How to Create a Custom Keyboard Shortcut for a Symbol in Microsoft Word

When writing technical documents, legal contracts, or academic papers in Microsoft Word, you frequently need to insert specific symbols. Whether it is a section symbol (§), a degree symbol (°), or a specific Greek letter, navigating through the ‘Insert’ ribbon to find the symbol menu every single time drastically slows down your typing speed.

To improve your efficiency, Microsoft Word allows you to bind any symbol or special character to a custom keyboard shortcut. Once configured, you can type complex symbols instantly without ever lifting your hands from the keyboard.

How to Assign a Keyboard Shortcut

The process of assigning a shortcut involves finding the symbol once and telling Word how you want to type it in the future.

1. Open a document in Microsoft Word.
2. Click on the Insert tab located in the top ribbon.
3. On the far right side of the ribbon, click the Symbol button, and then select More Symbols… from the drop-down menu.
4. The Symbol dialog box will appear. Scroll through the grid or use the ‘Subset’ drop-down to locate the specific character you want to automate.
5. Click on the symbol to highlight it in blue.
6. At the bottom of the dialog box, click the Shortcut Key… button.

A new window titled ‘Customize Keyboard’ will open. This is where you configure the specific key combination.

Choosing the Right Key Combination

You must be careful not to overwrite a shortcut that you already use frequently, such as Ctrl+C (Copy) or Ctrl+S (Save).

1. Place your cursor inside the text box labelled Press new shortcut key.
2. On your physical keyboard, press the combination of keys you want to use. A standard approach is to use Alt + Ctrl + [Letter]. For example, to insert a Section symbol, you might press Alt + Ctrl + S.
3. Look at the text just beneath the box, labelled Currently assigned to. If it says “[unassigned]”, your combination is safe to use. If it lists another function, you may want to press backspace and try a different combination.
4. Once you are satisfied with your shortcut, click the Assign button in the bottom left corner.
5. Click Close to exit the Customize Keyboard window, and then click Close again to exit the Symbol window.

Your shortcut is now active. Return to your document and press your new key combination; the symbol will instantly appear at your cursor.

How to Remove a Custom Shortcut

If you made a mistake or want to reclaim a key combination for a different macro, you can easily delete custom shortcuts.

1. Return to the Insert > Symbol > More Symbols… menu.
2. Select the symbol you previously modified.
3. Click the Shortcut Key… button.
4. In the ‘Current keys’ box, click on the shortcut you wish to remove to highlight it.
5. Click the Remove button at the bottom of the window.

This will permanently sever the link between that keyboard combination and the symbol.