As a math teacher, do you find that inserting equations and symbols is frequently slowing you down? Making worksheets, notes, activities, and assessments takes longer because we are frequently moving our hands from the keyboard to the mouse and back again. If I had a dollar for every time my right hand moved back to the keyboard just to not be aligned properly, I’d be rich. It’s even worse for the geometry teachers with all of the required symbols and notation. Thankfully, I figured out the math symbols keyboard shortcuts that saved my life. (Literally. So much time was wasted inserting symbols and formatting basic equations.)
Setting up Microsoft Word for Math Symbols Keyboard Shortcuts
Before you can type your math symbols, you need to follow a few steps to set up Microsoft Word. Luckily, you will only have to follow this step once. (Or any time you buy a new computer.)
The key is to set up your Math AutoCorrect. Make sure that you have the box checked that says “Use Math AutoCorrect outside of math regions.” Once you have that done, you’re ready to use all the math symbols keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Word.
Need step-by-step Math AutorCorrect directions for your device? Be sure to grab the free download: The Math Teacher’s Guide to Math Symbol Keyboard Shortcuts!
The Symbols Keyboard Shortcuts
Generally, the shortcuts are very simple. You type the backslash (\), and then the word of the symbol you want. Hit the spacebar, and voila! Your desired symbol magically appears.
Here are a few of my favorite, most commonly used math symbols:
Can you tell I’m a geometry teacher? Here are few more symbols that you may find helpful:
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many more shortcuts available!
Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Access the Equation Editor
Simply being able to add these symbols, without your hands having to leave the keyboard, is amazing enough. But, did you know that you can open up the equation editor too! That’s right! On a Mac, type “control” + “=”, and the math equation editor will pop up. On a PC, type “alt” + “=.” From here you can add a forward slash (/) to make fractions and use the caret (^) to add an exponent. For more complex equations and geometry notation, however, you will likely still need to use the mouse.
Math Symbols Keyboard Shortcuts in Google
Sadly, these next shortcuts only apply to Mac users. (If you figure them out on a PC without crazy codes, let me know! I’ve been looking for shortcuts for PC users on my Chromebook, and sadly, these just don’t work.)
Whether you’re using Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, or Forms, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to add symbols. However, this list is rather limited. If I need something not on the list below, I type it into Microsoft Word, and then copy and paste it into the Google application.
Here are the most common math symbols I found in Google applications:
If you are looking to add more complex equations into a Google application, you can use the Equatio add-on. For all the work of using an equation editor I’m not familiar with, I rather type the equation in Word and then copy-paste or insert a screenshot of it into the Google application.
