How to Type the Euro Symbol (€) on Keyboard

The euro sign (€) isn’t on most physical keyboards, but every major device has a built-in way to type it. Here is a quick answer, then full steps for each platform.

Quick Answer

Windows: Alt Code

1. Make sure Num Lock is on.
2. Place your cursor where you want the symbol.
3. Hold Alt and type 0128 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.

This works in most Windows apps because 0128 is the euro sign in the Windows-1252 code page, which Windows uses for Alt codes that start with a leading zero.

Windows Emoji and Symbol Panel

Press Windows key + period (.) or Windows key + semicolon (;) to open the emoji panel, then click the symbols tab (Ω icon) and search for “euro”. This works without Num Lock and on laptops without a numeric keypad.

European Keyboard Layouts

If your keyboard is set to a layout like German, French, or Spanish, you usually don’t need an alt code:

• German/Spanish layouts: AltGr+E
• French layout: AltGr+E (on AZERTY)
• Some layouts use AltGr+4 or AltGr+5, depending on region

AltGr is the right Alt key on most PC keyboards. Check your taskbar language indicator to confirm which layout is active.

Mac: Option Key Shortcut

On a US keyboard layout, press Option+Shift+2.

On the British (UK) Mac keyboard layout, use Option+2.

If neither works, your keyboard layout may not include the euro by default. Fix it with the Character Viewer:

1. Press Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer.
2. Type “euro” in the search box.
3. Double-click the € symbol to insert it.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open the keyboard and switch to the numbers/symbols view.
2. Find the $ or £ currency key (the symbol shown depends on your region settings).
3. Press and hold that key until a small popup shows other currency symbols.
4. Slide your finger to € and release.

If you type in a language that uses the euro by default, the € key may already be visible without long-pressing.

Android

1. Switch to the numbers/symbols keyboard.
2. Long-press the $ key (or the currency symbol shown).
3. Choose € from the popup row of currency options.

The exact key varies by keyboard app (Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, SwiftKey), but most Android keyboards support this long-press method.

Microsoft Word

Word supports a wider range of codes than plain Windows apps.

1. Type 20AC (the Unicode hex value for the euro sign).
2. Press Alt+X immediately after. Word converts it to €.

You can also use Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, select the Euro symbol from the font’s character grid, and click Insert. The standard Alt+0128 shortcut also works in Word.

Google Docs

1. Go to Insert > Special characters.
2. Type “euro” in the search box.
3. Click the € symbol to insert it at your cursor.

You can also just use Alt+0128 on Windows or Option+Shift+2 on Mac since Google Docs accepts standard OS-level shortcuts.

Excel and Google Sheets

To insert the euro sign as a formula result or inside a cell reference, use:

• Excel: =CHAR(128) on Windows with Windows-1252 encoding, or more reliably =UNICHAR(8364)
• Google Sheets: =CHAR(8364)

Google Sheets uses straight Unicode code points, so CHAR(8364) is correct there, while Excel’s CHAR function depends on the code page unless you use UNICHAR.

You can also just type the symbol directly into a cell using your OS shortcut (Alt+0128 on Windows, Option+Shift+2 on Mac).

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

For web pages, use one of these:

• HTML entity: €
• HTML numeric: €
• CSS content property: content: "\20AC";
• JavaScript string: "\u20AC"

The Unicode code point for the euro sign is U+20AC in all of these contexts.

Troubleshooting

Alt+0128 types a different character or nothing at all. Your keyboard may lack a numeric keypad, or Num Lock is off. Laptops often need Fn+NumLock to enable the embedded keypad before Alt codes work.

The euro symbol shows as a box or question mark. The current font doesn’t include the euro glyph. Switch to a common system font like Arial, Calibri, or Segoe UI.

AltGr shortcut does nothing. Your keyboard layout in Windows settings doesn’t match your physical keyboard. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & region and confirm the correct layout is active.

Alt+X in Word inserts the wrong character. Make sure there’s no extra space between “20AC” and the cursor position before pressing Alt+X, and that autocorrect hasn’t already changed the text.

Frequently asked questions