The summation symbol is ∑. On a Mac, press Option+W. On Windows there’s no standard Alt code for it, so the reliable routes are typing 2211 in Word and pressing Alt+X, or =UNICHAR(8721) in Excel. Its Unicode name is N-ARY SUMMATION (U+2211), and the LaTeX command is \sum.
Pick your app below. The one thing to know up front: the summation sign lives high in Unicode, so the classic Windows Alt code trick that works for € or © does not have an equivalent here. Use the Word, Excel, or copy method instead.
Quick reference for the ∑ symbol
| Method | Input | Works in |
|---|---|---|
| Mac shortcut | Option + W | Most Mac apps |
| Windows Alt code (decimal) | 2211 then Alt+X in Word | Unicode-aware Windows apps only |
| Word (Alt+X) | Type 2211, then press Alt+X | Word, Outlook, OneNote |
| Excel / Google Sheets | =UNICHAR(8721) | Excel, Google Sheets |
| Chromebook / Linux | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 2211 | ChromeOS, Linux |
| HTML (named) | ∑ | Web pages |
| HTML (numeric) | ∑ or ∑ | Web pages |
| CSS escape | \2211 | Stylesheets (content property) |
| LaTeX | \sum | Math typesetting |
| Unicode code point | U+2211 | Universal reference |
Note the two different numbers. The Alt code and UNICHAR take the decimal value 8721.
Word’s Alt+X and the Chromebook shortcut take the hex value 2211. They point to the same character, but they are not interchangeable, so don’t type 2211 into an Alt code or 8721 into Alt+X.
Type the summation symbol on Windows
There is no leading-zero Alt code (Alt+0xxx) for ∑ in the standard Western character set, and no legacy DOS code either. Anyone publishing “2211 then Alt+X in Word” as a universal Windows shortcut is half right: it does work, but only in apps that accept Unicode Alt input, and only from the numeric keypad with Num Lock on.
- Put the cursor where you want the symbol.
- Hold Alt and type 8721 on the numeric keypad (not the top-row number keys).
- Release Alt. If nothing appears, the app doesn’t support Unicode Alt codes.
For apps that ignore it, use Character Map. Open it from the Start menu, tick Advanced view, search for “n-ary summation,” double-click to select, then copy.
The Windows emoji panel (Win+. ) also has a symbols tab with math operators if you’d rather browse.
Type the summation symbol on Mac
Mac has a genuine single-keystroke shortcut. Press Option+W and ∑ appears. It works in most Mac apps, including Pages, Notes, and Safari text fields.
If you can’t remember the combo, open the Character Viewer with Ctrl+Cmd+Space, search “summation,” and double-click the glyph. Macs have no Alt codes, so ignore any Windows Alt number you see elsewhere.
Type the summation symbol in Word and PowerPoint
Word has the cleanest method of any app. Type 2211, then press Alt+X. The four digits flip into ∑ in place. The same Alt+X trick works in Outlook and OneNote, but not in Excel or PowerPoint.
For a menu route that covers both Word and PowerPoint, go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, set the subset to Mathematical Operators, and pick ∑. In Word’s equation editor (Alt+=), typing \sum also produces the sign, which is handy when you’re building an actual formula with limits above and below.
Type the summation symbol in Excel and Google Sheets
Alt+X does not exist in spreadsheets, so use the formula. In either Excel or Google Sheets, enter =UNICHAR(8721) and the cell returns ∑. Wrap it with text if you need it inline, for example ="Total "&UNICHAR(8721).
Excel also has Insert → Symbol for a one-off. Google Sheets has no Insert Symbol menu at all, despite what some guides claim, so UNICHAR or a paste are your only in-app options. If you’re pasting into a Sheets cell, press F2 first to enter edit mode.
Type the summation symbol in Google Docs
- Go to Insert → Special characters.
- Type “summation” in the search box, or draw the symbol in the sketch pad.
- Click ∑ to drop it into the document.
Google Docs has no Alt+X and no Alt code support, so this menu is the fastest native path. Set up an Autocorrect substitution (Tools → Preferences) if you use the symbol often.
Type the summation symbol on iPhone and Android
Neither phone keyboard has ∑ tucked behind a long-press, so the practical answer is a text replacement. On iPhone, go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, paste ∑ as the phrase, and set a shortcut like “sumsym.
” On Android, the equivalent lives under your keyboard’s personal dictionary. After that, typing your shortcut expands to the symbol anywhere.
Type the summation symbol on Chromebook
Chromebooks have no Alt codes, and a USB numpad won’t change that, because Alt codes are Windows software rather than keypad hardware. Use the Unicode shortcut instead: hold Ctrl+Shift+U, release, type 2211, then press Enter or Space.
An underlined u appears while you type to confirm input mode. Type the hex digits only, with no U+ prefix.
Some web text fields swallow the shortcut. If it fails, open the symbol picker with Launcher+Shift+Space, or paste the glyph.
Type the summation symbol in Notion, Slack, Discord, and Canva
None of these apps has a dedicated keyboard shortcut for ∑, so the honest answer is paste it. Copy the glyph from the button near the top of this page, then drop it wherever you need it. In Notion you can also type /math to open an equation block and use \sum.
Slack and Discord both support text replacements if you use the symbol regularly. Set one up in your OS keyboard settings and it works across every app, not just chat.
Put the summation symbol on a web page (HTML and CSS)
In HTML, use the named entity ∑ or the numeric forms ∑ (decimal) and ∑ (hex, note the x). In CSS, use the escape \2211 inside a content property, for example content: "\2211";. For math on the web, MathJax and KaTeX both render \sum.
Troubleshooting the ∑ symbol
The most common failure is a missing-glyph box (□) or a question mark. That means the font you’re using has no summation glyph. Switch to a font with full math coverage, such as Cambria Math, Segoe UI Symbol, Arial Unicode MS, or STIX.
The other frequent mix-up is visual. The N-ary summation ∑ (U+2211) looks almost identical to the Greek capital sigma Σ (U+03A3), but they are different characters with different code points.
Use ∑ for the math operator and Σ only when you mean the Greek letter. Screen readers and search engines treat them differently, so the distinction matters in equations and accessible documents.
In Word, if 2211 doesn’t convert on Alt+X, check that nothing before it is being read as part of the code. Put a space in front, type 2211, delete the space, then press Alt+X.
Where the summation symbol is used
∑ means “add up a sequence of terms.” You’ll see it in statistics for sums like the mean formula, in calculus for series, in finance for aggregating cash flows, and in spreadsheets and pseudocode as shorthand for a running total. The values above and below the sign set the range of the sum, for example from i=1 to n.
Related math symbols
These come up alongside summation and are easy to confuse with it:
- The integral symbol (∫) is the continuous cousin of ∑, used for sums over a range rather than a discrete list.
- The union symbol (∪) combines sets; its large n-ary form is a different operator from summation.
- The therefore symbol (∴) often appears at the end of the same proofs where ∑ shows up.
- The approximately equal to symbol (≈) pairs with summed results that round.
- The less than or equal to symbol (≤) sets the bounds you sum across.
Frequently asked questions
Is the summation symbol the same as the Greek letter sigma?
No. The math operator ∑ is U+2211 (N-ary summation) and the Greek capital letter Σ is U+03A3. They look nearly identical in many fonts but are separate characters. Use ∑ in equations so software reads it as a math symbol.
Why does 2211 then Alt+X in Word do nothing in my app?
That code only works in apps that accept Unicode Alt input, and only from the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. In apps that reject it, use Word’s Alt+X (type 2211, press Alt+X), Character Map, or a paste instead.
How do I add the numbers above and below the summation sign?
A plain ∑ character can’t hold limits. For that you need an equation, not a single glyph. In Word press Alt+= and type \sum_{i=1}^{n}, and on the web use MathJax or KaTeX with the same syntax.
Does the summation symbol work in file names or code identifiers?
File systems usually allow it since it’s valid Unicode, but it’s risky for cross-platform sharing and most programming languages reject it in variable names. Stick to plain ASCII there and reserve ∑ for documents and math text.
How do I type it on a laptop with no numeric keypad?
Skip the Alt code entirely. On Windows use Word’s Alt+X or Character Map; on Mac press Option+W. Both avoid the keypad, and the copy button on this page works on any device.
More typing guides
Copy any glyph fast with the Alt code finder tool, or browse the math symbols collection for related operators. For a full A-to-Z, see the complete Alt code list.