Not Equal Symbol (≠) Copy Paste & Keyboard Shortcuts

Copy the Not Equal Symbol

If you only need the character once, copying and pasting is usually the fastest option.

Copy this symbol:

≠

Then paste it into your document, message, spreadsheet, browser, or social media post.

If you regularly work with mathematical characters, you may also find our guide to the infinity symbol copy paste useful.

Not Equal Symbol Keyboard Shortcuts

There is no single keyboard shortcut that works everywhere. The best method depends on your operating system and the program you are using.

For most users, Word and Mac have the simplest direct keyboard methods.

How to Type the Not Equal Symbol on Windows

Windows does not provide one universal not-equal shortcut that works in every application. Your best option depends on where you are typing.

Use Character Map

Windows Character Map contains thousands of Unicode characters.

Open Character Map, find ≠, select it, and copy it into the program where you need it.

This is particularly useful if you are working in an application that does not support Word’s Unicode shortcut.

What About Alt Codes?

You may see Alt + 8800 listed on some websites. However, decimal Unicode values and traditional Windows Alt codes do not always work the same way across applications.

For a more reliable approach, use 2260 + Alt + X in Microsoft Word, Character Map, or copy the symbol directly.

How to Type the Not Equal Symbol on Mac

On many Mac keyboard layouts, typing the not equal sign is simple.

Press:

Option + =

The result is:

≠

If the shortcut does not work with your keyboard layout, open Character Viewer, search for “not equal,” and select the symbol.

Character Viewer is also helpful when you need less common mathematical or technical characters.

Not Equal Symbol in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word provides one of the easiest ways to insert the character.

Use the Unicode Shortcut

Type:

2260

Then press:

Alt + X

Word converts the Unicode value into:

≠

This method is especially helpful on laptops without a numeric keypad.

Use Equation Input

When working with mathematical equations in Word, you may also use:

\neq

or:

\ne

depending on your equation input settings.

This is useful when writing formulas such as:

x ≠ 0

or:

a ≠ b

Not Equal Symbol in Google Docs

Google Docs provides a built-in special-character picker.

You do not need to memorize a code if you only use the symbol occasionally.

Open Insert, choose Special characters, search for “not equal,” and click the symbol.

Not Equal Symbol on iPhone and iPad

Mobile keyboards do not always provide a dedicated key for ≠.

On some keyboard layouts, holding the equals sign may reveal additional mathematical symbols. However, this behavior is not identical on every device or keyboard.

For a reliable method, copy:

≠

and paste it where needed.

If you use it frequently, you can create an iPhone text replacement such as:

neq → ≠

Not Equal Symbol on Android

Android keyboards vary between Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, and other keyboard apps.

Some Android keyboards may place ≠ behind an additional symbols menu rather than a long-press key.

If you cannot find it quickly, copying and pasting is usually the simplest solution.

Not Equal Symbol on Chromebook

ChromeOS supports Unicode input for many special characters.

This Unicode method is useful for many symbols that do not appear directly on a Chromebook keyboard.

Not Equal Symbol on Linux

Many Linux environments use a similar Unicode input method.

The exact behavior may vary slightly depending on the Linux distribution, desktop environment, and application.

Not Equal Symbol Unicode and HTML Codes

The official Unicode code point for the not equal sign is U+2260.

For example:

≠

renders as:

≠

These formats are useful for websites, web applications, documentation, and other digital content.

If you are building a collection of symbol references, our degree symbol keyboard shortcuts guide covers similar Unicode and HTML methods.

Not Equal Symbol in CSS, JavaScript, and Python

Developers can also represent the character through Unicode escape sequences.

These representations are useful when adding mathematical characters to interfaces, apps, or dynamically generated text.

However, the visual symbol ≠ should not be confused with the actual “not equal” operator used by many programming languages.

Not Equal Symbol vs != and <>

This is one of the most important distinctions to understand.

In mathematics:

5 ≠ 8

means that 5 is not equal to 8.

In many programming languages, you would instead write:

5 != 8

The Unicode character ≠ is usually for display, while != is commonly used as an actual programming operator.

Not Equal in Excel and Google Sheets

Excel and Google Sheets use <> when testing whether two values are different.

For example:

=A1<>B1

returns TRUE when the values in A1 and B1 are different.

If you only want to display the actual symbol in a cell, you can copy ≠ or use:

=UNICHAR(8800)

This distinction matters because ≠ is a character, while <> is the comparison operator Excel uses in formulas.

What Does the Not Equal Symbol Mean?

The not equal sign indicates that two values, expressions, or quantities are different.

The symbol is widely used in algebra, arithmetic, logic, statistics, and other areas of mathematics.

It provides a concise way to state that two expressions do not represent the same value.

Not Equal and Related Math Symbols

Several mathematical symbols look similar but express different relationships.

Using the correct symbol matters in mathematical and technical writing because each one communicates a different relationship.

Other Special Keyboard Symbols

Many useful symbols do not have their own dedicated keyboard keys.

For example, multilingual punctuation can require extra steps on an English keyboard. Our guide to the upside down question mark explains how to copy and type another commonly searched special character.

Learning a few Unicode codes and built-in symbol tools makes it much easier to enter unusual characters across Windows, Mac, mobile devices, and web applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the not equal symbol?

The not equal symbol is ≠. It means that two values or expressions are not equal.

How do I copy and paste the not equal symbol?

Copy this character:

≠

Then paste it using Ctrl + V on Windows or Command + V on Mac.

How do I type the not equal symbol in Microsoft Word?

Type 2260, then press Alt + X. Word converts the code into ≠.

How do I type ≠ on a Mac?

Press Option + = on common Mac keyboard layouts.

What is the Unicode for the not equal symbol?

The Unicode code point is U+2260.

What is the HTML code for ≠?

You can use ≠, ≠, or ≠.

Is ≠ the same as !=?

No. ≠ is the mathematical Unicode character. != is the not-equal operator used by many programming languages.

What does <> mean in Excel?

In Excel and Google Sheets, <> means “not equal to.” For example, =A1<>B1 checks whether two cells contain different values.

Not Equal Symbol Quick Reference

If you only need the character once, copying ≠ is the quickest solution. If you use it regularly, learning the shortcut or operator used by your platform will make typing it much faster.