Plus-Minus Symbol ± Copy and Paste

Click the big symbol above to copy it. The plus-minus sign is ± (U+00B1). It means “plus or minus” and shows that a value can go up or down by a certain amount. Every symbol on this page is Unicode text, so it pastes into Word, Google Docs, Excel, emails and chats.

Plus-minus and related signs

Symbol	Name	Unicode	HTML code	Alt code (Windows)
±	Plus-minus sign	U+00B1	±	Alt+0177
∓	Minus-or-plus sign	U+2213	∓	None
+	Plus sign	U+002B	+	Shift and the = key
−	Minus sign	U+2212	−	None
⁺	Superscript plus	U+207A	⁺	None
⁻	Superscript minus	U+207B	⁻	None
⊕	Circled plus	U+2295	⊕	None
⊖	Circled minus	U+2296	⊖	None

Hold Alt and type the number on the number pad, not the top row of keys. In many apps, Alt+241 also gives ±.

What does ± mean?

± means “plus or minus”. You will see it in four common places:

• Math (two answers): in the quadratic formula, x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / 2a, the ± gives two solutions, one with + and one with −.
• Measurements: 10 ± 0.5 cm means the true length is somewhere between 9.5 cm and 10.5 cm. This range is called the tolerance or uncertainty.
• Statistics and polls: 52% ± 3% means the real value is likely between 49% and 55%. This is the margin of error.
• Everyday writing: “±20 people” is a short way to say “about 20 people”.

In chess notes, ± means White has a clear advantage.

What is ∓ (minus-or-plus)?

∓ is the mirror of ±. It is used together with ± when the signs must be opposite. For example: cos(a ± b) = cos a cos b ∓ sin a sin b. When you use the top sign (+) on the left, you use the top sign (−) on the right.

How to type ±

On Windows

• Hold Alt and type 0177 on the number pad.
• In many apps, Alt+241 works too.

In Microsoft Word

• Type 00B1 and press Alt+X right after it.
• Or go to Insert → Symbol and pick ±. It is usually in the first row of recently used symbols.
• In an equation box (Alt+=), type \pm and press Space. Use \mp for ∓.

In Excel

• Click a cell and press Alt+0177.
• Or use a formula: =CHAR(177) gives ±.
• To show ± before numbers, go to Format Cells → Custom and type "±"0.00.

In Google Docs

• Go to Insert → Special characters and search “plus minus”.

On Mac

• Press Option+Shift+= (the equals/plus key) to type ±.

On iPhone and Android

• Android: on many keyboards, including Gboard, tap ?123, then press and hold the + key to find ±.
• iPhone: the keyboard has no ± key. Copy it once from this page and save it as a text shortcut under Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, for example “pm” → ±.

In HTML and LaTeX

• HTML: ± or ±
• LaTeX: \pm for ± and \mp for ∓

± vs +/-

If a system does not support symbols, people write +/- instead of ±. It means the same thing, but ± is shorter, looks cleaner, and is the correct sign for math and science writing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Alt code for the plus-minus sign?

Hold Alt and type 0177 on the number pad to get ±. In many apps, Alt+241 also works.

How do I type ± on a Mac?

Press Option+Shift and the equals key (=). The ± sign appears right away.

What does ± mean in math?

It means “plus or minus”. It shows two values at once, like in the quadratic formula, where ± gives one answer with plus and one with minus.

What does ± mean in measurements?

It shows the allowed range or uncertainty. 5 ± 0.1 mm means the size can be anywhere from 4.9 mm to 5.1 mm.

How do I type ± in Excel?

Press Alt+0177 in a cell, or type =CHAR(177). To add ± to many numbers at once, use a custom number format like “±”0.00.

More math signs: greater than or equal to ≥ and degree symbol °. You can also browse all symbols.

Written by Muhammad Ilyas. Every code on this page is checked against the Unicode Standard. Found a mistake? Email hellomyaisteps@gmail.com.