How to Insert or Type Greek Letters or Symbols in PowerPoint (5 Ways)

Insert Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Omega, Pi, Sigma, Theta and Other Greek Symbols in PowerPoint Presentations

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated August 20, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® PowerPoint^® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can insert or type Greek letters or symbols (such as Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Omega, Pi, Sigma or Theta) in PowerPoint presentations using built-in features as well as keyboard shortcuts.

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In this article, we'll look at 5 ways to insert Greek letters or symbols in PowerPoint:

1. Use the Insert Symbol command
2. Use an Alt shortcut by pressing Alt and then entering a number sequence
3. Change to the Symbol font and press the corresponding letter on the keyboard
4. Enter Math AutoCorrect shortcuts in equation blocks or placeholders
5. Use the Equation tab in the Ribbon to insert symbols in an equation block or placeholder

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1. Inserting Greek symbols using Insert Symbol

To insert a Greek symbol in a text box or placeholder on a PowerPoint slide using Insert Symbol:

1. Click in a text box or placeholder where you want to insert the Greek symbol.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Symbols group, click Symbol. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click More Symbols. A dialog box appears.
5. Select (normal text) from the Font drop-down menu and then Greek and Coptic from the Subset menu. Alternatively, you could select the Symbol font.
6. Click the symbol or letter you want to use.
7. Click Insert.
8. Click Close.

The Insert Symbol dialog box in PowerPoint displays Greek letters or symbols when you select normal text as the font and Greek and Coptic as the subset:

2. Using Alt keyboard shortcuts to insert Greek symbols

You can press the Alt key in combination with numbers on the numeric keypad to insert Greek symbols.

Click in a text box or placeholder and press and hold Alt and then enter number sequences on the numeric keypad to enter the following:

α (Alpha) – Alt + 224
ß (Beta) – Alt + 225
Γ (Gamma) – Alt + 226
Δ (Upper case Delta) – Alt + 916
δ (Lower case Delta) – Alt + 235
ε (Epsilon) – Alt + 238
Θ (Theta) – Alt + 233
π (Pi) – Alt + 227
µ (Mu) – Alt + 230
Σ (Upper case Sigma) – Alt + 228
σ (Lower case Sigma) – Alt + 229
τ (Tau) – Alt + 231
Φ (Upper case Phi) – Alt + 232
φ (Lower case Phi) – Alt + 237
Ω (Omega) – Alt + 234

If these sequences don't work, press the NumLock key on the numeric keypad.

If you don't have a numeric keypad, you may be able to press the Fn key and access the numbers at the top of your keyboard.

3. Inserting Greek symbols by switching to the Symbol font

You can use the Symbol font to insert Greek letters or symbols on slides.

To insert Greek letters or symbols using the Symbol font:

1. Click in a text box or placeholder on a PowerPoint slide.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon and select Symbol from the Font drop-down menu in the Font group.
3. Type the character(s) to insert the required letter or symbol (such as lower case letter a for alpha).
4. Change the font back to a standard font (such as Calibri or Arial) when you have finished entering the Greek characters.

The Greek characters correspond to standard characters. For example, if you type lower case letter a, PowerPoint enters the corresponding Greek lowercase letter. You could type the entire Greek alphabet in a placeholder in upper and lower case.

4. Inserting Greek symbols in Equation placeholders Using AutoCorrect for Math

To enter Greek symbols in an equation block or placeholder:

1. Display the slide where you want to insert an equation.
2. Click in a blank area on the slide.
3. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
4. In the Symbols group, click Equation to insert a new equation block or placeholder. Alternatively, type Alt + equal sign (=). You can also click in an existing equation block or placeholder.
5. Click in the equation block or placeholder and type a backslash (\) plus the name of the symbol (such as \lambda) and then press the spacebar. Enter the name in lowercase if you want to enter a lowercase letter or enter with a starting capital if you want to enter a capital letter (such as \Lambda).

5. Inserting Greek symbols in Equation placeholders using the Ribbon

To enter Greek symbols in an equation block or placeholder using the Ribbon:

1. Display the slide where you want to insert an equation.
2. Click in a blank area on the slide.
3. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
4. In the Symbols group, click Equation to insert a new equation block or placeholder. Alternatively, type Alt + equal sign (=). You can also click in an existing equation block or placeholder.
5. Click the Equation tab in the Ribbon.
6. Click the More arrow on the bottom right of the Symbols gallery.
7. At the top of the Symbols gallery, select the drop-down menu (typically, this displays Basic Math).
8. Select Greek Letters from the drop-down menu
9. Click the desired Greek symbol.

The menu of Greek characters in the Equation tab appears as follows:

These methods are easy to use and it's up to you which method you prefer.

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