The farad symbol is F, the plain capital letter, so press Shift+F on any keyboard. The unit only gets tricky with its micro prefix: microfarad is µF, and you type that µ with Alt+0181 on Windows or Option+M on Mac. Both work in Word and Excel, and the F itself needs nothing special.
Because F is already a keyboard letter, this guide spends most of its time on the one character people actually get stuck on: the micro sign in µF. Here is every method, with the exact keys.
| Form or method | Type this | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| F (farad) | Shift + F | The ordinary capital letter, U+0046 |
| µ on Windows | Alt + 0181 | Numeric keypad; Windows-1252, reliable everywhere |
| µ on Windows (OEM) | Alt+0230 | CP437 and CP850 both map µ to this code |
| µ on Mac | Option + M | Mac has no Alt codes |
| µ in Word/Outlook/OneNote | type 00B5, then Alt+X | Use 03BC for Greek mu μ |
| µ in Excel/Sheets | =UNICHAR(181) | =UNICHAR(956) gives Greek mu μ |
| µ in HTML | µ or µ or µ | μ gives Greek mu, a different character |
| µ in LaTeX | \textmu or \micro (siunitx) | \si{\micro\farad} renders µF |
| Unicode | U+00B5 micro sign; U+03BC Greek mu | Identical shape, different code points |
Alt codes take decimal (0181). Word’s Alt+X and the Chromebook shortcut take hexadecimal (00B5). It is the same character with two different numbers, so don’t feed 00B5 into an Alt code.
Type the farad symbol on Windows
F is just the capital letter, so Shift+F is all it takes. The work is in the micro sign for microfarad.
For µ, hold Alt and type 0181 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. That is the Windows-1252 code, and it behaves the same on every regional setup. The older code Alt+0230 also gives µ, but zero-less codes read from your machine’s OEM code page, so the leading-zero 0181 is the one to trust.
No numeric keypad? Press Win+. (period) to open the emoji and symbol panel, then search “micro” or “mu.
” Character Map (type charmap in the Start menu) holds it too. For the decimal values behind these and other codes, the full Alt code list covers them, and the Alt code finder looks any character up by name.
Type the farad symbol on Mac
Mac has no Alt codes, so ignore any Alt+number you see elsewhere. F is Shift+F. For microfarad, press Option+M to get the micro sign µ, then type F.
Want the Greek mu μ instead, or prefer to browse? Open the Character Viewer with Ctrl+Cmd+Space, search “micro sign” or “mu,” and double-click to insert.
The farad in Word and PowerPoint
Type F normally and leave it upright, not italic. SI style keeps unit symbols in roman type; an italic F reads as a variable, not the farad.
For µF, use one of these:
- Type 00b5, then press Alt+X. Word swaps it for the micro sign. Use 03bc then Alt+X for the Greek mu.
- Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, set the subset to Latin-1 Supplement, and pick the micro sign.
- Use it often? Open Insert → Symbol → AutoCorrect and set “uuf” to replace with “µF” (a non-word trigger won’t clobber real text).
The same Insert → Symbol route works in PowerPoint. There is no Alt+X there, so use the menu or paste the character.
The farad in Excel and Google Sheets
F is a normal keystroke here too. The useful Excel move is showing a value with its unit while keeping the cell a real number.
=UNICHAR(181)returns the micro sign µ;=UNICHAR(956)returns the Greek mu μ. Join them with a value:=A1&" µF".- Alt+0181 works directly in a cell if you have a numeric keypad.
- To label a number without breaking math, right-click the cell → Format Cells → Custom, and enter
0.0" µF". A cell holding 4.7 then shows 4.7 µF and still calculates.
Google Sheets has no Insert → Symbol menu. Use =UNICHAR(181) or =UNICHAR(956), or paste the character in. To run an OS-level shortcut inside a cell, press F2 first to enter edit mode.
The farad in Google Docs
Type F as usual. For the micro sign, go to Insert → Special characters, then search “micro sign” (or “mu”) or draw the shape in the sketch box.
Click the result to drop it in. Docs has no Alt+X, so this menu is the route.
The farad on iPhone and Android
The letter F is on the keyboard already. The micro sign takes a workaround on phones.
- iPhone: there is no long-press for µ on the default keyboard. Set up a shortcut in Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, mapping “uuf” to “µF”. After that, typing uuf expands to µF anywhere.
- Android (Gboard): check the symbols layout by tapping ?123, then =\<, where µ often sits. If your build doesn’t show it, add a text shortcut in Gboard settings, or paste.
The farad on a Chromebook
ChromeOS has no Alt codes, and a USB number pad won’t change that, because Alt codes are a Windows feature rather than keypad hardware. Type F normally.
For µ, press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 00b5, then press Enter or Space. An underlined u marks input mode; enter the hex digits only, with no U+ prefix. Use 03bc for the Greek mu.
The symbol picker at Launcher+Shift+Space (or the Quick Insert key on newer Chromebooks) works too. If a web field swallows the shortcut, paste instead.
The farad in Notion, Slack, Discord, and Canva
None of these have a dedicated shortcut for the micro sign. Type F normally. For µF, paste the character or lean on an OS-level text replacement so it appears whenever you type your trigger.
- Windows and Chromebook: use the emoji/symbol picker (Win+. or Launcher+Shift+Space) or the Ctrl+Shift+U method, then keep the result on your clipboard.
- Mac: Option+M, or set a system replacement in System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements.
Once the replacement exists, it fires the same way in Slack, Discord, Notion, and Canva text boxes.
The farad on web pages (HTML and CSS)
The letter F needs no entity. For microfarad, use the micro sign entity:
- HTML:
µ,µ, orµall render µ. The entityμgives the Greek mu μ, a different character. - CSS:
content: "\00B5";for the micro sign, or"\03BC"for Greek mu.
Troubleshooting the farad symbol
Italic F. Capacitance the quantity is written C in italics; the unit farad is F upright. If your equation editor or a stylesheet italicizes the F, the meaning shifts from “the farad” to “a variable called F.” Keep the unit in roman type.
µ works here, breaks there. The micro sign (U+00B5) and Greek mu (U+03BC) look almost identical but are separate code points.
A find-and-replace or a strict data validator can miss one while matching the other. If a search for µF returns nothing, you probably have the other character.
A different glyph from Alt+0230. Zero-less Alt codes read your OEM code page.
Alt+0230 happens to give µ in both CP437 and CP850, but the habit of relying on zero-less codes bites with other symbols. Use Alt+0181.
Excel left-aligns your entry. If “4. 7 µF” sits left-aligned, you’ve turned it into text and lost the number.
Use the custom format 0.0" µF" so the cell stays numeric and right-aligned.
What the farad is used for
The farad (F) is the SI unit of capacitance, named after Michael Faraday. One farad equals one coulomb of charge per volt.
A whole farad is a large amount, so components are almost always labeled with prefixes: picofarads (pF) and nanofarads (nF) for small ceramic capacitors, microfarads (µF) for electrolytics, and farads or kilofarads (kF) for supercapacitors. You will see these on datasheets, circuit schematics, and physics problem sets.
Related symbols
The henry (H) is the closest match: the SI unit of inductance, also a single capital letter named after a scientist, and easy to mix up with the farad in circuit notes. The kelvin (K) is another single-letter SI unit, though people often add a stray degree sign it doesn’t take.
Related guides
- Browse the math and science symbol guides for units, operators, and Greek letters.
- How to type the mean / average symbol (x̄)
- How to type the log and ln shortcuts
- How to type the set-builder notation symbol
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single Unicode character just for the farad?
No. The farad is written with the ordinary Latin capital letter F (U+0046), the same F already on your keyboard. There is no dedicated “farad sign” code point, so you never need an Alt code or a symbol menu for the unit itself. Only the prefixes, mainly the micro sign in µF, need special typing.
Should there be a space between the number and the unit, like 10 µF?
Yes. SI style puts a space between the numeral and the unit symbol: 10 µF, not 10µF. In print and on the web, a non-breaking space ( or Option+Space on Mac) keeps the value and unit from splitting across a line break.
Why is capacitance written with a C but the unit is F?
They are different things. C is the quantity symbol for capacitance and is set in italics; F is the unit it is measured in and stays upright.
So a capacitor might read C = 4. 7 µF: the italic C names the property, the upright µF names the amount.
How do I type µF without a number pad?
On Windows, press Win+. (period) and search “micro,” or use Word’s Alt+X (type 00b5, then Alt+X). On Mac it is Option+M, which needs no keypad.
On a Chromebook, use Ctrl+Shift+U then 00b5. Any of these avoids the numeric keypad that Alt+0181 requires.
Micro sign µ vs Greek mu μ: which is correct for microfarad?
Both display the same shape, and either reads correctly as µF. The micro sign (U+00B5) is what your keyboard shortcuts produce and is fine for everyday documents. Strict typesetting and Unicode’s own guidance prefer the Greek small letter mu (U+03BC); use 03bc in Word’s Alt+X or =UNICHAR(956) in a spreadsheet if you want it.