In Windows, Alt key combined with numeric codes can access characters that aren't readily available on a normal keyboard. While Alt codes don't exist on Mac computers, there are a variety of Option key shortcuts that can let you type the most popular characters. On Linux, you can press Ctrl + Shift + U to type any Unicode character, as long as the font you're typing it in supports it.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using Windows

  1. 1
    Type currency symbols. Hold Alt and type the number below using the numeric pad on your keyboard. When you release Alt, the symbol will appear. NumLock must be enabled.[1]
     Symbol  Name  Code 

    Euro

    0128

    £

    Pound

    156

    ¢

    Cent

    155

    ¥

    Yen

    157

    ƒ

    Florin

    159

    ¤

     Currency 

    0164

  2. 2
    Type mathematics symbols. Hold Alt and type the number below using the numeric pad on your keyboard to insert mathematics symbols. When you release the Alt key, the symbol will appear. NumLock needs to be enabled.[2]
     Symbol  Name  Code 
    ÷

    Division (Obelus)

    246

    ×

    Multiplication

    0215

    ±

    Plus or minus

    0177

    Approximate

    247

    Square root

    251

    Power n

    252

    ²

    Squared

    253

    ¼

    Quarter

    0188

    ½

    Half

    0189

    ¾

    Three quarters

    0190

    Infinity

    236

     Greater than or equal 

    242

    Less than or equal

    243

    π

    Pi

    227

    °

    Degree

    248

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  3. 3
    Type special punctuation and editing symbols. Hold Alt and use the numeric pad to enter the number below to create special punctuation symbols. When you let go of the Alt, the symbol will be inserted. NumLock must be enabled.[3]
     Symbol  Name  Code 
    ¡

     Inverted exclamation 

    173

    ¿

    Inverted question

    168

    §

    Section

    21

    Paragraph

    20

    ©

    Copyright

    0169

    ®

    Registered

    0174

    Trademark

    0153

    Dagger

    0134

    Double dagger

    0135

    En dash

    0150

    Em dash

    0151

    Bullet

    0149

  4. 4
    Type musical notation. Hold the Alt key and enter the number below using the numeric pad on your keyboard. When you release Alt, the musical symbol will appear. NumLock must be enabled for these to work. Symbols with codes between 9000 and 9999 rely on certain fonts, and may not work everywhere.
     Symbol  Name  Code 

    Quarter note

    13

    Eighth note

    14

     Sixteenth note 

    9836

    Flat

    9837

    Natural

    9838

    Sharp

    9839

  5. 5
    Type other miscellaneous symbols. Hold Alt and type the number below with the numeric pad. When you release Alt, the symbol will appear. NumLock has to be on.[4]
     Symbol  Name  Code 

    Smiley

    1

     Black Smiley 

    2

    Heart

    3

    Diamond

    4

    Club

    5

    Spade

    6

    Male

    11

    Female

    12

    Up arrow

    24

    Down arrow

    25

    Right arrow

    26

    Left arrow

    27

    Sun

    15

    Home

    127

    Ω

    Ohms

    234

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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using Mac

  1. 1
    Type currency symbols. When you hold Opt or Shift+ Opt, your keyboard keys will make different symbols than normal. This includes some of the more popular currency symbols. Use the shortcuts below to type different currency symbols.
     Symbol  Name Shortcut
    ¢

    Cent

    Opt+4

    Euro

      Shift+ Opt+2 

    £

     Pound 

    Opt+3

    ¥

    Yen

    Opt+Y

    ƒ

    Florin

    Opt+F

  2. 2
    Type mathematics symbols. Use Opt or Shift+ Opt to modify the functions of your keyboard keys. Use the modifiers below to type different mathematics symbols.
     Symbol  Name Shortcut
    ÷

    Division (Obelus)

    Opt+/

    ±

    Plus or minus

      Shift+ Opt+= 

    °

    Degree

    Shift+ Opt+8

     Greater than or equal 

    Opt+>

    Less than or equal

    Opt+<

    π

    Pi

    Opt+P

    Approximate

    Opt+X

    Not equal

    Opt+=

    Infinity

    Opt+5

    Integral

    Opt+B

  3. 3
    Type special punctuation and editing symbols. The Opt and Shift+ Opt modifiers will change the symbols your keyboard keys create. Some of these modified characters are punctuation and editing symbols. Use the key combinations below to type these symbols.
     Symbol  Name Shortcut
    ¿

    Inverted question

      Shift+ Opt+? 

    ¡

     Inverted exclamation 

    Opt+1

    ©

    Copyright

    Opt+G

    ®

    Registered

    Opt+R

    Trademark

    Opt+2

    Paragraph

    Opt+7

    §

    Section

    Opt+6

    Bullet

    Opt+8

    En dash

    Opt+-

    Em dash

    Shift+ Opt+-

    Dagger

    Opt+T

    Double dagger

    Shift+ Opt+7

  4. 4
    Use the Symbol Viewer to find more symbols. The Mac doesn't have as many codes as a Windows computer, but you can find lots of different symbols in the Symbol Viewer:[5]
    • Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences."
    • Click the "Keyboard" option and then check "Show viewers for keyboard, emoji, and symbols in menu bar."
    • Click the viewer icon that appears in the menu bar and select "Show Emoji & Symbols."
    • Browse through the categories of symbols and double-click the one you want to insert.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Linux & Chromebook

  1. 1
    Press Ctrl+ Shift+U. An underlined u will appear. This works on both Linux and Chromebook, which is based on Linux.
  2. 2
    Type the Unicode hex value of the character. You can look it up in a Unicode table and convert from decimal to hexadecimal if necessary. You don't have to type the zeroes at the beginning.
  3. 3
    Press Enter. The character should appear in place of the underlined u and the numbers.
  4. 4
    Type currency symbols. To type currency symbols on Linux and Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U and then type one of the following Unicode hex values and press Enter to type currency symbols:

     Symbol   Name   Code 

    Euro

    20AC

    £

    Pound

    00A3

    Ruble

    20BD

    $

    Dollar

    0024

    Won

    20A9

    ¥

    Yen

    00A5

  5. 5
    Type mathematical symbols. To type mathmatic symbols on Linux and Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U and then type one of the following Unicode hex values and press Enter to type mathmatic symbols:

     Symbol   Name   Code 
    ÷

    Division Sign

    00F7

    ×

    Multiplication Sign

    00D7

    ±

    Plus Minus

    00B1

    Approximately Equal To

    2248

    Not Equal To

    2260

    Is Element Of

    2208

    Not Element Of

    2209

    Infinity

    221E

    Less Or Equal

    2264

    Greater Or Equal

    2265

    π

    Pi

    03C0

    Square Root

    221A

    Cube Root

    221B

  6. 6
    Type special punctuation:

     Symbol   Name   Code 
    ¡

    Inverted Exclamation Mark

    00A1

    ¿

    Inverted Question Mark

    00BF

    «

    Left Angle Quote

    00AB

    »

    Right Angle Quote

    00BB

    Left Angle Bracket

    300A

    Right Angle Bracket

    300B

    Low Left Cursive Quote

    201E

    Left Cursive Quote

    201C

    Per Mille Sign

    2030

    En Dash

    2013

    Em Dash

    2014

  7. 7
    Type common symbols. To type commonly used symbols on Linux and Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U and then type one of the following Unicode hex values and press Enter to type the following symbols:

     Symbol   Name   Code 
    §

    Section

    00A7

    Pilcrow / Paragraph Mark

    00B6

    ©

    Copyright

    00A9

    ®

    Registered

    00AE

    Trademark

    2122

    Replacement Character

    FFFD

    Command Key

    2318

  8. 8
    Type musical notation. To type musical notations on Linux and Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U and then type one of the following Unicode hex values and press Enter to type music symbols:

     Symbol   Name   Code 

    Quarter Note

    2669

    Eighth Note

    266A

    Beamed Eighth Notes

    266B

    Beamed Sixteenth Notes

    266C

    Bemolle / Flat

    266D

    Natural

    266E

    Dièse / Sharp

    266F

  9. 9
    Type Chess symbols. To type Chess symbols that represent Chess pieces on Linux and Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U and then type one of the following Unicode hex values and press Enter to type Chess symbols:

     Symbol   Name   Code   Symbol   Name   Code 

    White King

    2654

    Black King

    265A

    White Queen

    2655

    Black Queen

    265B

    White Rook

    2656

    Black Rook

    265C

    White Bishop

    2657

    Black Bishop

    265D

    White Knight

    2658

    Black Knight

    265E

    White Pawn

    2659

    Black Pawn

    265f

  10. 10
    Type arrows. To type text arrows on Linux and Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U and then type one of the following Unicode hex values and press Enter to add arrows to your text:

     Symbol   Name   Code 

    Left Arrow

    2190

    Up Arrow

    2191

    Right Arrow

    2192

    Down Arrow

    2193

    Left Right Arrow

    2194

    Up Down Arrow

    2195

    Diagonal Left Up Arrow

    2196

    Diagonal Right Up Arrow

    2197

    Diagonal Right Down Arrow

    2198

    Diagonal Left Down Arrow

    2199

    Counterclockwise Circle Arrow

    21BA

    Clockwise Circle Arrow

    21BB

  11. 11
    Type other miscellaneous symbols. To type the following miscellaneous symbols on Linux and Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U and then type one of the following Unicode hex values and press Enter to type miscellaneous symbols:

     Symbol   Name   Code 

    Smiley

    263A

    Black Smiley

    263B

    Heart

    2665

    Diamond

    2666

    Club

    2663

    Female

    2640

    Male

    2642

    Male and Female

    26A5

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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Why doesn't Alt+9773 make a hammer and sickle symbol?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The 9000 series of codes only work in certain fonts. Entering the code in Word will usually work, provided the font supports it. It may not work in your browser or other programs,.
  • Question
    How do I invert the "?" symbol?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If you are using a PC, you can type the inverted question mark by entering the ALT codes 0191, 6824, or 168 on your number pad. If you are on a Mac, you can enter the "¿" symbol by pressing "Shift" and "Option" simultaneously and then, without releasing, typing the "?" symbol.
  • Question
    How do I type the "@" symbol on a Spanish keyboard?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Because Spanish keyboards usually have accents where the @ symbol would normally be, you need to use a slightly different code. You can try the ALT code 64 for a PC, or you can type "Control" + "Shift" and then the key with the @ symbol printed on it.
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About This Article

Travis Boylls
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls. Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College. This article has been viewed 4,474,343 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 164
Updated: February 17, 2022
Views: 4,474,343
Categories: Graphics
Article SummaryX

1. Enable NumLk (Number Lock) on the keyboard.
2. Hold the Alt key.
3. Enter the alt code number (e.g., 0128).
4. Lift your finger from the Alt key.

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