desired expansion under With.
Pasting: Copy the characters above. - Click Add.
Also works on the phone: How to Insert “Squared” ( ² ) on an iPhone
How to Type “Squared” ( ² ) on a Mac: FAQ
Is there a way to type the squared symbol directly on a Mac?
No.
Mac keyboard layouts do not include mappings for the superscripted number 2.
Can I enter squared and other superscripted numbers using Unicode?
Yes.
To type squared and other superscript numbers using Unicode using macOS:
- Enable and switch to Unicode Hex Input.
- Hold the Option key.
- Type
00B2for ²,00B3for ³,00B9for ¹,2074for ⁴,2075for ⁵,2076for ⁶,2077for ⁷,2078for ⁸,2079for ⁹ and2070for ⁰. - Release Option.
Can I also use a superscripted small number ‘2’ for “squared”?
Yes. The Unicode character is preferable, however, when it is available, because it does (or should) not interfere with line height and character spacing.
(How to type squared on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.3 and Ventura 13.1; updated March 2024)