So, how do you type √? Here are the real “buttons” you can press, depending on your device: Hold down the Alt key and type 251 on the numeric keypad. Release Alt , and √ appears. Note: This only works with the numpad, not the number row. 2. On Mac: Emoji & Symbols Menu Press Control + Command + Spacebar to open the Character Viewer. Search for “square root,” then double-click √ to insert it. 3. On Smartphones (iOS/Android) The keyboard doesn’t show it either—but tap the 123 key, then the #+= or {\<} key. The √ symbol is often hiding there, waiting for a math emergency. 4. In Word Processors (Like Microsoft Word) Type \sqrt and press the spacebar—if you’re in Equation Editor (Insert → Equation). Or click “Equation,” then select √ from the radical menu. 5. Copy-Paste (The Lifesaver) When all else fails, search “square root symbol” online and copy √. It’s unglamorous, but it works.

Back at her desk, Alex learned the truth: the square root button isn’t missing—it’s just hidden in plain sight, tucked into codes, menus, and math tools. And from that night on, Alex never hunted for a physical key again.

It was a quiet evening in the data entry office, and Alex needed to type the square root of 16 for a math report. Confidently, Alex scanned the keyboard—letters, numbers, function keys, even the numpad. But no √ symbol. The “square root button” simply wasn’t there.

Why? Because traditional keyboards were designed for typing text, not mathematical notation. The symbols we use daily—letters, punctuation, numbers—fit neatly. But special operators like √, π, or ∫ require a different approach.

What Alex discovered is a small secret most keyboards keep: on a standard physical keyboard.