Have you ever wondered how Excel displays different characters on your screen? How does it know that the letter A is different from the number 1, or that the symbol @ is different from the symbol #? The answer is that Excel uses a system of codes to represent each character, and these codes are based on the character set used by your computer. In this article, you will learn how to use the CHAR function in Excel to check your fonts and see what characters are available in your system.
What is the CHAR Function?
The CHAR function is a text function that returns a character when given a valid character code. A character code is a number between 1 and 255 that corresponds to a specific character in the character set used by your computer. For example, the character code for the letter A is 65, and the character code for the symbol @ is 64. You can use the CHAR function to translate these codes into actual characters. For example:
=CHAR(65) // returns “A” =CHAR(64) // returns “@”
The syntax of the CHAR function is:
=CHAR(number)
Where number is a number between 1 and 255 specifying which character you want. The character is from the character set used by your computer.
Why Use the CHAR Function to Check Your Fonts?
The CHAR function can be useful when you want to check your fonts and see what characters are available in your system. For example, you can use the CHAR function to:
- Find out what symbols or special characters are supported by your font. For example, you can use the CHAR function to see if your font has the degree symbol (°), the euro symbol (€), or the trademark symbol (™).
- Insert characters that are hard to type or find on your keyboard. For example, you can use the CHAR function to insert a line break (CHAR(10)), a tab (CHAR(9)), or a bullet point (CHAR(149)).
- Create custom formats or formulas that use characters. For example, you can use the CHAR function to create a fraction format (such as 1/4) or a phone number format (such as (555) 123-4567).
How to Use the CHAR Function to Check Your Fonts in Excel
To use the CHAR function to check your fonts in Excel, you can follow these steps:
- Open a new Excel workbook and select any cell.
- Type =CHAR( and enter a number between 1 and 255. For example, =CHAR(65).
- Press Enter to see the character that corresponds to the number you entered. For example, A.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 with different numbers to see different characters. For example, =CHAR(64) returns @, =CHAR(176) returns °, and =CHAR(128) returns €.
- To see all the characters available in your system, you can create a table that lists the numbers from 1 to 255 in column A and the corresponding characters in column B. For example:
| Number | Character |
|---|---|
| 1 | ☺ |
| 2 | ☻ |
| 3 | ♥ |
| 4 | ♦ |
| 5 | ♣ |
| 6 | ♠ |
| 7 | • |
| 8 | ◘ |
| 9 | ○ |
| 10 | |
| 11 | ♂ |
| 12 | ♀ |
| 13 | ♪ |
| 14 | ♫ |
| 15 | ☼ |
| … | … |
| 251 | √ |
| 252 | ≈ |
| 253 | ≤ |
| 254 | ≥ |
| 255 | ⌂ |
Note: The characters you see may vary depending on the character set and the font used by your computer. For example, the character set for Windows is ANSI, and the character set for Macintosh is Macintosh. The default font for Excel is Calibri, but you can change it to any font you like.
Other Approaches to Check Your Fonts in Excel
Besides using the CHAR function, there are other ways to check your fonts and insert characters in Excel. For example, you can:
- Use the Insert Symbol dialog box. To access it, go to the Insert tab, click on Symbol in the Symbols group, and choose More Symbols. You can then browse through the symbols available in your font, select the one you want, and click Insert.
- Use the Character Map application. To access it, go to the Start menu, type Character Map, and open the app. You can then select the font you want, choose the character you want, and copy and paste it into Excel.
- Use keyboard shortcuts. Some characters have keyboard shortcuts that you can use to insert them quickly. For example, to insert the degree symbol (°), you can press Alt+0176 on the numeric keypad. To insert the euro symbol (€), you can press Ctrl+Alt+E. To see the keyboard shortcuts for other characters, you can hover over them in the Insert Symbol dialog box or the Character Map application.
