To apply superscript in Google Docs, select the characters you want to raise, then choose Format → Text → Superscript. The shortcut is Ctrl + . on Windows or ChromeOS and Command + . on a Mac. Use the same command again to remove the formatting.
Superscript makes text smaller and raises it above the normal line, as in x2. This guide covers Google Docs in a desktop browser. The menu, Windows shortcut, typing workflow, special-character insertion, and equation example were checked in Chrome on Windows in September 2026. Mac, ChromeOS, and mobile keyboard shortcuts below are documented by Google; they were not tested on those devices.
In this guide: Apply superscript · Shortcuts · Return to normal text · Special characters · Equations and footnotes · Mobile options · Troubleshooting
How to apply superscript to existing text
Open a document you can edit. If you have only viewing or commenting access, ask the owner for editing access before trying to change its formatting. You do not need an add-on or a separate superscript generator for this method.
- Type your text normally. For a simple example, type x2 in the document. At this point, both characters sit on the same line.
- Select only the part that should be raised. Drag across the 2, leaving the x unselected. You can also place the cursor immediately after the 2 and hold Shift while pressing the Left Arrow once.
- Open Format → Text → Superscript. The selected 2 should become smaller and move above the x. The surrounding text should stay at its normal height.
The same method works for letters and longer selections. For example, select just st in 1st to create 1st, or select 12 after x to raise the entire exponent. Keep the base number or letter out of your selection.
For chemical notation, distinguish a raised charge such as Na+ from the lowered 2 in H2O. The latter needs subscript formatting in Google Docs. You can use both kinds of formatting in one document.
Google Docs superscript keyboard shortcuts
- Windows and ChromeOS: hold Ctrl and press the period key (.).
- Mac: hold Command (⌘) and press the period key (.).
Use the shortcut instead of the menu command. Applying both consecutively switches superscript on and then off again. Do not type the plus sign shown in shortcut notation.
For the usual US keyboard layout, you do not add Shift. Ctrl + Shift + period is a font-size command, which can make your text larger instead of raising it. The comma shortcut applies subscript, so check the punctuation key carefully.
Google notes that shortcuts can vary with keyboard layout or language. If the keys do not work, use the menu and consult Google’s keyboard-shortcut reference. Changing text substitutions in Preferences is not a way to assign a new superscript shortcut.
How to stop superscript or remove it
Return existing characters to the normal line
Select the raised characters and choose Format → Text → Superscript again, or press the appropriate shortcut once. The characters should return to the normal line. If you just applied superscript by mistake, Undo is another quick recovery option.
Do not choose the paragraph style called Normal text to remove only superscript. Paragraph styles and character formatting are different controls. Also avoid Clear formatting unless you want to remove other text formatting, such as bold or italics, from the selection.
Type an exponent, then continue the sentence
- Type the base. Enter x, keeping it at the normal height.
- Turn superscript on. With the cursor after x and no text selected, press Ctrl + period on Windows/ChromeOS or Command + period on Mac.
- Type the exponent. Enter 3. It should appear raised next to x.
- Turn superscript off. Press the same shortcut again before typing a space and the rest of your sentence. The following words should appear at the normal height.
If you are continuing immediately after an existing superscript, check the next character you type. Text can inherit the formatting at the insertion point. Toggle superscript off there if it remains raised; avoid selecting and changing the exponent you want to keep.
Insert a superscript character such as ²
Google Docs can also insert a separate character that already has a raised shape. This is useful when you need a specific symbol, but it differs from applying formatting to an ordinary number.
- Place the cursor where the symbol belongs. For x², type x first and leave the cursor after it.
- Choose Insert → Symbols → Special characters. The character picker opens. Older instructions may omit the Symbols submenu.
- Search for “superscript two.” Wait for the matching ² character to appear, then click it to insert it at the cursor.
- Close the picker. Check that the symbol appears beside the intended base character.
If toggling superscript does not turn ² into 2, replace it with an ordinary 2. A character’s built-in shape is separate from its text formatting. Similarly, copying ² into a plain-text field can preserve that character, while pasting a formatted ordinary 2 without formatting removes its raised styling.
Unicode characters are not a universal replacement for document formatting: the available characters, fonts, and destination app affect the result. Check the pasted expression wherever you will use it. You do not need to upload your document to a third-party converter for a simple exponent.
When to use an equation or a real footnote
Use the equation editor for structured mathematics
For a simple x2 in a sentence, regular superscript is sufficient. If you need a larger expression with fractions or other mathematical structures, use the equation editor:
- Click where the equation should go and choose Insert → Symbols → Equation. The equation toolbar appears.
- Open Math operations and choose the template with a base and a raised exponent. Its accessible name is “superscript.”
- Fill the base, then the exponent. In our test, typing x, pressing Right Arrow, and typing 2 filled the two positions. Press Right Arrow to move out of the exponent when finished.
This creates an equation object. Typing a caret (^) in an ordinary paragraph does not, by itself, apply superscript formatting. See Google’s equation instructions for the equation toolbar and its separate shortcuts.
Use the footnote feature for notes and citations
A manually raised 1 is only formatted text; it does not create a linked note or manage note numbering. For an actual source note, use the built-in footnote feature. Our guide to adding a footnote in Google Docs explains that workflow. Follow the citation style required by your school, publisher, or workplace.
What about iPhone, iPad, and Android?
The desktop menu screenshots above do not describe the mobile app’s touch controls. This guide has not tested those controls on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
With a connected keyboard, Google documents Ctrl + period for Android and Command + period for iPad in its Android shortcut guide and iPhone and iPad shortcut guide. If your device or keyboard does not offer a usable superscript control, open the document on a computer and use the verified desktop method. For a single special character, you can also copy ² or ³, then check its appearance after pasting.
Troubleshooting and common questions
Why is the entire expression raised?
You probably selected the base along with the exponent. Undo the change, select only the exponent, and apply superscript once. For x12, select both digits if you want x12.
Why is the command unavailable or nothing changes?
Check that you can edit the document and that your cursor or selection is in editable document text. If a search box or another control has focus, click back into the document before using the shortcut. Use the Format menu to rule out a keyboard conflict.
Can I apply it to text in a table or several places?
For a table, select the characters inside the cell rather than the table itself. For separate places in a document, selecting and formatting each passage individually is straightforward. Google also documents multiple-section selection in its shortcut reference; inspect each selected passage so you do not accidentally raise intervening text. There is no need to superscript an entire paragraph for a single citation marker.
How do I remove every superscript?
Review the raised passages and toggle superscript off on each relevant selection. Avoid selecting the entire document and toggling blindly: a mixed selection can include ordinary text you do not want to change. Find and replace is not a documented “remove all superscript formatting” command.
What if the superscript is hard to read or changes when shared?
Check the font and size of the surrounding text and inspect the document at a normal reading zoom. You can adjust selected text’s font size, but keep the exponent visually distinct from the base. Before handing in a PDF, printing, or pasting into another app, inspect the final output. Different fonts and paste options can change the appearance; the desktop test here does not establish compatibility with every destination.
For most documents, start with the simplest check: select just the exponent, apply superscript once, then confirm that your next words return to the normal line.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech content online for more than ten years. He enjoys writing about Google Docs in addition to many other applications and devices and has cumulatively covered Google’s word-processing application in hundreds of different articles.
He has been published on dozens of popular websites, and his works have accumulated millions of pageviews.
While focused primarily on tutorials and guides for popular electronics like the iPhone and iPad, as well as common applications like Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel, he covers topics across the entire technology spectrum.
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