How to do Subscript and Superscript in PowerPoint?‍

MS PowerPoint has probably helped you in multiple instances where you wanted to give a killer presentation and impress the audience. However, there are a few areas where MS PowerPoint can be tricky to use. In this particular article, we are going to give you step-by-step instructions on how to apply a subscript and superscript in PowerPoint to your text.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What are Superscripts and Subscripts in your text
2. How to do superscript in PowerPoint
3. How to do subscript in PowerPoint

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What are Superscripts and Subscripts in your text

Simply put, subscripts and superscripts are characters that are smaller in size than the rest of your text.

Superscript:

When the text is positioned a little higher and smaller in size than the normal text, this is called a superscript. These find uses mostly in mathematical or scientific formulae, for showing exponents. They are also made use of when dating something or citing a reference in a text, as shown in the image below.

Subscript:

Similar to a superscript, when the text is smaller in size, but positioned a little lower than the normal text, it is known as subscript. They are also widely made use of for academic purposes. For example, to write the molecular formula of a compound, say carbon dioxide, you’d write the ‘2’ as follows:

How to do superscript in PowerPoint

Adding a superscript in PowerPoint using keyboard shortcuts

You can use the “‘Ctrl’ + ‘+’” keys to do a superscript using the keyboard shortcut. 

This way, you can either 

• Select the text you want to superscript and then hit “‘Ctrl’ + ‘Shift’ + ‘+’”, or

• Place your cursor where you want to type the superscript, hit “‘Ctrl’ + ‘Shift’ + ‘+’”, then type the text you want to superscript, and then again hit “‘Ctrl’ + ‘Shift’ + ‘+’”,

If you use a Mac and want to add a superscript in PowerPoint, you’d need to use “‘Command’ + ‘Shift’ + ‘+’”.

Adding a superscript through the font option

To make your text superscript without using a keyboard shortcut, you can make use of the ‘Font’ group in the Home tab.

• Select the text you want to superscript, then go to the ‘Home’ tab → ‘Font section’.

• Older versions of MS PPT have the superscript button in the Font section, which is shown as X to the power 2, or X². Click on this if present.
• On newer versions, you’d need to click on the arrow in the bottom right corner of the font section, and then check the box beside ‘Superscript’

• You can select how much percent you want to offset the text. The default value is ‘+30%’
• Alternatively, instead of going to the ‘Home’ tab, you can right click and select ‘Font’ and then check the box.

• If you do not wish to select the text later, you can check the ‘Superscript’ option, then type the text you want to superscript, and again uncheck it so that the formatting isn’t applied to the following text.

How to do subscript in PowerPoint

You can add subscripts in PowerPoint in the same manner as you’d have added a superscript, with slightly different options.

Adding a subscript using keyboard shortcuts

The keyboard shortcut key you’d be using here instead of ‘+’, would be the ‘=’ key.

• Select the text you wish to subscript and then “‘Ctrl’ + ‘=’”, (Windows) or “‘Command’ + ‘=’” (Mac).

• You can also place your cursor where you want the subscript to be and hit “‘Ctrl’ + ‘=’” before and after adding the subscript.

Adding a subscript through the font options

• Select the text you want to subscript and go to the ‘Home’ tab → ‘Font section’.

• If you use an older version of MS PPT, you should be able to see the ‘X₂’ button. Select it.
• In a newer version, click on the arrow in the bottom right corner of the font section, and then check the box beside ‘Subscript’. Select how much percent you want to offset the text. By default, it’ll be ‘-25%’

• Alternatively, you can right click and select ‘Font’ and then check the box instead of going to the ‘Home’ tab.

• You can also check the ‘Superscript’ option before typing the text you want to superscript, and again uncheck it so that the formatting isn’t applied to the following text. This is in case you do not want to select the text at the end.

P.S. If you liked the above content, do check out our collection on MS Word Tips here.