UNICHAR in Excel: Unicode Symbols and Space Cleanup
Create Unicode characters from code points in Excel, build readable labels and normalize a specific nonbreaking space without assuming font behavior.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
Quick answer: UNICHAR(number) returns the Unicode character for a numeric code point. Use it when the character identity should be explicit rather than dependent on a copied glyph or a legacy character table.
Availability and version history
- Introduced: the Microsoft function catalogue marks this identity as an Excel 2013 addition. An exact first build or preview date is not established.
- Availability: official help lists Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Excel 2024, Excel 2024 for Mac, Excel 2021, Excel 2021 for Mac, Excel 2019, Excel 2016.
- Checked: October 14, 2026; official UNICHAR reference. Documentation and independent models; no native Excel execution or wider platform certification.
Syntax and documented boundaries
=UNICHAR(number)
The required number identifies a Unicode character. Microsoft documents #VALUE! for zero or numeric values outside the permitted range, and #N/A for partial surrogates or certain invalid data. Those categories are kept separate; this guide does not guess an error code for every invalid input type or fractional number.
A Unicode character can involve multiple encoding units. Returning it does not guarantee that every font can display it, nor that every text-length or extraction function counts a complicated displayed symbol in the same way. The examples use simple, individually specified code points.
Example 1: generate a small symbol table
Put the following decimal code points in A2:A7. In B2 enter =UNICHAR(A2) and fill through B7:
| Decimal code point | Expected character | Meaning used here |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | A | Latin capital A |
| 97 | a | Latin small a |
| 945 | α | Greek small alpha |
| 8364 | € | Euro sign |
| 8226 | • | Bullet |
| 10003 | ✓ | Check mark |
These identities are independently checked against their Unicode code-point values. The check mark is a text character, not an interactive checkbox. A missing-glyph box indicates a rendering problem that should be investigated separately from the stored code point.
In C2, =UNICODE(B2) returns 65. Filling that inverse check down yields 65, 97, 945, 8364, 8226 and 10003. This is a round-trip control for the listed single-code-point characters, not a claim about arbitrary multi-character text.
Example 2: use a symbol without losing the label
With Review complete in E2, use:
=UNICHAR(10003)&" "&E2
The expected string is ✓ Review complete. Keeping the words matters: someone using a different font or a screen reader should not have to infer the status from the symbol alone.
For a bullet label, =UNICHAR(8226)&" "&E2 gives • Review complete. The function supplies exactly the requested character; the surrounding space and words come from concatenation. It does not apply a paragraph list format or set any cell status metadata.
Advanced example: replace one known troublesome space
A nonbreaking space, code point 160, can look similar to an ordinary space, code point 32. Construct a controlled input in H2:
="North"&UNICHAR(160)&"Zone"
To replace that specific separator with an ordinary space, use H3:
=SUBSTITUTE(H2,UNICHAR(160),UNICHAR(32))
Both cells may appear to say North Zone. The difference can be inspected at the sixth character: =UNICODE(MID(H2,6,1)) gives 160, while the same expression using H3 gives 32.
A direct equality test =H2=H3 is not used here as a substitute for character inspection, since comparison behavior and normalization can have additional rules. The code-point check directly targets the known difference.
This replacement is narrow. It does not remove every kind of whitespace or normalize all Unicode text. If the original nonbreaking space intentionally kept a label together, replacing it also removes that formatting intent. Preserve a raw copy before applying a cleanup rule across imported identifiers.
A composed character is a different construction
=UNICHAR(233) creates the precomposed character é. =UNICHAR(101)&UNICHAR(769) constructs an e followed by a combining acute accent, which may look similar. The first code point is 233 in the first string and 101 in the second. UNICHAR creates the requested sequence; it does not promise to normalize two visually similar sequences into identical stored text.
Use UNICODE to inspect the first code point, SUBSTITUTE for targeted replacement and MID for these simple-position controls. Do not generalize their positions to emoji sequences or every writing system without testing the relevant workbook compatibility mode.
References and verification
Expected outputs are independently calculated examples or documented rules, not captured native Excel results. Formulas use English function names and comma argument separators. Locale, rendering and boundary restrictions are stated where relevant.