How to Insert the Mu or Micro Symbol in Word (µ)

6 Ways to Insert or Type the Mu or Micro Symbol in Word Documents

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated November 2, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^®  2013, 2016, 2019 or 365 (Windows)

You can insert or type the Mu or Micro symbol (µ) in Word documents using built-in commands or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The Mu or Micro symbol is comparable to the letter m in the Greek alphabet.

The Mu symbol designates a population mean in statistics, coefficient of friction or magnetic permeability. Micro (Micron or Micrometer) is used as a prefix in the metric system for measurement.

In this article, we'll review 6 ways to insert the Mu or Micro symbol in Word:

1. Use the Insert Symbol command in the Ribbon
2. Use an Alt keyboard shortcut by pressing Alt and then typing a number sequence
3. Assign custom keyboard shortcuts
4. Use the Symbol font and press the corresponding letter on the keyboard
5. Use Math AutoCorrect
6. Type AutoCorrect entries in an equation block or placeholder

Recommended article: How to Hide Comments in Word (or Display Them)

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1. Inserting the Mu or Micro symbol using Insert Symbol

To insert the Mu or Micro symbol using Insert Symbol:

1. Position the cursor in the document where you want to insert the Mu or Micro symbol.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Symbols group, select Symbol. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click More Symbols. A dialog box appears.
5. If necessary, click the Symbols tab.
6. Select (normal text) from the Font drop-down menu and then Greek and Coptic from the Subset menu. You could also select the Symbol font.
7. Click the Mu or Micro symbol.
8. Click Insert.
9. Click Close.

The Insert Symbol dialog box displays the Mu or Micro symbol when you select normal text as the font and Greek and Coptic as the subset:

2. Using an Alt keyboard shortcut to insert the Mu or Micro symbol

You can press the Alt key in combination with numbers on the numeric keypad to insert the Mu or Micro symbol in two ways:

• Press Alt + 230
• Press Alt + 0181

For Mac users, press Option + M.

If the sequence doesn'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. Creating a custom keyboard shortcut for Mu or Micro

You can also create your own keyboard shortcut for special characters. The easiest method is to access Shortcuts using the Insert Symbol dialog box.

To create your own keyboard shortcut for Mu or Micro:

1. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
2. In the Symbols group, click Symbol. A drop-down menu appears.
3. Select More Symbols. A dialog box appears.
4. If necessary, click the Symbols tab.
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 Mu or Micro symbol.
7. Click Shortcut. A dialog box appears.
8. Click in the Press new shortcut key box.
9. Press the keys you want to use (for example, press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + M). If the keyboard shortcut is assigned to another command, Word will display it so you can decide if you want replace it.
10. Click Assign.
11. Click Close twice.

To insert the character, press the keys you assigned.

The Customize Keyboard dialog box appears as follows:

These shortcuts are typically saved in the Normal (default) template. When you close Word, you should be prompted to save the Normal template. Be sure to click Save.

4. Inserting the Mu or Micro symbol by switching to the Symbol font

You can use the Symbol font to insert Greek letters or symbols in Word documents.

To insert letters or symbols using the Symbol font:

1. Click in the location in the document where you want to insert the letter or symbol.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Q to switch to the Symbol font.
3. Type the character to insert the required letter or symbol.

The Greek characters correspond to standard characters. For example, type the lowercase letter m. Note that this works for one character only and then the font changes back to the normal font.

5. Inserting the Mu or Micro symbol Using AutoCorrect for Math

Another way to insert the Mu or Micro symbol is to turn on Math AutoCorrect outside of math regions and then type specific sequences to insert the symbol in a Word document.

To turn on AutoCorrect for Math so you can use it in all areas of a Word document:

1. Click the File tab in the Ribbon.
2. Click Options. A dialog box appears.
3. In the categories on the left, click Proofing.
4. Click AutoCorrect Options in the pane on the right. A dialog box appears.
5. Click the Math AutoCorrect tab.
6. Select or check Use Math AutoCorrect rules outside of math regions.
7. Click OK twice.
8. To enter the Mu or Micro symbol in a document, type \mu then press the Spacebar.

The Math AutoCorrect options appear as follows:

6. Entering the Mu or Micro symbol in equation blocks or placeholders

To enter the Mu or Micro symbol in an equation block or placeholder:

1. Click in the document where you want to enter an equation.
2. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Symbols group, click Equation to insert a new equation block or placeholder. Alternatively, type Alt + equal sign (=). You can also use an existing equation block or placeholder.
4. Click in the equation block or placeholder and type a backslash (\) plus the name of the symbol (such as \mu) and then press the Spacebar.

Below is a new equation block or placeholder:

When you are in an equation block, you can also click the Equation tab in the Ribbon and select the Mu or Micro symbol in the Symbols group:

1. Click in an equation block or placeholder.
2. Click the Equation tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click the More arrow on the bottom right of the Symbols gallery.
4. At the top of the Symbols gallery, select the drop-down menu (typically, this displays Basic Math).
5. Select Greek Letters from the drop-down menu. A gallery appears.
6. Click the Mu or Micro symbol.

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

You can enter other Greek characters using the same tools.

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