Skip to content
Equation WriterHow to TypeCopy FormatsCode Examples
About UsContact UsPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions
EnglishEspañolFrançaisDeutschPortuguês日本語
Square Root SymbolsCube Root SymbolsNth Root Symbols

How to type the cube root symbol

Short answer: there's no dedicated keyboard shortcut on Windows or Mac. Here's what to use instead on every platform.

Cube root symbol on Windows keyboard

Windows' numeric-keypad Alt-codes (like Alt + 251 for √) come from a legacy code page that was fixed decades ago — ∛ was never part of it, so there is no Alt + number combination that produces it. The Unicode input method below is the reliable substitute.

Unicode input (Word, Outlook)

221BAltX

Type 221B, then immediately press Alt + X. The code converts into ∛. Works in Word and Outlook; other apps may not support the trick.

Not in Word or Outlook?

Use the Windows Character Map utility (search "charmap" in the Start menu), find U+221B, and copy it — or just copy ∛ from the button above.

Cube root symbol on Mac

Option + V is a Mac-specific mapping built just for √ — it doesn't extend to other radical symbols, so there's no equivalent Option-key combo for ∛.

Character Viewer

ControlCommandSpace

Opens the Character Viewer in any app. Search “cube root” and double-click the result to insert it.

Faster for repeated use

If you type ∛ often, add a text replacement: System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacement → +, paste ∛ as the phrase, and set a shortcut likecbrt.

Cube root symbol on iPhone & Android (phone keyboard)

Same story as square root: neither iOS nor Android has a built-in key combo for it on their phone keyboard — but you can copy it once and paste it anywhere, or set up a permanent shortcut so your keyboard types it for you.

iPhone / iPad

  1. Copy ∛ from this page.
  2. Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement → tap +.
  3. Paste ∛ as the phrase, set a shortcut like cbrt.
  4. Typing “cbrt” anywhere now auto-suggests ∛.

Android (Gboard)

  1. Copy ∛ from this page.
  2. Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary → add a word.
  3. Paste ∛ as the word, set a shortcut like cbrt.
  4. Typing “cbrt” now suggests ∛ above the keyboard.

Cube root symbol in Word, Excel & Google Docs

Microsoft Word

Type 221B then press Alt + X immediately after — Word converts the Unicode code point into ∛ automatically. Works for any Unicode character, including 221A for √.

Excel & Google Sheets

Paste ∛ directly into a cell for display. Neither app has a built-in cube root function — to actually compute one, use =SIGN(A1)*ABS(A1)^(1/3), which handles negative numbers correctly (a plain =A1^(1/3) errors on them).

Google Docs / Slides

Insert → Special characters → search “cube root”, or just paste the symbol from this page — both land the same character.

Typing this into code instead of a document?

See the Unicode escape, HTML entity, and LaTeX command for ∛, plus how to actually calculate a cube root in JavaScript, Python, Excel, and more — including where it behaves differently from square root for negative numbers.

Open cube root in code