Even if you’ve learned to use Word pretty well, sometimes you get stuck on details that seem seem seemingly trivial but actually cause you enormous waste of time. One of these, for example, is typing in small numbers to report the values of powers: you never remember how to do that, do you? Then don’t worry, because I’ll give you a hand.
In today’s guide, in fact, I’m going to show you how to raise to power in Word so that you can know everything you need to know about typing numbers in superscript format. Not only will I explain how to perform this operation on the different platforms on which this well-known word processing software is available, but I’ll also show you how to use some related features, such as equations and symbols, to achieve the same result.
If this is what you’re looking for, all you have to do is take five minutes of your free time and follow the directions I’m about to give you. I assure you that it really is a piece of cake! Since I don’t have anything else to add, I’d say get started now! All that remains is for me to wish you a good read and, above all, good work!
How to raise to power in Word on PC
If you want to know how to power up in Word on the classic desktop version of Microsoft’s famous word processing program for Windows and macOS, what you need to do is to use the Apex feature.
This allows you to continue typing text as a superscript and, therefore, as a power. It’s very useful if, for example, you’re writing a document related to powers of numbers or simply want to add numbers or letters as superscript notes, referring to explanatory footnotes.
In these cases, all you have to do is press the superscript key (indicated by the x2 icon) that you can find in the Character section of the Word Home tab, at the top. Alternatively, you can also call the superscript tool by pressing Ctrl+[+].
After that, any characters you type will be superscripted. To return to normal typing, press the Superscript key on the Word toolbar again or use the combination Ctrl+[+].
Alternatively, if you prefer, you can turn an already typed text into a superscript by simply highlighting it and pressing the Superscript button on the Home tab or, again, you can right-click on the selected text, choose the Character item from the drop-down menu, check the Superscript box on the screen that is shown to you and press OK, to confirm. Easy, isn’t it?
How to raise to power in Word Online
In Word Online, the free Web version of Microsoft’s famous word processing software that you can use from your browser, you can set any text to superscript in the same way as I showed you in the previous chapter on the desktop client.
Therefore, on the Home tab, click on the Superscript (x²) key to start typing text in superscript, or select the text before pressing the key in question to transform it into this format.
It is not possible to act from the right-click and the Character panel, as the Web version of Word is more limited than its desktop counterpart.
How to power up in Word on smartphones and tablets
In the Word app for Android and iOS/iPadOS, you can also set a superscript text, for example, to perform power elevation. Please note that in order to use the Word app for free, you must have a device with a display of 10.1 inches or less; otherwise, you’ll need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 (starting at €7/month).
Now, however, let’s see how to perform the power elevation. First of all, if you’re acting from a tablet, you’ll find the appropriate functionality under Other Formatting (the A… icon) and selecting the entry superscript. On smartphones, however, acting on the drop-down menu located at the bottom, you have to tap on the items Home > Formatting character > superscript.
This feature can be used either to start typing new superscripted text by first selecting the Superscript item, or to turn selected text into superscripted text by highlighting an existing text and choosing the above item from the application menu.
Symbols and shortcuts for writing powers in Word
In addition to the superscript feature, to write powers in Word it is possible to use some symbols available in the program, or special expressions. Let’s proceed in order.
In general, if you have to write a power, you can also use the symbol ^ (circumflex accent). The latter indicates that the text or numbers entered to its right correspond to a superscript index. For example, if you want to write 5 raised to 2, you would type 52.
Obviously, it’s more convenient to use Word’s superscript feature, which I told you about in previous chapters, which makes the text immediately more understandable. However, this is another way of writing powers, in case you use a word processing software other than Word that does not have this feature.
Another alternative is to use some keyboard shortcuts, applicable only in Windows, which through ASCII code recall a specific power. This is the case, for example, of the exponent 2, executable with the combination Alt+0178 on the keyboard, or of the exponent 3, obtainable with the combination Alt+0179.
These exponents can also be easily inserted via Word’s Symbols panel, in the Insert tab, or Windows and macOS’s Symbols panel. Anyway, whichever way you want to go, I suggest you read carefully what I’ve explained in my guide on how to raise to power on the keyboard.
How to write equations with powers in Word
If you need to write powers, you may also find Microsoft Word’s Equation feature useful. This is a tool that makes it easy to insert mathematical equations into a text document so that they can be displayed in a non-linear way.
This feature is available in both the classic version of Microsoft Word for Windows and macOS, as well as in the Word app for smartphones and tablets, but not in Word Online.
That said, to write a power in Word with the Equation feature, you need to use the appropriate entry found on the Insert tab at the top (or in the drop-down menu located at the bottom left, in the Word app for smartphones). You can easily recognize this entry by the Pi (?) icon.
After pressing this item, you will be shown a text box: to write a power, use the form with the circumflex accent I mentioned earlier. Automatically, the power shown in linear form will be displayed in the Professional view.
I would like to point out that in Microsoft Word for computers, if you click on the Equation button, you will see a new tab at the top, called Design, which shows many useful tools for equations, including the ability to write them in Apex/Pedice form using a special button.