Insert a Check Mark or Tick Symbol in Excel

You can add a check mark in Excel in several ways: Insert > Symbol, a formula like =UNICHAR(10003), a font trick with Wingdings 2, or simply copying ✓ and pasting it. The best choice depends on whether you want to type ticks by hand, have a formula add them, or count them later. This guide shows each method, then how to count ticks with COUNTIF and add them automatically with IF.

Method 1: Insert > Symbol#

The Symbol dialog in Excel for Windows gives a real tick character:

1. Click the cell where you want the tick.
2. Go to Insert > Symbol.
3. Choose the font Segoe UI Symbol.
4. In Character code, with from: Unicode (hex) selected, type 2713 to jump to ✓, or 2714 for the heavier ✔.
5. Click Insert, then Close.

On a Mac, the quickest route is the system Character Viewer. Click the cell, press Control+⌘+Space, search "check" and double-click the tick.

Once one tick is in a cell, copy it (Windows: Ctrl+C; Mac: ⌘C) and paste it wherever you need it. You can also copy these from this page: ✓ ✔ ✗ ✘.

Method 2: A formula with UNICHAR#

UNICHAR returns any character from its Unicode number, so a formula can produce a tick:

UNICHAR needs Excel 2013 or later on Windows, or Excel 2016 or later on a Mac. The tick is a real character, so it looks the same in any font that has it and survives copying to other programs.

An older formula is =CHAR(252) with the cell font set to Wingdings. It shows a tick, but the cell really holds the letter ü. Change the font and the tick turns back into ü.

Method 3: Wingdings 2 and keyboard shortcuts#

Font tricks are the fastest way to type many ticks by hand:

1. Select the cells, such as the Done column.
2. Set the font to Wingdings 2 (Home > Font).
3. Type a capital P (Shift+P) for ✓, or a capital O for ✗.

On Windows, there is also an Alt code: set the font to Wingdings, hold Alt and type 0252 on the number pad.

The catch is that the cell holds a letter, not a tick. Formulas see P, not ✓. If someone changes the font, or you copy the column into an email, the ticks become letters. Use this method for quick manual lists, and Unicode ticks (Methods 1 and 2) for anything formulas or other people will use.

If you type ticks often, set up AutoCorrect. Go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options (Mac: Tools > AutoCorrect), and replace a code like (ok) with ✓ pasted from a cell.

How to count check marks with COUNTIF#

COUNTIF counts the cells that hold a tick, just like it counts a word. With this task list:

=COUNTIF(C2:C8,"✓")

returns 4. Typing ✓ inside a formula is awkward, so a neat trick is to keep one tick in a cell, say G1, and point to it: =COUNTIF(C2:C8,G1). The COUNTIF function guide explains the criteria rules.

For ticks made with Wingdings 2, count the letter: =COUNTIF(C2:C8,"P"). To count every filled cell, whatever symbol it holds, use =COUNTIF(C2:C8,"<>").

To show progress, divide by the number of tasks:

=COUNTIF(C2:C8,"✓")/COUNTA(A2:A8)

That is 4 of 7, or 57% when formatted as a percentage. The same pattern counts Yes answers in a survey; see how to count Yes in Excel.

How to add a check mark automatically with IF#

IF can put a tick in a cell when a condition is true. If D2 is sales and E2 is the target:

=IF(D2>=E2,"✓","✗")

shows ✓ when the target is met and ✗ when it isn't. To leave the cell empty instead of a cross, use "" as the last argument. You can swap the quoted ticks for UNICHAR(10003) and UNICHAR(10007) if typing the symbols is hard. The IF function guide covers the logic, and returning Yes or No with IF shows the same idea with words.

To color the ticks, add a conditional formatting rule on the column: Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Text that Contains, type ✓ and choose green. The conditional formatting guide covers more rules. For numbers, Conditional Formatting > Icon Sets also has a ready-made green tick, yellow exclamation and red cross set.

Why do my check marks show as letters or boxes?#

Ticks that turn into letters or empty boxes have a font problem. Check these causes:

1. Letters like P or ü. The ticks were made with Wingdings or Wingdings 2, and the cell font has changed. Set the font back, or replace them with Unicode ticks using Find and Replace (Windows: Ctrl+H; Mac: Control+H): find P, replace with ✓, and limit it to the Done column.
2. Empty boxes or question marks. The font in use has no tick character. Switch the cell to a common font such as Calibri, Arial or Segoe UI Symbol.
3. COUNTIF returns 0. The formula looks for ✓ but the cells hold ✔ (or the other way round). They are different characters, so copy the exact tick from a cell into the formula, or point COUNTIF at that cell.

Check mark or checkbox?#

A check mark is text you type or a formula returns. A checkbox is a small control people click, and it stores TRUE or FALSE. Choose by how the sheet is used:

• Check marks suit reports and formula results, like "target met".
• Checkboxes suit to-do lists and trackers where people tick items on and off.

The guide to adding checkboxes in Excel shows how to insert and count them, and a habit tracker is a good project that uses either.

Practise it#

Ticks become useful when formulas read them. Try the exercise on this page, then practise COUNTIF in a live spreadsheet and practise IF formulas that return text like ✓ or "Done". Each step checks your formula instantly, so you can build trackers that count themselves.