The Omega symbol is the final letter of the Greek alphabet. The uppercase Omega is denoted by “Ω” and lowercase by “ω.”
The Omega symbol has different scientific and mathematical meanings depending on the context in which it is used.
For example, in physics, the symbol represents ohms, the unit of electrical resistance.
In this tutorial, I will show you eight ways to insert either uppercase or lowercase Omega symbols in Excel.
Method #1: Using Copy and Paste to Insert the Omega Symbol in Excel
The easiest way to insert the Omega symbol in Excel is to copy and paste it from a document, whether it’s online or saved locally on your device, using the steps below:
- Select the Omega symbol (Ω or ω) in a document and press Ctrl + C to copy it.
- Select a cell in Excel where you want to insert the symbol and press F2 to enter edit mode.
- Press Ctrl + V to paste the symbol.
Method #2: Using Keyboard Shortcut to Insert the Omega Symbol in Excel
If you prefer using the keyboard to insert the omega symbol in Excel, this method is for you.
Insert the Uppercase Omega Symbol (Ω)
You can use the keyboard shortcuts below to get the capital omega symbols:
Alt + 234
To insert the symbol, use the steps below:
- Select a cell in Excel where you want to insert the symbol and press F2 to enter edit mode.
- Press and hold down the Alt key.
- Make sure that the Num Lock is on by checking the green indicator light above it.
- Press 2, 3, and 4 in sequence on the numeric keypad.
- Release the Alt key.
The uppercase Omega symbol will appear in the cell.
Note: For this method to work, you must use the numbers on the numeric keypad.
Insert the Lowercase Omega Symbol (ω)
There is no direct keyboard shortcut to insert the lowercase Omega symbol (ω) in Excel, but you can use a workaround:
- In a Word document, press the shortcut Alt + 969 (press and hold down the Alt key and press 9, 6, and 9 in sequence on the numeric keypad, then release the Alt key).
This method inserts the lowercase Omega symbol (ω ) in the Word document.
- Select the symbol and press Ctrl + C to copy it.
- Select the cell in Excel where you want to insert the symbol and press F2 to enter edit mode.
- Press Ctrl + V to paste the symbol.
Note: You must use the numbers on the numeric keypad for this method to work.
Also read: Insert Alpha Symbol (α) in Excel
Method #3: Using the Symbols Font to Insert the Omega Symbol in Excel
You can use the Symbol Font to insert the Omega symbol in Excel using the steps below:
- Select the cell where you want to insert the Omega symbol.
- On the ‘Home’ tab, open the ‘Font’ drop-down menu and select the ‘Symbol’ font.
- Type uppercase ‘W’ to insert the uppercase Omega symbol or type the lowercase ‘w’ to insert the lowercase Omega symbol.
Note: I had to experiment with different keys to determine which letter character inserts the Omega symbol on my device. You should do the same if the uppercase ‘W’ and lowercase ‘w’ do not work for you. Additionally, note that this method changes the font for the entire cell if you have selected a cell.
Method #4: Use the Symbol Dialog Box
Another easy way to insert the Omega symbol in Excel is to apply the ‘Symbol’ dialog box using the following steps:
- Select the cell where you want to insert the symbol.
- On the ‘Insert’ tab, open the ‘Symbols’ drop-down menu on the ‘Symbols’ group on the far right of the Ribbon and click the ‘Symbol’ option to bring up the ‘Symbol’ dialog box.
Note: You can also launch the ‘Symbol’ dialog using the keyboard shortcut Alt + N + U.
- On the ‘Symbols’ tab of the ‘Symbol’ dialog box, open the ‘Subset’ drop-down menu and choose the ‘Greek and Coptic’ option.
- Use the scroll bar on the right of the dialog box to scroll down the character set and locate the uppercase Omega symbol.
You will need to scroll down a little further to locate the lowercase Omega symbol:
- Double-click the symbol or click the ‘Insert’ button at the bottom of the dialog box to insert the symbol in Excel.
- Click ‘Close’ to close the dialog box.
Note: To quickly locate the uppercase Omega symbol, enter the code 03A9 in the ‘Character code’ field at the bottom of the ‘Symbol’ dialog box and ensure that the option ‘Unicode (hex)’ is selected on the ‘from’ drop-down menu as shown below:
Likewise, to quickly locate the lowercase Omega symbol, enter the code 03C9 in the ‘Character code’ field at the bottom of the ‘Symbol’ dialog box and ensure that the option ‘Unicode (hex)’ is selected on the ‘from’ drop-down menu as shown below:
Also read: Insert Sigma Symbol in Excel
Method #5: Using Formulas to Get Omega Symbol
You can use the UNICHAR function in Excel to insert the Omega symbol. The function returns the Unicode character based on the given numeric value.
Insert the Uppercase Omega Symbol (Ω)
You can use the following steps to insert the uppercase Omega symbol in Excel:
- Select the cell where you want to insert the symbol.
- Type in the following formula:
=UNICHAR(937)
- Press Enter.
The symbol is inserted in the cell as shown below:
To remove the formula from the cell and leave the symbol as a static value, continue with the steps below:
- Select the cell containing the symbol.
- Press Ctrl + C to copy the symbol.
- Press Ctrl + Alt + V to open the ‘Paste Special’ dialog box.
- Select the ‘Values’ option on the ‘Paste Special’ dialog box and click ‘OK.’
Insert the Lowercase Omega Symbol (ω)
You can use the following steps to insert the uppercase Omega symbol in Excel:
- Select the cell where you want to insert the symbol.
- Type in the following formula:
=UNICHAR(969)
- Press Enter.
The symbol is inserted in the cell as shown below:
To remove the formula from the cell and leave the symbol as a static value, continue with steps 4, 5, 6, and 7 in the previous section.
Method #6: Using Character Map App in Windows
The Character Map app in Windows allows you to find and insert special characters and symbols that may not be available on the keyboard.
You can use the below steps to insert the Omega symbol in Excel using the Character Map in Windows:
- Search for ‘charmap’ or ‘character map’ on the Windows search bar and select the Character Map application from the search results.
- On the Character Map window, select the ‘Advanced view’ check box to expose the ‘Search for’ field at the bottom of the window.
- Type ‘omega’ in the ‘Search for’ field at the bottom of the window, press Enter, and locate either the uppercase or lowercase omega on the character set above.
- Double-click the Omega symbol to enter it in the ‘Characters to copy’ field below the character set and click ‘Copy’ to copy the symbol to the Windows clipboard.
- Close the ‘Character Map’ application.
- Select the cell in Excel where you want to insert the symbol and press Ctrl + V to paste the symbol.
Method #7: Using Equation Box
You can insert the Omega symbol into an Excel equation box using Excel’s built-in Math AutoCorrect entries and then copy and paste the symbol as text into a cell.
Use the following steps to insert the uppercase Omega symbol in Excel using the Equation box:
- On the ‘Insert’ tab, open the ‘Symbols’ drop-down menu on the ‘Symbols’ group on the far right of the Ribbon and click the ‘Equation’ icon.
An Equation box with the words ‘Type equation here’ will appear on the worksheet’s drawing layer.
- Type ‘Omega’ (starting with uppercase O and without the single quotes) on the Equation box to replace ‘Type equation here.’
- Press the spacebar.
The text you type in is replaced with the uppercase Omega symbol:
Once you have the symbol in the equation text box, you can select and copy the symbol text, go to a cell, double-click on it (or press F2) to get into the edit mode, and then paste it.
Note: To enter the lowercase symbol in the Equation box, type ‘omega’ (starting with lowercase o and without the single quotes) and press the spacebar:
The text string you type in is replaced with the lowercase Omega symbol:
Also read: Insert Delta Symbol in Excel
Method #8: Using Custom AutoCorrect Entry
If you need to use the omega symbol frequently, you can create a custom AutoCorrect entry to replace a specific text string.
You can use the following steps to create a custom AutoCorrect entry:
- Click ‘File’ on the Excel Ribbon to open the Backstage window.
- Click ‘Options’ at the bottom of the left sidebar of the Backstage window.
- On the ‘Excel Options’ dialog box, click the ‘Proofing’ category on the left sidebar and click the ‘AutoCorrect Options’ button under the ‘AutoCorrect options’ section on the right.
- On the ‘AutoCorrect’ tab of the ‘AutoCorrect’ dialog box, type a text string you want to be replaced with the Omega symbol in the ‘Replace’ field (in this case, we have entered ‘Omg’). Copy the Omega symbol from a document as explained in Method #1, paste it into the ‘With’ field, and click ‘Add’ to add your custom AutoCorrect entry to the ones already there.
- Click ‘Close’ to close the ‘AutoCorrect’ dialog box.
- Click ‘OK’ on the ‘Excel Options’ dialog box.
- Select the cell where you want to insert the Omega symbol.
- In the cell, type the text string you entered in the ‘Replace’ field in step 4 and press the spacebar. The text string is replaced with the Omega symbol.
I showed you eight ways to insert an Omega symbol in Excel in this tutorial. I hope you found the tutorial helpful.
Other Excel articles you may also like: