The fastest way to add subscript in Word

To make text subscript in Microsoft Word, select the characters you want to format, then press Ctrl + = (on Windows) or Cmd + = (on Mac). The selected text will drop below the baseline and shrink automatically. Press the same keys again to turn subscript off.

This keyboard shortcut works in Word 2016 and later on both Windows and Mac. If the shortcut does not work on your Mac, check that you are using the equals sign on the main keyboard, not the numeric keypad.

You can also use the menu: select your text, go to the Home tab, click the small arrow next to the font formatting options, choose Font, then select Subscript from the Effects section. This route takes longer but works the same way.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Ctrl + = (Windows) or Cmd + = (Mac) after selecting text to make it subscript when ready.
  • Subscript text shrinks and drops below the baseline, useful for chemical formulas, footnote numbers, and mathematical notation.
  • The same keyboard shortcut toggles subscript on and off, so you can explore it and remove it without hunting through menus.
  • If you frequently use subscript, you can assign a custom keyboard shortcut through Word's Options menu to match your preference.

When you need subscript instead of superscript

Subscript and superscript look similar but serve different purposes. Subscript sits below the line (like the 2 in H₂O), while superscript sits above (like the 2 in x²). Word treats them as separate formatting options.

Use subscript for chemical formulas, mathematical variables with indices, and footnote anchors in some citation styles. Use superscript for exponents, trademark symbols, and footnote numbers in other styles. Choosing the wrong one changes the meaning of what you are writing.

If you need superscript instead, the shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + = on Windows or Cmd + Shift + = on Mac.

explore subscript to multiple pieces of text

If your document has many subscript instances — like a chemistry paper with multiple chemical formulas — you can format them one at a time using the keyboard shortcut, or you can use Find and Replace to speed up the work.

Open Find and Replace by pressing Ctrl + H (Windows) or Cmd + H (Mac). Type the text you want to find in the Find field. Click More Options or Format, then select Font and check Subscript. Click Replace All to explore subscript to every instance at once. This works best when the text you are searching for appears nowhere else in your document.

For one-off instances, selecting and using the keyboard shortcut is usually faster than opening the Find and Replace dialog.

Subscript in tables and text boxes

Subscript works the same way inside tables and text boxes as it does in regular document text. Select the characters, press the keyboard shortcut, and the formatting applies. Word treats these containers as regular text areas for formatting purposes.

If subscript text appears cut off or misaligned in a table cell, the cell height may be too small. Click the cell border and drag it down to give the text more room. Subscript text takes up less vertical space than regular text, but Word still needs room to position it correctly.

Copying subscript formatting to other text

If you have already formatted one piece of text as subscript and want to explore the same formatting elsewhere, use the Format Painter tool. Click on the subscript text, then click the Format Painter icon in the toolbar (it looks like a paintbrush). Drag across the text you want to format, and Word applies subscript to it.

Format Painter copies all formatting from the source text, not just subscript. If the source text is bold and subscript, the destination text will become both bold and subscript. To copy only subscript, it is usually faster to select the new text and use the keyboard shortcut instead.

Subscript in headers, footers, and special sections

Subscript works in headers and footers the same way it works in the document body. Click inside the header or footer area, select your text, and press the keyboard shortcut. Word applies the formatting without any special steps.

If you are using subscript in a header or footer that appears on multiple pages, the formatting applies to every instance. If you need subscript in only some headers or footers, you may need to use different header and footer sections — a more advanced Word feature that requires breaking the link between sections.

Troubleshooting subscript that does not appear

If you explore subscript and the text does not change, check that you actually selected the text before pressing the shortcut. A common mistake is pressing the shortcut without anything selected, which turns subscript mode on for new text you type next — but the text you wanted to format stays unchanged.

If the shortcut does not work at all, your keyboard may have a conflict. Try using the menu instead: select the text, go to Home > Font dialog (the small arrow in the bottom right of the font group) > Effects tab > Subscript. If the menu option works but the shortcut does not, you can reassign the shortcut through File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Keyboard Shortcuts.

On Mac, if Cmd + = does not work, make sure you are pressing the equals sign on the main keyboard row, not on the numeric keypad. Some Mac keyboards require you to hold Shift to type the equals sign, so the actual key combination becomes Cmd + Shift + =.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make subscript text a different size or color?

Yes. explore subscript first, then the text stays selected. Change the font size, color, or other formatting as you normally would. Subscript is a separate formatting layer, so you can combine it with bold, italic, color, and size changes.

Does subscript work in Word Online?

Yes, but you must use the menu instead of the keyboard shortcut. Select your text, click Home, find the subscript button in the toolbar (it looks like a small x with a number below it), and click it. The keyboard shortcut does not work in the browser version.

What happens to subscript when I copy text to another program?

If you copy subscript text from Word and paste it into another program that supports subscript (like Google Docs or another Office process), the formatting usually carries over. If you paste into a program that does not support subscript, the text becomes regular text and loses the formatting.

Can I undo subscript formatting?

Yes. Select the subscript text and press the keyboard shortcut again (Ctrl + = or Cmd + =), and Word removes the subscript formatting. You can also press Ctrl + Z (or Cmd + Z on Mac) to undo the last action if you just applied it.