Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Specifying Superscript Text.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 23, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Excel supports a number of different text attributes that can be applied to the characters in your cells. One of those attributes is superscript, which makes affected text smaller and raises it above the baseline used by surrounding text. Superscript is very helpful to use for scientific formulas. To apply superscript in your text, follow these steps:

Figure 1. The Font tab of the Format Cells dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3192) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Specifying Superscript Text.
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