The option to place tick marks in the Google Sheets can significantly improve the visual clarity and effectiveness of the spreadsheets, whether it is supposed to manage project progress, keep track of activities, or make checklists. Checkmarks offer a quick and easy way to signify completion, highlight important information, or monitor the progress of different data elements.
This tutorial will walk you through each step of adding checkmarks to Google Sheets.
What Differentiates a Check Mark from a Check Box in Google Sheets?
Both the Check marks and check box are used in Google Sheets for data management but both have different purposes which are shown below:
| Check Mark | CheckBox |
|---|---|
| Check marks are used to show the completion of the tasks and jobs | Checkboxes are used to show the to-do lists |
| Check marks are inserted in the cell like the characters | Checkboxes are inserted in the cells having the tick marks |
| Check marks are inserted by using different methods including the wingding fonts | Checkboxes are inserted either by using the data validation feature or using the adds-on |
What are the Benefits of Check Marks in Google Sheets?
Although we know that the check marks enhance the clarity in the data organization, instead of it, some of the major benefits of check marks in Google Sheets are:
- Visual Indication of Completion: Checkmarks offer a simple visual representation of tasks or things that have been finished.
- Improved Readability and Clarity: By making the data more visually clear, checkmarks help in making it easier to read.
- Efficient Filtering: One can filter the data based on finished or uncompleted tasks using checkmarks.
- Task Management: Checkmarks are especially helpful for project management and teamwork.
- Customization Options: For tick marks, Google Sheets offers a variety of formatting and customization choices.
How to Insert Check Mark in Google Sheets?
To insert the check marks in Google Sheets, the three most used and easy methods are:
- Using the “Insert Special Characters” feature
- Utilizing the Wingdings font
- Utilizing the Unicode character
All these methods are explained in detail in the next sections with the examples.
Method 1: Using the “Insert Special Characters” Feature
To insert the Check Marks in the Google Sheets using the “Insert Special Characters” feature, follow the mentioned steps.
Step 1: Select the Cell or Range of Cells
First, open the Google Sheets, and then select either the cell or the range of cells in which the check marks are supposed to insert:
Step 2: Copy the “Tick box” in the Google Sheets
Now choose the check marks of your choice given below and paste them in the formula bar:
✓ ✔ 🗸 ☑ 🗹
With the help of the auto-fill apply the check marks in the entire range:
Method 2: Utilizing the Wingdings Font
Another method to insert the checkmark in the Google Sheets is by utilizing the Wingdings font by using the below-mentioned steps.
Step 1: Select the Cell or Range of the Cells
First, select the cell or the range of the cells in which the check marks are supposed to insert:
Step 2: Choose the “Custom number format” in Google Sheets
After selecting the cell or range of cells, click on “Format”, then on “Number”, and lastly “Custom number format” from the dropdown menu:
Step 3: Enter the Formula
Now insert the below-mentioned formula in the formula bar and then click on the “Apply” option:
✓@
Now when you type some data in the selected cells, the check mark will be inserted automatically:
Method 3: Utilizing the Unicode Character
The third method to insert the check mark is by using Unicode characters. For this again, select the cell or range of cells in which the check marks are supposed to insert:
Then in the formula bar, type the formula given below:
=CHAR(10003)
Press the ENTER key to apply the results of the formula:
How to Use Formatting and Customization Options for Check Marks in Google Sheets?
We can customize and format the check marks by changing their colors, sizes, and the cell’s border. For this select the cells containing the check marks and then follow the below-mentioned instructions.
Color: To change the color of the check marks, go to the “Text color” icon in the menu bar and choose the color of your choice:
The color of the check marks is changed to red from black:
Font Size: Another option is to change the font size, again select the check marks and choose the font size:
It will change the font size to the specified font size:
Cell Borders: To change the color of the cells containing the check marks, first, we have to select the cells and insert the borders:
Now again click the border option and choose the color of the border:
The border color has been changed:
That’s all about inserting the check marks in Google Sheets by conventional methods.
Conclusion
To insert the check marks in Google Sheets, use any of the methods; using the “Insert Special Characters” feature, using the Unicode or the Wingding fonts. All the mentioned methods are explained in this post, and also some tips are shared to customize the check marks in the Google Sheets.
