How Do I Type a Double S Vertical Symbol?

The double S vertical symbol -- "§" -- is often referred to as the section mark. You typically find this symbol in legal documents as a shortcut pointing the reader to a section reference. There are various ways to type the symbol in Windows 8, including keyboard shortcuts, the Insert menu and copy and paste.

If your keyboard has a number keypad, you can use a shortcut command to create a section symbol. Press and hold down the "Alt" key and use your keypad to type the numbers "21" or "0167" (without quotation marks). Release the "Alt" key to insert the symbol. This works only with a keypad, so you can't use this shortcut with computers that don't have one, such as laptops. You can try a different command if your laptop has a blue "Fn" key and blue numbers on some letter keys. Press and hold down both the "Fn" and "Alt" keys and type the numbers "21" or "0167" (without quotation marks) using the letter keys with corresponding numbers on them.

If you're using a Microsoft Office program, you can use the Insert menu to create a double S vertical symbol. For example, if you're working in Word 2013, select the "Insert" tab and then the "Symbol" icon on the menu bar. Open "More Symbols" and select the "Special Characters" tab. Go to the "Section" symbol, highlight it and select "Insert" to place it into your document.

While you can use an Internet search to find a section mark symbol that you can copy and paste, the Windows Character Map is an alternative option, enabling you to format and copy symbols so you can paste them into documents. Type "character map" and select its icon when it appears in your search results. If you want to set a font, choose one from the menu. Scroll through the symbol icons until you see the section mark and select it -- the symbol will pop up out of the table. Click or tap the "Select" and "Copy" buttons. You can now go into your document and paste the symbol.