How to Type the Pi Symbol (π) on Windows, Mac and Phones

The pi symbol (π) is Unicode character U+03C0, and its capital form (Π) is U+03A0. Here is every reliable way to type both on Windows, Mac, phones, Word, Excel and the web.

Quick Answer

Windows: Alt Code

1. Make sure your keyboard has a numeric keypad, and that Num Lock is on.
2. Hold Alt and type 227 on the numpad, then release Alt.
3. The lowercase pi symbol π will appear.

This code comes from the older CP437 character set, so it works in Notepad, browsers, chat apps and most Windows software. There is no CP437 Alt code for the capital Pi (Π). For that symbol on Windows, use the Character Map app, a Word Alt+X entry, or copy and paste it from this page.

Using Character Map

1. Press Windows key, type Character Map, and open it.
2. Check Advanced view, set the font to one with good Greek coverage (Arial, Segoe UI), and search for Greek small letter pi or Greek capital letter pi.
3. Double-click the symbol, click Copy, then paste it where you need it.

Windows Emoji and Symbol Panel

Press Windows key + . (period) or Windows key + ; to open the emoji panel, then switch to the Omega (Ω) symbols tab. Pi is not always listed there, so Character Map is more dependable.

Mac: Option Key

On any Mac keyboard, press Option+P to type lowercase π directly. There is no built-in Option shortcut for capital Pi. Option+Shift+P types ∏, the n-ary product sign used in math, which looks similar but is a different character. For the Greek capital Π, use the Character Viewer:

1. Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
2. Type pi in the search box.
3. Double-click Greek Capital Letter Pi (Π) or the lowercase version to insert it.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
2. Tap Add New Keyboard and choose Greek.
3. In any text field, tap the globe icon to switch keyboards, then find the π key (it sits near the letter P position).
4. Alternatively, search ‘pi symbol’ in Safari, copy the character from a results page, and paste it.

You can also set up a text replacement: go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement, add a shortcut like pisym that expands to π after you paste it in once.

Android

1. Open Gboard settings > Languages, tap Add keyboard, and select Greek.
2. Switch to the Greek keyboard using the language key or globe icon, and tap the π key.

Microsoft Word

Word supports direct Unicode entry, which is the most reliable method for both symbols:

1. Type 03C0 then immediately press Alt+X to get lowercase π.
2. Type 03A0 then press Alt+X to get capital Π.

You can also go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, set the font to (normal text), choose the Greek and Coptic subset, and double-click π or Π.

Excel and Google Sheets

Use the UNICHAR function with the decimal code point:

• =UNICHAR(960) returns lowercase π
• =UNICHAR(928) returns capital Π

Google Sheets supports the same UNICHAR function, so the formulas work identically there. If you only need a label once, it is often faster to copy π from this page and paste it straight into the cell.

Google Docs

1. Go to Insert > Special characters.
2. Type pi in the search box.
3. Click the lowercase or capital pi symbol to insert it at your cursor.

HTML, CSS and JavaScript

For web pages, use the named or numeric HTML entity:

• Lowercase: π or π
• Capital: Π or Π

In CSS, reference the symbol in generated content using its hex code point:

content: "\03C0";

In JavaScript strings, use the Unicode escape:

const pi = '\u03C0';

Troubleshooting

• Alt+227 does nothing: your keyboard may lack a numeric keypad, or Num Lock is off. Laptops often need Fn+Num Lock to enable an embedded numpad, or you can use the on-screen keyboard’s numpad instead.
• Alt+X in Word inserts the wrong character: make sure there is no extra space between the typed code and the Alt+X press, and that autocorrect has not already changed the digits.
• Symbol shows as a box or question mark: the current font does not include the Greek pi glyph. Switch to a common system font such as Arial, Calibri or Segoe UI.
• Greek keyboard key types a different letter: keyboard layouts vary slightly by region; check nearby keys, since pi can appear in a different position depending on the phone’s language pack.

Frequently asked questions