Windows
Alt codes
- Turn on Num Lock.
- Hold Alt.
- Type the code on the numeric keypad, not the number row.
- Release Alt.
Codes without a leading zero (Alt+1 to Alt+255) come from the old CP437 table, where ☺ ♥ ♪ live. Codes with a zero (Alt+0128 to Alt+0255) use Windows-1252 for accented letters, currency and typographic marks. The Alt codes finder lists all of them.
No numpad? Use the symbol panel
Press Win+. (or Win+;). Click the Symbols tab (Ω) and browse the categories or search by name. It works in every app on Windows 10 and 11. Character Map in the Start menu is the older equivalent and shows the Alt code for each character at the bottom of its window.
Word, Outlook and WordPad
Type the four-digit hex code and press Alt+X. This needs no numpad and covers every Unicode character. Pressing Alt+X again converts the character back to its code, which is a quick way to identify a symbol.
Mac
The Option key gives about 90 symbols directly and five dead keys for accents. The full map is below; click any key to copy its symbol, and see the Mac symbol guide for the Character Viewer, Unicode Hex Input and text replacements.
Pick a layer, then click any key to copy its symbol. Or focus the keyboard and hold your real Option key.
Dead key: press it, release, then type a letter to add the accent (Option+E then A gives á). The Option+Shift+K result is the Apple logo, a private-use character that only shows on Apple devices.
For letters, hold the key down and pick an accent from the pop-up. For anything else, Control+⌘+Space opens the Character Viewer, where you can search by name.
iPhone, iPad and Android
- Press and hold a letter for its accents, or a punctuation key for related marks (hold - for – — •, hold $ for other currencies, hold 0 for °, hold ? for ¿).
- The 123 and #+= pages hold the rest of the common symbols.
- For anything else, copy it from this site and paste. Save frequent ones as Text Replacement (iOS) or a Personal dictionary shortcut (Gboard).
- Emoji live on the emoji keyboard; text symbols such as ✓ or → are not there, which is why the copy route matters on phones.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Google Docs
- Word: Alt+X after a hex code, Insert → Symbol → More Symbols (with a shortcut key you can assign), AutoCorrect entries, and the built-in accent shortcuts such as Ctrl+' then E for é.
- Excel and Sheets:
=UNICHAR(176)in Excel or=CHAR(176)in Sheets returns °. Alt codes and paste work in cells; custom number formats can append a symbol such as °C to numbers. - PowerPoint: Insert → Symbol, Alt codes, or paste. Alt+X does not work in PowerPoint.
- Google Docs: Insert → Special characters searches by name and lets you draw the shape. Tools → Preferences → Substitutions adds your own replacements.
HTML, CSS and code
Pages served as UTF-8 can contain any symbol directly. Use an entity when you cannot type the character or when it would be misread by the parser: < > & are mandatory, © ° are conveniences, and the numeric form → or → covers everything. In CSS use content: "\2192"; in JavaScript "→". Every symbol page on this site lists all of these.
Where to go next
- Copy and paste symbols: every symbol, one click.
- Alt codes finder and the complete Alt codes guide.
- Alt codes on Mac and the Mac key symbols.
- Accent keyboard and the A to Z accented letter guides.
- Emoji copy and paste, fancy text and kaomoji.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to type a symbol on any device? +
Copy it. Every symbol on this site copies with one click and pastes as plain text everywhere. Learn a shortcut only for symbols you type daily.
Do Alt codes work on a Mac or a phone? +
No. Alt codes are Windows only and need the numeric keypad. Macs use Option shortcuts and the Character Viewer; phones use press-and-hold and the symbol pages of the keyboard.
Why does Alt+0176 type nothing on my laptop? +
Laptop number rows do not work for Alt codes. Use Win + . for the symbol panel, Character Map, or type 00B0 then Alt+X in Word.
What does Alt+X do in Word? +
It converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again. Type 2713 then Alt+X to get ✓. It works in Word, Outlook and WordPad on Windows.
How do I type symbols in Google Docs? +
Insert → Special characters lets you search by name or draw the symbol. Alt codes and Option shortcuts also work in Docs because they are handled by the operating system.
When should I use an HTML entity instead of the symbol itself? +
Only when the file encoding is uncertain or the character is hard to type. Modern UTF-8 pages can contain the symbol directly; entities like © are a fallback, and < > & are the ones that are required.