How to represent [RETURN] key in MS Word

I am writing a technical document in MS Word 2007, which needs to show the reader how to execute some commands on the operating system. Something like:

C:\script_dir> run.bat [RETURN] 

Many technical books show a symbol for the [RETURN], which is what I would like to do -- not only to cut down on the length of the text, but also to eliminate any confusion about whether the reader should include that space between the "run.bat" and the [RETURN] key.

I looked through the stuff that's available through "Insert Symbol", but didn't see anything that looked like a good candidate.

Any suggestions?

4 Answers

i think you're looking for the downwards arrow with corner leftwards?

↵

• "carriage return arrow"
• U+21B5
• ↵
• ↵
• Alt + 21B5

I would recommend getting a keycap font (one example I quickly found is Qwerty PC), especially if you'll be representing keystrokes often throughout your documents. Make sure the font covers special keys like Enter ↵. Some are free, and some aren't.

If you go this route, however, consider whether you'll need to embed the font so you can open the file on another computer.

I generally use <ENTER> for my technical documentation, with a space after the last command. Then in the intro of the document you can say what it represents, and that the preceding space is just for formatting and should be ignored.

This might need some explanation for your readers, but some use the pilcrow: ¶