How to Create Subscript in Microsoft Office, Google Docs, & TextEdit

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An Easy guide to adding subscripts to your documents on a computer or mobile phone

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: January 30, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using Microsoft Office (Desktop)

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Using Microsoft Office (Web)

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Using Microsoft Office (Mobile)

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Using Google Docs (Desktop)

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Using Google Docs (Mobile)

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Using TextEdit on Mac

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Do you want to type in subscript? Subscript text is commonly used in mathematical equations and chemical formulas. The way you type subscript varies depending on the app you are using. This wikiHow article teaches you how to write subscript using Microsoft Office, Google Docs, TextEdit on Mac.

Things You Should Know

In Microsoft Office, highlight the text you want to format and press "'Ctrl' + '='" on PC or "'Shift' + '-'" on Mac to format text in a subscript format.
In Google Docs, highlight the text you want to format and click "Format" > "Text" > "Subscript." On Mobile, tap "A" at the top of the page and then tap the "X₂" icon.
You can copy and paste subscript text from one app to another, but not all apps support subscript formatting.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Using Microsoft Office (Desktop)

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1
Open a document in Microsoft Office. You can either open an existing document or create a new Word, PowerPoint or Excel document.
- You need to purchase a subscription to Office365 to use Microsoft Office applications on your desktop computer. A free 30-day trial is available.
Click and drag over the text you want to convert to subscript.

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If you are using Word or PowerPoint, the easiest way to convert highlighted text to subscript is to use the keyboard shortcut.
It's in the menu bar at the top of the page.
If you are using Microsoft Word, you can click the icon that resembles a large "X" with a subscript "2" next to it. It's in the "Font" box under the "Home" tab at the top of the page. This will convert the highlighted text to a subscript format.^{[1]
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Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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If you are using PowerPoint or Excel, click the icon that resembles a folded page corner with a diagonal arrow in the lower-right corner of the "Font" box in the menu bar at the top of the page.^{[2]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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It's in the box labeled "Effects" in the Font Settings menu.^{[3]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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It's in the lower-right corner. This will convert the highlighted text into subscript format.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Using Microsoft Office (Web)

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Go to https://outlook.live.com/ and log in. Log in with your Microsoft/Office365 account. This will open your Outlook mailbox.
You can see the Office programs listed in the menu bar to the left. Click the blue icon for Word, the green icon for Excel, or the red icon for PowerPoint.
You can click a document in the list of recent documents on the main page, or click Blank document at the top of the page to create a new document.
Click and drag over the text you want to convert to subscript.
It's in the menu bar at the top.
It's the icon with three dots in the Font menu at the top of the page. This displays the More Font Options menu.
It's next to an icon that says "X₂". This converts the highlighted text to a subscript format.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Using Microsoft Office (Mobile)

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1
Open a Microsoft Office app. Tap the Word, PowerPoint, or Excel icon on your Home screen or Apps menu to open a Microsoft Office app on your smartphone. The Word app has a blue icon. Excel has a green icon, and PowerPoint has a red icon.
- You can download Microsoft Office apps from the Google Play Store on Android phones and tablets, or from the App Store on iPhone and iPad.
- You need to purchase a subscription to Office365 to use Microsoft Office applications on your desktop computer. Though a free 30-day trial is available.
You can tap a saved document in the list of recent documents on the main page. Or you can tap the plus (+) icon in the upper-right corner to create a new document.
To do so, tap and hold a word or characters you want to highlight. Then tap and drag the character markers on both sides of the highlighted text to adjust the highlighted portion of the text.
It's the icon that resembles a capital "A" with a pencil in front of it. It's at the top of the screen.
Use the drop-down menu in the lower-left corner to select the "Home" menu. This displays the home menu at the bottom of the screen.
This displays options for formatting text.
It's the first option at the top of the menu. This converts the highlighted text to a subscript format.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Using Google Docs (Desktop)

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Go to https://docs.google.com/ and log in. Log in with your Google account if you haven't already done so. This will open your Google Docs page.
You can click a saved document under "Recent," or click Blank at the top of the page to open a new blank document.
You can use your mouse to highlight any part of text in the document.
The easiest way to convert text to subscript is to use the keyboard shortcut.^{[4]
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This button is located on a tab bar below the document name near the upper-left corner of the page.^{[5]
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This will open your text options on a sub-menu.^{[6]
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This will convert the highlighted text into a subscript format.^{[7]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Using Google Docs (Mobile)

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1
Open the Google Docs app. It has an icon that resembles a blue page. Tap the Google Docs icon on your Home screen or apps menu.^{[8]
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- You can download the Google Docs app from the Google Play Store on Android phones and tablets, or from the App Store on iPhone and iPad.
- If you are not logged in, go ahead and Log in with your Google account.
You can tap a saved document below "Last opened by me," or tap the plus (+) icon in the lower-right corner to create a new document.
To do so, tap and hold a word or characters you want to highlight. Then tap and drag the character markers on both sides of the highlighted text to adjust the highlighted portion of the text.
4
Tap the font icon. It's the icon that resembles a capital "A" with lines next to it. It's at the top of the page. This displays the Font menu at the bottom of the screen.
- You may need to tap the center of the screen to display the options at the top of the page.
It's the first tab at the top of the menu at the bottom of the screen.
It's the last button at the top of the menu at the bottom of the screen. It's below the "Text" and "Paragraph" tabs. This converts the highlighted text to a subscript format.^{[9]
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Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Using TextEdit on Mac

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You can open a saved document in TextEdit or open a new, blank page, start writing from scratch.
You can use your mouse or your keyboard to select the part of text you want to convert into subscript.^{[10]
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You can find this button on your Mac's menu bar at the top of your screen.^{[11]
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This will show your font tools on a sub-menu.^{[12]
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This will show your baseline options on a sub-menu.^{[13]
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This will instantly convert the selected text into subscript.^{[14]
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