How to Type ā (A with macron) on Excel

Published July 16, 2026, 2 min read

Need ā on Excel for a name, an address or a word in another language? You do not have to copy it from a website every time. The fastest method is =UNICHAR(257), and there are a few backups below for when that one is not available.

ā on Excel: =UNICHAR(257)

Ā on Excel: =UNICHAR(256)

Or copy it:

Method 1: UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(257) in a cell to get ā. To check a letter, =UNICODE("ā") returns 257. Both work in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

Method 2: Keyboard methods inside a cell

Double-click the cell, then use Insert → Symbol (Unicode hex 0101) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 0101) on a Mac.

Method 3: Find and replace accented text

Use =SUBSTITUTE(A1,"ā","a") to strip this accent from a column, for example when cleaning names for an email system that does not accept accents.

How to type the capital Ā

The uppercase form works the same way with Shift added where a letter is typed.

UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(256) in a cell to get Ā. To check a letter, =UNICODE("Ā") returns 256. Both work in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

Keyboard methods inside a cell

Double-click the cell, then use Insert → Symbol (Unicode hex 0100) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 0100) on a Mac.

About the letter ā

ā is Unicode U+0101, named LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH MACRON. It is used in Latvian, Mandarin Pinyin, Māori and Hawaiian. A flat bar above a vowel, used for long vowels in Latvian, Lithuanian, Māori, Hawaiian and Latin textbooks, and for the first tone in Pinyin. See the ā character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

UNICHAR is not available in Excel 2010 and earlier.
CSV files saved as plain "CSV" may lose accents. Save as "CSV UTF-8".
If accents show as question marks after import, set the file origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8) in the import wizard.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ā on Excel?

=UNICHAR(257).

Can I just copy and paste ā?

Yes. Click the copy button above, then paste with Ctrl+V on Windows and Chromebook, Cmd+V on a Mac, or touch and hold and choose Paste on a phone.

What is the Unicode code for ā?

U+0101. In HTML it is ā.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Excel