Superscript in Excel

Superscripts are text or characters written above lines of other text. Common examples are footnotes and counts, like 5^th. Let’s learn how to add superscript to Microsoft Excel.

How to Add Superscript in Microsoft Excel

Excel makes adding superscripts a breeze. These are best used for text applications. If you need to raise a number to a power, check out our tutorial on exponents in Excel.

Imagine you have a list of names, and you want to list them in order of 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and so forth.

Begin by clicking into cell A2. Then, type out 1st in plain text. As you can see, Excel won’t automatically apply a superscript to the st portion of your text.

Highlight the text or characters that you want to apply a superscript to. In this case, that’s st. Then, on your keyboard, type Ctrl + 1.

This launches the Format Cells menu. In the lower left of the dialogue box, notice the three Effects: Strikethrough, Superscript, and Subscript.

In this case, we need Superscript, so click on the adjacent text box.

Finally, press OK. As you can see, Excel applies the superscript, giving you the desired 1st result. Repeat these steps for your other data to complete the list.

How to Remove Superscripts in Microsoft Excel

Suppose you’re working in a list with superscripts, but need them removed. Fortunately, this is easy with Excel. In essence, you repeat the same steps as above. Highlight the superscript, then press Ctrl + 1 again. This time, uncheck the Superscript box, then press OK. Plain text will be restored.

Potential Uses for Superscripts in Microsoft Excel

Wondering when to use superscripts in Excel? Consider these examples:

• Counts like the example above (1^st, 2^nd)
• Citations and references (This is a fact²⁵)
• Symbols (Trademark^TM)

As you can see, it’s simple to add superscripts in Microsoft Excel. This helps you style text exactly as you want.