How to Type ż (Z with dot above) on Excel

Published June 22, 2026, 2 min read

ż is z with dot above, a letter used in Polish and Maltese. On Excel, the quickest way to get it is =UNICHAR(380). This guide covers every method that works, including the capital Ż and fixes for common problems.

ż on Excel: =UNICHAR(380)

Ż on Excel: =UNICHAR(379)

Or copy it:

Method 1: UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(380) in a cell to get ż. To check a letter, =UNICODE("ż") returns 380. 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 017C) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 017C) on a Mac.

Method 3: Find and replace accented text

Use =SUBSTITUTE(A1,"ż","z") 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 Ż

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

UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(379) in a cell to get Ż. To check a letter, =UNICODE("Ż") returns 379. 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 017B) on Windows or Unicode Hex Input (Option + 017B) on a Mac.

About the letter ż

ż is Unicode U+017C, named LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH DOT ABOVE. It is used in Polish and Maltese. A single dot above a letter, used in Polish (ż), Lithuanian (ė), Maltese (ċ, ġ, ż) and Turkish (İ, the dotted capital I). See the ż 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 ż on Excel?

=UNICHAR(380).

Can I just copy and paste ż?

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 ż?

U+017C. In HTML it is ż.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Excel