How to Type ß (Sharp s (eszett)) on Excel

Published July 29, 2026, 2 min read

Typing ß (Sharp s (eszett)) on Excel takes a few seconds once you know the trick. The short answer is =UNICHAR(223). Read on for step-by-step instructions and what to do when a method does not work.

ß on Excel: =UNICHAR(223)

Or copy it:

Method 1: UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(223) in a cell to get ß. To check a letter, =UNICODE("ß") returns 223. Both work in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

Method 2: CHAR formula on Windows

=CHAR(223) also returns ß on Windows, because it uses the Windows-1252 code page. On a Mac CHAR uses a different code page, so prefer UNICHAR.

Method 3: Keyboard methods inside a cell

Double-click the cell, then use Alt+0223 on Windows or Option+S on a Mac.

Method 4: Find and replace accented text

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

About the letter ß

ß is Unicode U+00DF, named LATIN SMALL LETTER SHARP S. It is used in German. See the ß 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 ß on Excel?

=UNICHAR(223).

Can I just copy and paste ß?

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 ß?

U+00DF. In HTML it is ß.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Excel