28 February 2021

Not Equal ≠ symbol in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Peter Deegan Fonts, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Word, Office 2007, Office 2010, Office 2013, Office 2016, Office 2019, Office 365 Symbols & Emoji in Microsoft Office, Windows and Mac

Type the Not Equal ≠ sign into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac.

Not Equal ≠ symbol is used in equations, obviously but it’s also handy shorthand in a heading or slide.

The official Unicode name is ‘Not Equal To’.

How Not Equal ≠ looks in different fonts.

Here’s some examples of how Not Equal ≠ looks in common Office fonts.

Not Equal ≠ codes

These are the important code numbers or values you’ll need to enter the Not Equal or ≠

Decimal: 8800 Hex: 2260

Web:  &ne; or &#8800; or &#x2260;

(web codes aren’t used in Microsoft Office, we’ve included them for the sake of completeness.)

Word and Outlook

The Not Equal ≠ sign does NOT have an inbuilt shortcut in Word.

Use the standard Word Alt + X symbol shortcut 2260 + Alt + X

Once in a document you can copy it to AutoCorrect and make your own shortcut.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Insert | Symbols | Symbol and look for the Not Equal symbol.

Windows

In Windows there are several shortcuts to enter the Not Equal ≠ character into any program, but they use a numeric keypad, not the number row above the letters.

Alt + 8800

Windows Character Map

The Windows Character Map accessory in all Windows releases

Character Map has a search feature, something missing from the Insert | Symbol in Office.

MacOS and Office for Mac inserting characters

On a Mac, to enter the Not Equal ≠ symbol:

Command + Control + Spacebar shortcut to open the Character Viewer.

Search for “ Not Equal “ and the Viewer should find the symbol you need.

Despite the name Character Viewer, the Apple system tool will also insert characters into any program, including Office for Mac.