Easy Ways to Type Symbols & Special Characters on Your Keyboard

Do you want an easy way to type symbols on a keyboard? You can use ALT codes on any computer, find the character map, or use the on-screen keyboard with iPhone, iPad, and Android. This wikiHow article teaches you how to type symbols into a text field on your computer or smartphone.

Alt Key Symbol Cheat Sheets

Alt Key Symbols for PC

Option Key Symbols for Mac

Easily Type Signs and Symbols with Your Keyboard

The most common way to type symbols with a keyboard is by using Alt Codes, which you can find anywhere online, but we compiled the most common in our cheat sheets. You can also open the Character Map on Windows or Mac in order to add special characters.

Method 1

Method 1 of 7:

Using ALT Codes on Windows & Mac

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1
Make sure NumLock is on. If you have a 10-digit keypad to the right of your keyboard, you'll also see a "NumLock" key that you can press to toggle NumLock on or off.
- You might need to press the "Fn" key to toggle NumLock.
- The key will either light up or show on-screen if NumLock is on or off.
Keep holding it as you enter the code.

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3
Enter the code with the keypad. You can use the cheat sheets above to find the ALT code that you're looking for. If you're using a Windows computer, you must use the 10-digit keypad to the right of your keyboard; using the row of numbers at the top of your keyboard will not work for the ALT codes.
- This rule doesn't apply to Macs.
- Enter any "0"s that appear in the code.
- For example, Alt+0128 enters the symbol for Euros on Windows; press ⇧ Shift+⌥ Opt+2 for the same symbol on Mac.
- For example, Alt+227 enters the Pi symbol on Windows; press ⌥ Opt+P on Mac.
On Windows, release Alt and the symbol will be inserted where your cursor is. On Mac, release Opt (maybe Shift as well if you had to hold that down for the ALT code), and the symbol will appear where your cursor is.

Method 2

Method 2 of 7:

Using the Character Map on Windows

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You can find it by opening the Start menu and searching for "Character Map".
2
Select a common font. Click the "Font" drop-down menu at the top of the Character Map window, then click a commonly used font (e.g., Arial) in the drop-down menu.
- The reason you need to do this is that less commonly used fonts include different symbols which aren't compatible with some programs.
Scroll through the list of symbols until you find the one you want to use.
Click the symbol once to select it. You should see the symbol enlarge slightly.
It's at the bottom of the window. The symbol will be added to the "Characters to copy" text field.
You'll find this in the lower-right corner of the window. Doing so copies the symbol to your clipboard.
Once you've copied your symbol, open a text field or document, then press Ctrl+V to paste in the symbol.

Method 3

Method 3 of 7:

Using Character Viewer on Mac

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Click the spot in the document or text field in which you want to type the symbol.
2
Click Edit. It's a menu item at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
- Alternatively, press Fn+E (or just Fn, depending on the app you're using and/or any custom keyboard shortcuts you may have set) and skip the next step.
This is near the bottom of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Emoji & Symbols window.
4
Select a symbol category. You'll see different categories displayed along the top or bottom of the Character Viewer window. The clock icon contains emojis and symbols that you've recently used.^{[1]
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- If you can't easily find your symbol, use Expanded View to help you. Click the keyboard icon in the top right corner to make the Character Viewer bigger.
Look through the list of symbols (scrolling down if necessary) until you find the one you want to type.
6
Double-click your symbol. This will add the symbol to the text field or document in which your cursor is located.
- You can also customize this Character Viewer so you can see specific categories before others. To do this, make sure the Character Viewer is expanded (click the keyboard icon), then click ••• > Customize List, and then select and deselect categories that you want to see or hide. Click Done when you're finished.

Method 4

Method 4 of 7:

Using the Keyboard on iPhone or iPad

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Tap the app in which you want to type a symbol, then select a conversation or document if necessary before proceeding.
2
Select a spot for your symbol. In order to bring up your iPhone's keyboard, you'll have to tap a text field or a space in your selected document (if necessary).
- If you're editing a document, make sure the cursor is in the space in which you want to type the symbol.
It's in the lower-left side of the screen. Doing so switches your keyboard to display numbers.
It's in the lower-left side of the window. Your keyboard will now display symbols.
5
Select a symbol. Tap the symbol you want to type to add it to your selected text box or document location.
- If you don't see the symbol you want to type, try lightly tapping and holding a symbol to see variations of it. For example, tapping and holding the question mark will prompt a menu with an upside-down question mark to appear. You can type a symbol from this menu by sliding your finger up to select it and then releasing your finger.
- You can also easily add accents to characters by long-tapping on the un-accented version of the letter and choosing the accent from the menu that pops up.^{[2]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 7:

Using the Keyboard on Android

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In order to bring up your Android's keyboard, you'll need to open an app or a document which has a text field in which you can type information.
2
Select a spot for your symbol. Find the place in which you want to type your symbol, then tap it.
- For example, if you want to add your symbol to a text message, you would open your Android's Messages app, select a contact or conversation, and then tap the text field at the bottom of the screen.
- If you're editing a document, make sure the cursor is in the space in which you want to type the symbol.
3
Tap ?123. It's in the lower-left side of the screen. Doing so switches the keyboard to display symbols and numbers instead of letters.
- On a Samsung Keyboard, you'll tap !#1 here.
4
Look for your symbol. Find the symbol you want to type in the keyboard.
- If you don't see the symbol you want to type, try long-pressing a symbol to see variations of it. For example, tapping and holding the question mark will prompt a menu with an upside-down question mark to appear. This will not work on the Samsung Keyboard.
5
Open the additional symbols page if necessary. If you can't find the symbol you want to type, tap =\< in the lower-left side of the keyboard to open the second page of symbols.
- On the Samsung Keyboard, you'll instead tap 1/2 to open the second page.
6
Select a symbol. Tap the symbol you want to type to add it to the text box.
- If you're selecting a symbol from the long-press menu, long-press the symbol for which you want to use the menu, then slide your finger up and left or right to select the necessary symbol and release your finger to type the symbol.

Method 6

Method 6 of 7:

Adding Unicode Symbols on Windows

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1
Type the code for your symbol. For example, the code for the dollar sign is "0024."
- Not every software, including Microsoft PowerPoint, will convert Unicode symbols. In that case, use ALT codes or the Character Map.
Once you enter 0024+Alt+X, the dollar sign will appear in the place of your code.^{[3]
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Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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Method 7

Method 7 of 7:

Using Unicode Symbols on Mac

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1
Enable Unicode Hex Input. By default, your keyboard will not work with Unicode characters, so you have to enable it first. To do this, go to Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard and click Edit next to "Input Sources."
- Click + in the bottom left corner of the pop-up window and select "Unicode Hex Input" from the list.
- Click Add and Done to close the keyboard input window.
Click the language code symbol in the menu bar at the top of the screen (looks like a rectangle with “US” inside it when it’s set to the standard US keyboard) and select the “Unicode Hex Input” option.
3
Enter the Unicode text while pressing ⌥ Opt. There are a lot of different codes that you can use, so it might be easier to use the Character Viewer.
- When you release the Opt key, you'll see the symbol replace the code.
- For example, press ⌥ Opt+D83DDEA0 for an icon of a cable car.^{[4]
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How do I write "times" on a keypad?

Community Answer

While pressing the shift button, press the 8 key. The symbol should look like this *.

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How do I make a square box on keyboard?

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Look up the term "ASC Keyboard" on the internet, and you will find there are many characters that are not shown. For example. pressing ALT and 210 will give you a special character that you can use.

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How do I type the "at" symbol?

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Hold down shift and press 2. Make sure you press the 2 on the number bar at the top of your keyboard, not the number pad to the side.

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Tips

If you find a text symbol online, you can highlight it, copy it by pressing Ctrl+C (Windows) or ⌘ Command+C (Mac), and paste it into a text field by pressing Ctrl+V or ⌘ Command+V. This will usually work in "rich-text" editors such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

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You can type many of the most common symbols (such as !, @, or #) simply by holding down Shift while pressing the key that displays the alternate symbol above its default character. Most of these symbols are located above the numbers at the top of your keyboard or on the punctuation keys on the right side of the keyboard.

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