Word Subscript How-To

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Subscripts are super handy when you’re dealing with things like mathematical equations, chemical formulas, or any kind of scientific notation in Microsoft Word. It might seem like a pain to get them right, but Word’s got a few easy ways to make it happen. Let’s check them out.

Method 1: Using the Keyboard Shortcut

1. First, open your Word document and put your cursor right where you want the subscript to go.

2. Now, press Ctrl + = on your keyboard. This activates the subscript formatting.

3. Type the text that you need to be subscripted.

4. Press Ctrl + = again to turn off subscript formatting and go back to normal text.

Note: This shortcut toggles subscript on and off. Sadly, it doesn’t work in Word Online.

Method 2: Using the X₂ Button

1. Open your Word document and type out your content, where you need to use a subscript.
   

   

2. Highlight the text that should be formatted as a subscript.

3. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon.
   

   

4. In the Font group, click the X₂ button. It looks like the number “2” is subscripted.
   

   

The selected text will now be subscripted.

Method 3: Using Font Options

1. Select the text you want to change to subscript.

2. On the Home tab, click the little arrow at the bottom-right of the Font group to open the Font dialog box.
   

   

3. In the Font dialog, look under Effects, and then check the box that says Subscript.
   

   

4. Hit OK to apply the changes.
   

   

And there you have it, your text is now a subscript.

Method 4: Using Symbols

1. Place your cursor where you need to put the subscript symbol.

2. Navigate to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
   

   

3. Click on the Symbol dropdown, then pick More Symbols…
   

   

4. In the Symbol dialog, set the Font to Normal Text.
   

   

5. From the Subset dropdown, select Superscripts and Subscripts.

6. Find the subscript character that you need from the list.

7. Click Insert, then Close to exit the dialog.

The subscript symbol will be right where you put your cursor.

Removing Subscript Formatting

1. Highlight the subscripted text that you want to change back to normal.

2. Click the X₂ button again on the Home tab, which toggles the formatting off.

You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + = to remove subscript formatting.

By using these techniques, you can easily add subscripts to your Word documents and improve the look of your scientific or math content.