Do you want to type the cent sign but don’t know how? You’re in luck because I’m here to teach you how to type the cent symbol on your computer or smartphone. I will also tell you how to type or insert the symbol in Microsoft Word, Excel and other popular applications.
The cent symbol (¢) is often used to represent the cents of a currency, particularly the US dollar. A cent is equivalent to 1/100 of the basic monetary unit. The ¢ sign is also used for the centavo, which is the monetary unit used in Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, and other former Spanish colonies.
However, most people prefer to write 25 cents or $0.25, for example, instead of 25¢. This is mostly due to the fact that most computer keyboards don’t have the ¢ symbol. To type this symbol, one must press a combination of keys on the keyboard, or insert the symbol using a computer application like Microsoft Word.
The cent symbol is a Unicode character, which means that it can be encoded and displayed in the vast majority of computers and mobile devices. However, the ¢ sign may look different depending on the font used. You will notice that the appearance of the ¢ symbol in Calibri, for example, differs from the one in Times New Roman.
Instead of simply writing the “cents” word or using the dollar sign, you can use the ¢ symbol instead. Most people will recognize this symbol and know what it stands for. Keep in mind that the ¢ symbol should be placed after the amount (e.g. 50¢), unlike with currency symbols (e.g. $0.50).
Type the Cent Symbol on a Windows Keyboard
Probably the most reliable way to type the ¢ sign on your computer is through a combination of keys on the keyboard or what we call a “keyboard shortcut.” For this method to work, your keyboard must have a numeric keypad (or number pad), which is the set of keys on the rightmost part of the Windows keyboard. You can activate the numeric keypad by tapping the Num Lock key.
The Windows keyboard shortcut or alt code for the cent symbol is Alt + 0162.
Type the cent sign by pressing the Alt key and then typing 0162 on the numeric keypad. The result is this: ¢.
If you don’t know the proper and correct steps to type ¢ in Windows, you may follow this guide:
- Activate the numeric keypad by tapping the Num Lock key above it.
- Click the area in your document where you want to insert the symbol.
- Press and hold down the Alt key on your keyboard.
- While holding down the Alt key, type the 0, 1, 6 and 2 keys (in exact order) on the numeric keypad.
- Release the Alt key and verify that the correct symbol has been inserted in your document.
Type the Cent Symbol on a Mac Keyboard
Mac and MacBook users can type the cent sign using the keyboard shortcut Option + 4.
Here’s how to type the ¢ sign on your Mac keyboard:
- In your document or application, place the cursor or insertion point where you want the symbol to appear.
- Press the Option and 4 keys at the same time.
- Check that the correct symbol has been inserted into your document.
Type the Cent Sign on the Linux Keyboard
Linux is not as widely used as Windows but it’s a very important operating system as it powers most website servers like the one that hosts this site. So if you’re a Linux or Ubuntu user, here’s how to type the ¢ symbol on your keyboard:
- Open the document you’d like to insert the symbol into.
- Press the Ctrl and Shift keys simultaneously.
- Type U00A2 while pressing the Ctrl and Shift keys.
- Release the Ctrl and Shift keys.
- Verify that the correct symbol has been inserted in your document.
Insert the Cent Symbol in Microsoft Word
The keyboard shortcut method previously mentioned works with all computer applications. Nevertheless, Microsoft Word provides a quick and easy way to insert the cent sign into your document without memorizing the keyboard shortcuts.
To do this, first select the Insert tab (right next to the Home tab) on the menu bar.
Next, click the Symbol button on the right side of the toolbar, and then More Symbols on the dropdown menu.
A popup dialog will appear with all the symbols you can insert in Word. Find the ¢ sign, select or highlight it, and then click Insert. The symbol is now inserted into your Word document.
If you have trouble looking for the ¢ symbol, select “Latin-1 Supplement” in the Subset field to narrow down your choices.
For easier insertion of the cent symbol in Word, you can assign a shortcut key. Just click the Shortcut Key button after selecting the symbol, and then enter your preferred keyboard combination. The default shortcut key for the ¢ sign in Word is Ctrl + /,C.
Insert the Cent Sign in Google Docs
If you prefer to use Google Docs as your word processor, you’ll be happy to know that you can insert symbols directly into your document using its built-in character insertion feature. No need to memorize keyboard shortcuts to type symbols and special characters in Google Docs.
Start by clicking the location in your document where the symbol will be inserted. Next, click Insert on the menu bar.
On the resulting dropdown menu, click Special Characters.
A dialog box will appear along with all the symbols and special characters that you can insert in Google Docs.
Click the dropdown box after the “Symbol” field and change it to “Currency.” This will show all the currency symbols that you can use in your document.
Find the ¢ symbol and click it to insert into your document.
Type the Cent Symbol on Your Android Phone
To type the cent symbol on your Android smartphone, just switch to the number and symbols keypad (usually by tapping ?123). Long-press the $ (dollar) key and you will see other currency symbols. Tap the ¢ key to insert it.
Type the Cent Symbol on the iPhone or iPad
Inserting the cent sign in the iPhone or iPad is similar to Android. On the iOS keyboard, switch to the numerical keypad by tapping the 123 key. Hold or long-press the $ (dollar) key and it will show other currency symbols. Finally, select the ¢ key to insert the symbol.
Insert the ¢ Symbol Using Character Map
If your computer or laptop keyboard doesn’t have a number pad, you can use a small Windows utility called the Character Map.
Launch the Character Map by clicking the Windows Start button (the icon on the bottom-left corner of the screen), and selecting Windows Accessories and then Character Map.
On the Character Map, search for the ¢ sign and select it. The symbol is usually located on the 5th row.
After clicking Select, click Copy. You can now paste (Ctrl + V) the symbol into any application such as Notepad or Word.
Can’t find the ¢ symbol? You can search for the symbol by checking the “Advanced view” checkbox at the bottom of the Character Map dialog. Type “cent sign” in the “Search for” field and click Search. The symbol should be displayed immediately, ready for copying and pasting into your document.
Insert the ¢ Sign as HTML
If you are a web developer or programmer, you can insert the ¢ symbol as HTML code. Simply type ¢ to use the cent sign in your webpages.
Copy and Paste the Cent Symbol
I’ve provided a quick and easy way to type the cent symbol into your document or application. Just click the box below and the symbol will be instantly copied to your clipboard.
After copying the symbol, paste it into your document by right-clicking and selecting Paste (or type Ctrl + V). On mobile, just long press and select Paste.
Wrapping Up
The cent symbol has many uses particularly in the field of business and finance. Whether you’re an entrepreneur who wants to use the symbol to price an item, or simply someone who wants to save space in your documents, you’ll learn how easy it is to type ¢ on your computer or mobile device.
If you have problems with any of the methods in this article, or if you can’t be bothered to try them, you can just simply copy the ¢ symbol and then paste it to your document.
