Select the cell, press Shift + P to type a capital P, then change the font to Wingdings 2 in Home → Font. The P displays as a check mark (✓). This works on any keyboard, including laptops without a numeric keypad.
For the Alt-code method, set the font to Wingdings first, hold Alt, type 0252 on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, then release Alt. The number keys along the top row do not work for Alt codes. For a cross (✗), type Shift + O in Wingdings 2, or hold Alt and type 0251 in Wingdings.
To tick a whole range at once, select it, set the font, type the character, and press Ctrl + Enter to fill every selected cell.
To avoid the font trick altogether, use =UNICHAR(10003) for ✓ or =UNICHAR(10007) for ✗ (Excel 2013 and later). In Microsoft 365 you can also use Insert → Checkbox for a clickable box that stores TRUE or FALSE.
The Wingdings tick is really the letter ü (or P in Wingdings 2), so it turns back into that letter if the font changes or the value is pasted into another app. Count ticks with =COUNTIF(B2:B20,"ü") or =COUNTIF(B2:B20,"P"), not with "✓".
Latest Video Tutorial – 10 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts (Probably YOU are NOT Using)
A check mark is commonly used in Excel to indicate whether a task is completed or not. Users can insert the check mark symbol in Excel instead of entering “Yes” to mark the tasks that are done in a list.
There are multiple ways to insert a check mark, but the quickest way is to use a keyboard shortcut.
Shortcut Key to Check Mark in the Excel
Alt + 0 ⇢ 2 ⇢ 5 ⇢ 2
Shift + P
Steps to Enter a Check Mark using a Keyboard Shortcut
- First, go to the cell where you want to insert the check mark symbol.
- After that, go to the Home tab, and in the Font group, change the font to Wingdings.
- Now, press and hold the Alt key, type 0 > 2 > 5 > 2 on the numeric keypad, and then release the Alt key. The number keys above the letters don’t work for Alt codes.
- Or, go to the cell and simply press the Shift + P keys, and after that, go to the Font group and select the font Wingdings 2.
- At this point, you will get the check mark symbol inserted into the cell.
Points to Remember
- To insert a check mark, the font style of the cell should be selected as Wingdings if you are going to use Alt + 0 > 2 > 5 > 2.
- If you are going to use the Shift +P shortcut option then the font should be Wingdings 2.
- Either by using the manual way or the shortcut keys, a check mark goes into one cell at a time. To fill several cells at once, select them, enter the check mark, and press Ctrl + Enter instead of Enter.
- You can also apply the check mark shortcut first and then change the Font style.
- If you want to insert the check mark symbol in other cells, just copy and paste it, and it keeps its font.
Insert a Check Mark with a Formula
If you don’t want to change the font, use the UNICHAR function, which returns the ✓ symbol in any normal font (Excel 2013 and later):
=UNICHAR(10003)
And to show a check mark only when a task is done, combine it with IF. The following formula shows ✓ when B2 says “Done” and leaves the cell blank otherwise:
=IF(B2="Done",UNICHAR(10003),"")
Use a Checkbox Instead
In Excel for Microsoft 365, you can also go to Insert ➜ Checkbox to add a clickable checkbox to the selected cells. Each checkbox shows TRUE when it’s ticked and FALSE when it’s not, so you can count the completed tasks with a formula like the one below.
=COUNTIF(C2:C20,TRUE)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I see the letter ü instead of a check mark?
The Alt code 0252 gives the letter ü, and it only shows as a check mark in the Wingdings font. Change the cell’s font to Wingdings.
How do I insert a cross mark?
Use Shift + O with the Wingdings 2 font, or the formula =UNICHAR(10007) in any font.
How do I count check marks?
If you used Shift + P with Wingdings 2, count the letter P with =COUNTIF(A2:A20,”P”). If you used UNICHAR, count it with =COUNTIF(A2:A20,UNICHAR(10003)).