A Tick mark or checkmark is a symbol inserted into a cell to confirm something or show that something is applicable. This article shows you 7 useful ways how to insert a tick mark in Excel.
So, let’s start.
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7 Ways to Insert Tick Marks in Excel
In this section, we’ll show you 7 useful methods including VBA to insert tick marks in Excel.
1. Adding Tick mark with ASCII Characters on Microsoft Notepad
You can insert a checkmark using Microsoft Notepad by following these easy steps.
Steps:
- Firstly, open the Microsoft Notepad.
- Then, press & hold the ALT key and use the keyboard number pad to type the number 251.
- Finally, copy this tick mark and paste it into Microsoft Excel.
2. Using Keyboard Shortcut to Insert Tick Mark
More importantly, we can also use the keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Excel to insert tick marks. Here, we have a dataset of daily tasks and their status (completed or not).
Step 01: Select the Cell First
- At first, select the cells you want to insert the tick mark. Here, I selected the C5
Step 02: Change the Font
- Change the font in the selected cell to Wingdings 2.
Step 03: Press the Keyboard Shortcuts
- The keyboard shortcuts for inserting tick marks and cross marks are shown below
- Now, press SHIFT + P and ENTER to get a tick mark in the selected cell. Similarly, SHIFT + O will give a cross mark.
However, you can apply a similar process with other fonts to get tick marks in Excel.
For example, the Wingdings font can also be used to insert tick marks, checkboxes, cross marks & cross boxes.
Similarly, the Webdings font can be used to insert tick marks & cross marks.
3. Using Symbol Dialog Box to Add a Tick Mark
Another way to insert a tick mark is to use Excel’s Symbol dialog box in the Insert ribbon.
Step 01: Select the Cell First
- Select the cell you want to insert the tick mark. I have selected cell (C5) in the example.
- Click the Insert tab, located at the top-left corner beside the Home tab.
- Locate the Symbols tab at the top-right corner.
Step 02: Change Font and Character Code
- Click the Symbols A dialog box appears.
- Change the font to
- Type in the 252 in the character code box and click Insert to close the dialog box.
Eventually, Excel shows you a tick mark in the selected cell.
Now, you’re ready to copy and paste the symbol for inserting tick marks into other cells.
Similarly, you can use the Segoe UI symbol font to get tick marks in Excel. The Segoe UI symbol also allows you to insert a tick mark without the need to change the default fonts in the cell.
The inserting process is similar to that above. In the Character code box, just type in 2714
Then, you’ll get the following tick marks.
4. Inserting a Tick Mark with Excel CHAR function
A quick and easy way to insert a tick mark in an empty cell is by using the CHAR function in Excel.
Step 01: Select the Cell First and Change the Font
- Select the cell you want to insert the tick mark. I have selected cell (C5) in the example.
- Change the font to Wingdings.
Step 02:Enter the Character Codes
- Enter =CHAR(252) to insert a tick mark.
- You can insert other symbols using the CHAR codes from the table.
5. Using AutoCorrect feature to Insert a Tick Mark
You can use Excel’s built-in AutoCorrect feature to correct misspelled words. It can handle the most common errors.
Step 01: Goto the File Tab and Select Options
- Locate and click the File tab
- Click on the Options tab
Step 02: Select Proofing and AutoCorrect Options
- In the Options dialog box, select Proofing
- Click on the AutoCorrect Options
- A dialog box appears:
- Replace: CMARK
- With:
- Click on Add and close the dialog box with OK
- Cells containing CMARK will be replaced with tick mark
Note:
- The autocorrect feature is case-sensitive. So, CMARK must be in all caps.
- All other applications in Microsoft Office are affected by this change.
6. Using Conditional Formatting to Insert a Tick Mark
To insert a tick mark or checkmark based on the value of a cell, you can use Conditional formatting.
Here, we have a dataset of names and their corresponding sales.
In this example, we want to which employees meet the sales target of $3000.
Let’s say, we insert a tick mark for sales above $3000 and a cross mark for sales below $3000.
Just follow these steps to do the task.
Step 01: Copy the Values of the Cell
- Initially, enter =C5 in the cell (D5). This means that if the values in column C change column D will be updated automatically.
- Use the Fill Handle tool to populate the table.
Step 02: Goto Conditional Formatting
- Select all the cells in the column
- In the Home tab, locate and click Conditional Formatting.
- Select the New Rule option.
Step 03: Apply New Rule
- A dialog box for New Formatting Rule
- Click the Format Style dropdown and choose Icon Sets.
Step 04: Select Icon Sets
- Select the tick mark and cross mark style.
- Remember to check the Show Icon Only
Step 05: Enter the Condition
- You can change the exclamation mark to a cross mark by clicking the dropdown.
- Change the Type from Percent to
- Set the Value accordingly and click OK.
Completing these steps will insert a tick mark where the Sales exceeds $3000 and a cross mark where Sales fall below $3000.
In this example, we have used tick marks and cross marks. Likewise, we can also use exclamation marks.
7. Using VBA to Add a Tick Mark
Using VBA code can help you insert a tick mark or remove it just by double-clicking the mouse. It’s easy just follow along.
Step 01: Navigate to VBA Code
- Right-click on the worksheet where you want to set this function.
- Click on View Code.
Step 02: Select Worksheet
- A new window appears. Next, select the worksheet from the list on the left side.
- The window on the right side is where you write your code.
Step 03: Select Command
- The window on the right has two dropdowns on the top.
- Click on the first dropdown and change it to Worksheet.
- Click on the second dropdown and change it to BeforeDoubleClick.
Step 04: Copy and Paste the Code
- Next, copy the code from here and paste it.
Option Explicit
Private Sub Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick(ByVal ActiveCell As Range, Cancel As Boolean)
If ActiveCell.Column = 3 And ActiveCell.Value Chr(214) Then
With ActiveCell
.Value = Chr(214) 'Required'
.Font.Name = "Symbol" 'Required'
.Font.FontStyle = "Regular"
.Font.Size = 12
.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter
.VerticalAlignment = xlCenter
End With
ElseIf ActiveCell.Column = 3 And ActiveCell.Value = Chr(214) Then
ActiveCell.ClearContents
End If
End Sub- I have written the code to insert a tick mark on Column C. Shown as Column = 3. You can change this according to your need.
- Close the windows and return back to the worksheet
- Double press on the cells to insert a tick mark
- Double press on the cells again to remove a tick mark
Conclusion
In this article, I have tried to summarise a handful of simple and quick ways to insert a tick mark in excel. Take a tour of the practice workbook and download the file to practice by yourself. Hope you find it useful. Please inform us in the comment section about your experience. We, the Exceldemy team, are always responsive to your queries. Stay tuned and keep learning.
The post How to Insert Tick Mark in Excel (7 Useful Ways) appeared first on ExcelDemy.
