How to Insert a Tick (Checkmark) Symbol in Microsoft Word

The Struggle to Find the Tick Symbol

If you are creating a to-do list, an inspection form, or a survey in Microsoft Word, you will eventually need to insert a tick (often called a checkmark in the US). Unlike a standard dash, asterisk, or plus sign, there is no dedicated “tick” button on a standard QWERTY keyboard.

Most people resort to opening a web browser, searching for “tick symbol,” and copying and pasting it into their document. This is highly inefficient. Even worse, the pasted symbol often carries over weird internet formatting, ruining your carefully chosen font and line spacing.

There are actually three different ways to insert a clean, perfectly formatted tick symbol directly inside Microsoft Word. Whether you prefer using your mouse or memorising a lightning-fast keyboard shortcut, one of these methods will significantly speed up your workflow.

Method 1: The Standard Symbol Menu (Best for Beginners)

If you do not want to memorise any keyboard combinations, you can simply use Word’s built-in character map.

1. Open your document and click exactly where you want the tick to appear.
2. Look at the top ribbon menu and click on the Insert tab.
3. Look to the far right of the ribbon and click on Symbol.
4. A small drop-down menu will appear. If you are lucky, the tick symbol might already be there in your recent history. If not, click on More Symbols….
5. A complex dialogue box will open. This is where most people get lost because the tick is almost impossible to find in a standard font like Arial or Times New Roman.
6. Click the Font drop-down box at the top left of the window.
7. Scroll all the way down to the “W” section and select Wingdings (or Wingdings 2).
8. Scroll to the very bottom of the Wingdings character grid. You will find a standard tick, a tick inside a box, a cross, and a cross inside a box.
9. Click the tick symbol, then click the Insert button.

Method 2: The Secret Font Shortcut (The Fastest Method)

If you insert ticks frequently, navigating the Symbol menu every single time will quickly become frustrating. The absolute fastest way to insert a tick is to use a clever font trick.

As you discovered in Method 1, the “Wingdings” font replaces standard letters with symbols. In the Wingdings 2 font, the capital letter “P” is mapped to a tick.

1. Click exactly where you want the tick to appear.
2. Change your font to Wingdings 2.
3. Hold down the Shift key and press the letter P.

A perfect tick symbol will instantly appear on your screen. Just remember to change your font back to Arial or Calibri before you continue typing your sentence.

Method 3: The Windows Keyboard Shortcut (Works Everywhere)

If you do not want to mess around with changing fonts in Word, you can use a universal Windows shortcut. This method uses the hidden Windows Emoji Keyboard, which includes a dedicated symbol library.

Note: This method only works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It will not work on older operating systems or Macs.

1. Click where you want the tick to appear.
2. Press and hold the Windows Key (the key with the four squares on it) and press the Full Stop (.) key.
3. The small Windows Emoji panel will pop up on your screen.
4. Do not click the smiley faces. Instead, look at the top menu of the panel and click the Symbols icon (it looks like a mathematical omega symbol: Ω).
5. Look at the bottom menu of the panel and click the Math Symbols category (the infinity sign: ∞).
6. Scroll down slightly, and you will see a standard tick mark (✓).
7. Click it once to insert it into your document.

The best part about this third method is that it works in every application across your entire computer. You can use it to insert a tick in Microsoft Excel, Google Chrome, an email, or even a notepad file.