The Accidental Exponents
Google Docs includes an auto-formatting feature designed to make typing ordinal numbers (like 1st, 2nd, 3rd) look more professional. By default, if you type “1st” and then press the spacebar, Google Docs will automatically convert the “st” into a tiny superscript character floating above the baseline of the text. It does the same for “nd”, “rd”, and “th”.
While this is stylistically preferred in some formal writing, it can be incredibly frustrating if you are typing technical documentation, creating specific formatting for a database import, or simply prefer your text to remain exactly as you typed it on a single baseline. If you find yourself constantly hitting Ctrl + Z to undo the tiny letters, you must completely disable the automatic superscript formatting.
How to Disable Automatic Superscript Conversion
You can turn off this specific text substitution in the Preferences menu.
- Open a document in Google Docs.
- Click on Tools in the top menu bar.
- Select Preferences from the dropdown list.
- In the Preferences window, ensure you are on the General tab.
- Look down the list of checkboxes for the option labelled Use smart quotes. Just below that, you should see the option you need.
- Look for the option labelled Use smart quotes, smart replies, and smart compose. (Note: The specific wording changes frequently, but look for the checkbox explicitly labelled Format ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, etc.)).
- If you see “Format ordinal numbers”, Click the checkbox to remove the checkmark.
- If you do not see that explicit option, click over to the Substitutions tab in the Preferences window.
- Look for a specific rule replacing “1st” with superscript “1st” and uncheck it. (However, disabling it via the General tab is the standard method).
- Click the blue OK button to save your changes.
From now on, when you type “1st” and hit space, the letters will remain at the normal size and on the normal baseline, allowing you to format your text exactly as you require.