When you are typing a standard document, your physical keyboard provides access to all the common letters, numbers, and basic punctuation marks. However, if you are writing an international address, drafting a legal document, or formatting a mathematical equation in Google Docs, you will inevitably need to use characters that simply do not exist on a standard keyboard—like copyright symbols (©), em dashes (—), or accented letters (é). To access this vast library of typography, you must use the built-in Special Characters menu.
How to Insert a Special Character or Symbol
Google Docs provides a massive, searchable database of thousands of special characters ranging from basic arrows to obscure currency symbols.
- Open your Google Docs document.
- Place your blinking cursor exactly where you want the new symbol to appear in your text.
- Look at the main menu bar at the very top of the screen and click on Insert.
- From the drop-down menu, click on Special characters (represented by an omega symbol: Ω).
- A new “Insert special characters” dialog box will pop up on your screen.
- You have three ways to find the character you need:
- Category Drop-downs: Use the two drop-down menus at the top left to filter by category (e.g., Symbol > Currency).
- Search Bar: Type the name of the symbol in the “Search by keyword” box (e.g., type “copyright” or “dash”).
- Drawing Pad: If you don’t know the name of the symbol, use your mouse or trackpad to draw the shape in the large blank box on the right side of the window. Google’s AI will try to guess what you drew and present matching options.
- Once you find the correct symbol in the grid on the left, simply click on it once.
The symbol will instantly be inserted into your document at the location of your cursor. You can keep the dialog box open and click multiple symbols to insert a string of characters, or click the ‘X’ to close the window and resume typing.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Common Accents
If you find yourself opening the Special Characters menu repeatedly just to type a few French or Spanish names, there is a much faster method. You can use standard keyboard shortcuts depending on your operating system.
On a Mac: You can simply press and hold the letter you want to accent on your physical keyboard. For example, if you press and hold the “E” key for a second, a small popup bubble will appear above your cursor showing all available accents (é, è, ê, ë). Just press the corresponding number key to select one.
On Windows: You can enable the US-International keyboard layout in your system settings. Once enabled, you can type an apostrophe ( ‘ ) followed immediately by the letter “e” to instantly produce an accented “é” directly inside Google Docs without opening any menus.