Inserting Check Marks in Excel Made Easy

Explore various methods to add check marks in Excel. Dive into the steps provided in this Mytour guide for a comprehensive understanding.

1. Check Marks and Checkboxes in Excel

Check marks are symbols that can be inserted into a cell (similar to text that we input). This means that when copying a cell, we also copy the check mark, and when deleting the cell, the check mark is also deleted. Additionally, similar to regular text, we can format check marks by changing the color and font size.

On the other hand, checkboxes are objects on the spreadsheet. So when we add a checkbox to any cell, it is not part of the cell but an object on it. This means that when we delete the cell, the checkbox will not be deleted. Additionally, we can select checkboxes and drag them to any position on the spreadsheet.

Checkboxes are commonly used in interactive reports and dashboards, whereas check marks are symbols we can add as part of a report.

In simplest terms, a check mark is an icon within a cell, while a checkbox is an object positioned above cells.

2. Adding Check Mark Symbols in Excel

Below, Mytour will guide you through some ways to add check mark symbols in Excel.

2.1 Method 1: Copy and Paste Check Marks

The easiest and simplest way to insert a check mark symbol is to copy and paste it into Excel.

To do this, first copy the check mark, then navigate to the cell where you want to paste the symbol. Next, double-click or press the F2 key to enter edit mode.

Then paste (using the shortcut Ctrl + V) the check mark there. Once you've added the check mark to Excel, you can copy and paste the symbol as many times as you like.

2.2 Method 2: Using shortcuts

To use shortcuts, we need to change the font in the cells to Wingdings 2 (or Wingdings, depending on the shortcut you use).

Below are the shortcuts to add check marks or cross symbols in cells. Note that to use these shortcuts, you'll first need to change the font to Wingdings 2.

Here are some other shortcuts you can use to insert check mark and cross symbols. To use these shortcuts, you'll need to change the font to Wingdings.

2.3 Method 3: Using the Symbols dialog box

Another way to insert check mark symbols (or any symbol) in Excel is to use the Symbol dialog box. To insert a tick mark in Excel using the Symbol dialog box, follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the cell where you want to add the check mark symbol.

Step 2: Click on the Insert tab on the Ribbon.

Step 3: Click on the Symbol icon.

Step 4: In the Symbol dialog box displayed on the screen, select Segoe UI Symbol as the font.

Step 5: Scroll down to find and double-click on the check mark symbol, or click on Insert.

The above steps will insert the check mark symbol into the selected cell. To add check marks to multiple cells in Excel, simply copy and paste the symbol into the desired cells.

Note: Using Segoe UI Symbol allows you to use check marks in any font commonly used in Excel (such as Arial, Time Now, Calibri, or Verdana). Depending on the fonts, the shape and size of the symbol can be customized.

2.4 Method 4: Using the CHAR function

Additionally, we can use the CHAR function to return the check mark or cross symbol.

Use the formula below to return the check mark symbol in a cell:

=CHAR(252)

Initially, change the font to Wingdings. This modification is necessary because CHAR(252) produces an ANSI character (ü) that, when converted to Wingdings, appears as a check mark.

Additionally, utilize the CHAR function with different parameters to generate various tick or cross symbols.

Consider the following dataset as an example:

An IF function can be employed to insert a tick for sales above 5,000 and a cross for those below this value.

Use the formula =IF(A2>5000,CHAR(252),CHAR(251)) for conditional checks.

Remember to set the column font to Wingdings for correct symbol display.

To keep values only, copy the cell and paste as values via Paste Special > Paste and Values icon.

Method 5: Utilize Autocorrect for easier insertion.

Excel features Autocorrect, which automatically corrects misspelled words. This feature can also be used to insert symbols in Excel.

Follow these steps to use Autocorrect to insert check mark symbols in Excel:

Step 1: Click on the File tab.

Step 2: Click on Options.

Step 3: In the Options dialog box, select Proofing.

Step 4: Next, click on the AutoCorrect Options button.

Step 5: In the Autocorrect dialog box, enter the following information:

- Replace: CMARK

- With: ✔ (you can copy and paste the symbol here)

Step 6: Click on Add, then select OK.

Now, whenever you type CMARK into cells in Excel, it will automatically change to a check mark.

Below are some notes to consider when using Autocorrect:

- Autocorrect distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters, so if you type 'cmark', it won't convert to a check mark.

- This method can be applied to other Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, etc.

- If there are any characters/numbers immediately before/after CMARK without spaces, it won't convert to a check mark.

2.6 Method 6: Using Conditional Formatting to insert check marks

In addition to the above methods, we can also use Conditional Formatting to insert check mark symbols in Excel.

For example, suppose you have a dataset below and you want to insert a check mark if the value is greater than 5,000 and a cross if the value is less than 5,000.

Follow the steps below to insert symbols using Conditional Formatting:

Step 1: In cell B2, enter =A2, then copy this formula for all cells. This ensures the same value is used in adjacent cells; if the value in column A changes, it will automatically change in column B.

Step 2: Select all cells in column B (the cells where you want to insert check marks).

Step 3: Click on the Home tab.

Step 4: Click on Conditional Formatting.

Step 5: Click on New Rule.

Step 6: In the New Formatting Rule dialog box, under the Format Style menu, click on Icon Sets.

Step 7: In the Icon Style menu, choose the check mark and cross style you want to use.

Step 8: Check the Show Icon only box. This ensures only the icons are displayed and the numbers are hidden.

Step 9: In the Icon Settings section, change 'percent' to 'number' and configure the settings as follows:

Step 10: Click on OK.

The above steps will insert a green checkmark icon in cells with values greater than 5,000 and a red cross icon if the value is less than 5,000.

2.7 Method 7: Utilizing VBA

By using a VBA code snippet to insert a checkmark icon when double-clicking on a cell and remove this icon if double-clicked on the same cell again, as shown in the example below:

To achieve this, we'll utilize VBA's double-click event and a simple VBA code.

Before delving into the steps, let's explore how VBA inserts a checkmark icon in Excel. The following code snippet inserts a checkmark into cell A1 and changes the font to Wingdings to ensure proper display:

Sub InsertCheckMark()

Range('A1').Font.Name = 'Wingdings'

Range('A1').Value = 'ü'

End Sub

Next, we'll apply a similar concept to insert a checkmark upon double-clicking. To accomplish this, we utilize the following code:

Private Sub Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick(ByVal Target As Range, Cancel As Boolean)

If Target.Column = 2 Then

Cancel = True

Target.Font.Name = 'Wingdings'

If Target.Value = '' Then

Target.Value = 'ü'

Else

Target.Value = ''

End If

End If

End Sub

Copy and paste the above code snippet into the code window of your Excel worksheet where you want to implement this functionality. To open the code window, left-click on the worksheet name, then find and click on View Code.

3. Formatting the checkmark icon in Excel

Similar to text, checkmark icons can be formatted for color and size adjustments.

Simply select the cells with checkmark icons and apply desired formats like font size and color.

3.1 Use Conditional Formatting for checkmark / cross mark formatting

Conditional Formatting allows us to format symbols displayed in Excel cells.

For instance:

Column B uses the CHAR function to return a checkmark for values over 5,000 and a cross mark for values under 5,000.

Symbols in columns C and D are made more visually appealing with Conditional Formatting.

To format checkmarks using Conditional Formatting in Excel, follow these steps.

Example below uses the CHAR function to insert checkmark or cross mark symbols based on cell values.

Follow these steps to add color to symbols within cells:

Step 1: Select cells containing checkmark / cross mark symbols.

Step 2: Go to the Home tab.

Step 3: Click on Conditional Formatting.

Step 4: Click on New Rule.

Step 5: In the New Formatting Rule dialog, locate and select Use a formula to determine which cells to format.

Step 6: In the Formula box, input the following formula:

=B2=CHAR(252)

Step 7: Click on the Format button.

Step 8: In the Format Cells dialog, go to the Fill tab and select green color.

Step 9: Switch to the Font tab and choose white color.

Step 10: Click on OK.

After completing the above steps, the data table will appear as follows, with all checkmarks standing out with green background and white font.

Follow similar steps to format cells with cross mark symbols. However, in step 6, use the formula =B2=CHAR(251) and format in step 9.

3.2 Counting checkmark symbols in Excel

In case you want to count the total number of checkmarks (or cross marks), this can be achieved by combining the COUNTIF and CHAR functions.

For example, suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to calculate the total number of stores achieving the specified sales revenue target.

Use the formula below to calculate the total number of checkmarks in column C, and you will get the total number of stores meeting the revenue target:

=COUNTIF($C$2:$C$10,CHAR(252))

In this article, Mytour has just guided you on how to insert checkmark symbols in Excel. Additionally, if you have any queries or questions needing clarification, feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments section below the article.

Moreover, you can explore how to insert checkmarks into text, applicable across all versions of Word. Incorporating checkmarks into text will help emphasize essential segments, enhancing readability.