How to Make a Cross of the Deceased in Microsoft Word

Use Microsoft Word's Symbol gallery to insert a "cross of the deceased" character, also called a dagger or obelisk, into a document at the cursor position. Another way is to type the symbol on a keyboard with a numeric key pad using a special key combination called an Alt code.

The Symbol gallery contains a selection of punctuation marks and Unicode symbols; choosing a character from the gallery inserts it at the cursor position. Click "Symbol" on the Insert tab to open the gallery, then click "More Symbols" to open the Symbol selection window. Choose the "Special Characters" tab to list all Unicode symbols in numeric order, then click the "From" drop-down list and choose "Unicode (Hex)." Select "General Punctuation" from the Subset menu and choose the dagger symbol from the table. The Symbol window displays the dagger's hexadecimal code, 2020, when you select it.

Insert a dagger into Word or any editable text field in Windows using Alt key codes. Alt codes require a keyboard with a number pad or the Fn key emulator found on most laptops; typing the Alt code on the main number keys doesn't work. With Num Lock turned on, hold down "Alt" and type "0134" (without quotes, here and throughout) to insert a dagger at the cursor position. On a laptop, hold down "Alt" and "Fn" and then type "MJLU" to insert a dagger.