Remember that you can also select a text in Word and then click on the subscript or superscript icon. It automatically changes the background to light gray again. When you finish writing the small letters, you can click on the icon again. It appears smaller and is added above or under the normal text, depending on what you have chosen. Now you can start writing a number, letter, or even enter a symbol in your document. Click on one of the icons, and you can see that its background becomes dark gray.In the Font group, you can find the icons X 2 (subscript) and X 2 (superscript).Open your Word document and place your cursor where you want to add the subscript or superscript.The easiest way to insert a subscript or superscript in a Word document is by using the icons in the ribbon. Add superscript by using the Font dialog box.How to use subscript in the Font dialog box.Insert subscript and superscript by using the keyboard shortcut.You can then click on 'abc Normal Text' again to continue typing the equation. The 3 should now be subscripted following the O. Type the underline '_' and the subscript after it, with NO spaces in between, such as '_3'.

Click again on 'abc Normal Text' to return to the usual italics text used in most math equations.

(Do NOT type a space after the normal text if you want the subscript to be immediately after the last letter.)

Click on 'abc Normal Text' in the upper left to make the text not have italics ('abc Normal Text' should now be highlighted in blue).

So if you are typing an equation that uses regular text instead of italicized text, make sure you have de-selected 'Normal Text' in the upper left of the screen before attempting to use the shortcut keys for subscripts.Įxample: To type NaNO3 and make the 3 a subscript, but have the text regular and not italicized, do the following: It was only when I clicked on the 'Normal Text' setting in the upper left corner of the screen next to the 'Equation' dropdown (while in Equation Editor), to turn OFF Normal Text, that the shortcut of 'SHIFT' + '_(subscript)' actually worked.

When you are using Normal Text, the 'SHIFT' + 'underscore and subscript' + 'space' that everyone else had shared does not work. However, most of my formulas in physical science use 'Normal Text' (text that is not italicized). I use Word 2013, and write out a lot of tests for math and physical science, which include many formulas with subscripts. I have tried everyone's suggestions, and nothing has worked, but I finally figured out what was going on.

How to subscript on microsoft word