How to Superscript in Word: Shortcuts, Tips & Full Guide (2025)

If you work with documents that involve formulas, footnotes, chemical symbols, or even simple trademarks (™), chances are you’ve needed to use superscript in Microsoft Word. And if you’re like most users, you might only know one method—but Word actually offers multiple ways to insert superscript depending on your device, workflow, and how often you use the feature.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through every practical way to superscript in Word, including shortcuts for Windows and Mac, how to fix superscript when it’s not working, and a few real-world scenarios where superscript becomes surprisingly useful. Let’s dive in.

Superscript is a formatting style that lifts characters slightly above the baseline. It’s commonly used for:

• Mathematical notations like x² or 10⁴
• Chemical formulas such as Fe³+
• Footnotes and citations
• Date suffixes (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
• Trademark / copyright symbols
• Scientific writing and academic papers

If you’re doing anything technical, academic, or research‑related, superscript is quickly going to become your closest friend.

Most Word users rely on the ribbon buttons, but keyboard shortcuts are dramatically faster—especially when you’re typing math or writing reports.

Windows Shortcut=Ctrl + Shift

Mac Shortcut=Command + Shift

Just highlight the character and use the shortcut, or press it, type, then press again to turn superscript off.

This method is ideal if you work with equations, mathematical steps, or citations where you apply superscript dozens of times per page.

If you ever need to convert characters quickly without formatting them manually, an online Superscript Generator can help you create superscript text instantly.

1. Highlight the text you want to superscript
2. Go to Home → Font
3. Click the Superscript (x²) icon

This method feels natural and works well when you only need superscript occasionally—like for a trademark symbol or a one‑off note.

A small tip: Word shows a tiny preview before applying it, so you can always double‑check how it will look.

• Using Command + Shift + =
• Going to Home → Font → Superscript
• Opening Format → Font in the top macOS menu

Mac users tend to prefer the shortcut because it’s easier than digging through menus.

1. Select your character
2. Go to Home
3. Click More Formatting Options (…)
4. Choose Superscript

One thing to know: Word Online doesn’t support all formatting shortcuts, so if the usual key combo doesn’t work, it’s not you—it’s the browser version.

If you’re using Word’s Equation Editor (Alt + = on Windows, Option + = on Mac), superscript behaves differently. Equations follow LaTeX‑style logic. Here’s how you superscript inside an equation:

x^2

Word will automatically convert it into a clean mathematical superscript.

If your work involves algebra, calculus, physics, chemistry, or engineering, this is by far the easiest method. It keeps formatting consistent and avoids alignment issues.

If superscript isn’t applying, here are the most common reasons:

• You can assign superscript to custom keyboard shortcuts (via Word’s customization panel)
• Word supports superscript auto-correction, like typing (TM) and letting it convert
• You can create a superscript style for documents that use it frequently
• Find & Replace can convert text to superscript automatically, perfect for math-heavy projects

These shortcuts aren’t widely known, but they’re game-changers for long documents.

Superscript in Word is one of those small formatting features you don’t think about—until you need it. And once you learn the shortcuts, ribbon tools, and equation tricks, it becomes second nature.

Whether you’re a student writing equations, a marketer typing trademark symbols, or someone cleaning up academic citations, knowing how to superscript properly will make your documents look more polished, more readable, and more professional. If you frequently work with formulas or footnotes and want a faster way to convert characters, an online Superscript Generator can save you a lot of time compared to manual formatting in Word.