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Is there a way to insert symbols in a spreadsheet

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Is there a way in a spreadsheet to use tick marks. For example, arrows, lines, symbols.. When creating a tie-out of a footnote, it would be useful to have the spreadsheet set up with the tick marks for ease of exporting to a PDF. We can change the font to a wingding but that isn’t proving to be very helpful in some cases. For example, if we want a line drawn down through cells.

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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • Mike

    Hi Cheryl!

    Excellent question. I think the answer here is both yes and no.

    While you cannot insert the same shape options found in a Presentation type (such as arrows or lines) you can insert symbols that are available already.

    To access this, you have to first click into a cell and then the Insert menu should open in the toolbar. From there, choose Symbol > Symbol Library:

    From here you can choose a variety of symbols to insert. You can also search for ones you are looking for. For arrow, I found these options for example:

    Outside of that, other ideas that come to mind might be inserting an emoji that might work. Inserting an emoji can be tricky but essentially if you can copy it, you can paste it in.

    I've passed this suggestion along to our Product Team as well for further review. In the meantime, let me know what questions you have. Thanks again and chat soon!

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  • Vote4Me

    Hello, I do not have that Insert button on my toolbar 

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  • Mike

    Hi MD!

    To get the Insert menu that has the other options mentioned above, you need to double-click inside the cell itself until you see the cursor. From there you'll see the above Insert menu options.

    Let me know if I've missed the mark, or you have any questions for me. Thanks much!

    P.S. My initials are MD too. 😎

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  • Vote4Me

    Thanks!

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  • Vote4Me

    It would also be great if we had the capability to insert shapes (including shape arrows) that can be sized. This would be helpful for long arrows spanning multiple rows.

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  • Mike

    Hi MD!

    Great suggestion. We have a similar one here for adding shapes in Docs, and right now its listed as not planned. That could change and I'll be sure to share your request with our Product Team as well.

    Holler if you have any questions and thanks as always. Cheers!

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  • Nicole P.

    Mike  Does the initial response still apply, 4 years on? Even when I put the cursor in the cell, I don't have the right insert option. I know I've seen/used it before, but not recently enough to remember details.

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  • Mike

    Hi Nicole!

    Yes, if you are referring to the ability to insert a shape into a Spreadsheet or table, that would not be there. But you can insert a symbol, and that menu should pop-up once the cell is activated and you choose Insert+ menu. Are you not seeing that currently? Or have I completely misread your question? Let me know either way and I'll be happy to help.

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