5 Easy Ways to Type a Symbol on a Laptop Keyboard

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An easy guide on using ALT codes & more with or without a keypad

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: September 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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Symbols on Your Keyboard

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ALT Codes on Windows

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Windows Emoji Panel

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Option Key on Mac

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Mac Character Viewer

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Q&A

Do you want to type "☺" on your laptop that's missing a keypad? There are a number of symbols included with standard character sets on your computer, but they do not show on your laptop keyboard. These symbols are more easily accessed on the number pad, but laptops don’t always have them. In most cases, however, there is still a way to use these hidden symbols. This wikiHow article teaches you how to use symbols on Windows 10 and 11 or your Mac.

Typing Symbols on a Laptop

Press “Num Lock.” Hold “Alt” and type the number code for the symbol.
Or, hold down “FN” and “Alt” and type in the symbol’s number code.
On Macs, hold “Option” and “Shift” and press the key corresponding to the symbol.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Symbols on Your Keyboard

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1
Study your keyboard. On your keyboard, you'll see that each key is assigned a letter, number, symbol, or function. You will also see that some keys can type multiple things—for example, you might see that the 1 key can type 1 or !. Identify where all of the symbols are on your keyboard.
- Keyboards from different countries will have different layouts.
2
Press the modifier key. Some symbols don't need a modifier key. If you see a symbol that's printed on the bottom half of a key, that means that key will type that symbol when you press it. The symbol on the top half of the key is the one you need the modifier for.
- On English keyboards, the modifier key is usually the ⇧ Shift key.
- For other keyboards, your modifier key is usually AltGr or Ctrl+Alt.
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3
Press the button for the symbol you want to type. For example, imagine you want to type the "@" symbol. If you're using an English keyboard in the US, you would press ⇧ Shift as your modifier key. You would then press 2 to type the "@" symbol.
- In the UK, you would type ⇧ Shift+` to get the @ symbol. Other countries might have to type AltGr+Q or AltGr+2.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

ALT Codes on Windows

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1
Press NumLock. If your keyboard has a number pad, the NumLock key will be in the top-left corner of the number pad. Sometimes, the NumLock key has a symbol of a lock, instead. If your laptop doesn't have a number pad, there should still be a NumLock key on your keyboard, potentially in the same row as the function keys.^{[1]
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- If the NumLock button is also a function button, make sure to hold Fn while pressing NumLock.
If your laptop has a number pad (a pad of 21 keys on the right side of your keyboard featuring number keys from 0-9, plus some additional symbols and functions), you will be able to find it easily. If your laptop doesn't have a number pad, check your keyboard for keys that have small number icons in the corners.^{[2]
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Research source} These are typically the 7, 8, 9, U, I, O, J, K, L, and M keys.
3
Press and hold Alt while typing the ALT code. Depending on your laptop, you might need to hold Alt and Fn while typing the ALT code. Once you've typed the code, release the ALT key, and the symbol will appear.
- You can find a list of all ALT codes on alt-codes.net.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Windows Emoji Panel

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This will open the emoji panel, which has a number of symbols that you can choose from that are difficult to type on a keyboard.^{[3]
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Along the top of the emoji panel, you'll see some icons. The icon with a %, ↻, △, and +. It's the second-to-last icon in the row.
3
Choose the symbol category that includes the symbol you want to type. If you aren't sure, you might have to do some digging. Here are the categories, as well as what type of symbols they include:
- General punctuation: This section includes typical punctuation like periods, commas, and more, but also includes enclosed/circular symbols, basic math symbols, and international punctuation marks.
- Currency symbols: If you need an international currency symbol, this is the section to check.
- Latin symbols: This section includes accented letters in Latin alphabets from around the world.
- Geometric symbols: This section has several arrows and other geometric shapes.
- Math symbols: This section has advanced math symbols, as well as fractions and Roman numeral symbols.
- Supplemental symbols: This section has even more math symbols. The symbols you'll find in this section include N-ary operators, integrals, logical and relational operators, and more.
- Language symbols: This section includes upper and lowercase Greek letters, including their accented versions.
The symbol will be placed wherever your cursor is.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Option Key on Mac

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Depending on the symbol, you may need to press and hold ⌥ Option+⇧ Shift.
2
Press the key that corresponds to the symbol you want to type. A full list of what keys to press to get each symbol can be found at slcr.wsu.edu/help-pages/keyboards-osx/.
- Letters with accents are created by holding down the ⌥ Option key, then pressing a key for the type of accent, then the letter you want to accent. If it is a capital letter, you will need to hold down ⇧ Shift as well. The accented letter Á, for instance, is obtained by pressing ⌥ Option+⇧ Shift+E+A in sequence, then releasing all keys.
- Symbols other than accented letters are still created by holding the ⌥ Option key and pressing another key, but rather than making the symbols capitalized, the ⇧ Shift key changes the symbol altogether. For instance, holding down ⌥ Option creates ≠, while also holding down the ⌥ Option+⇧ Shift creates ±.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Mac Character Viewer

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This opens the Character Viewer. This window allows you to see many symbols without having to memorize the exact keystrokes to type them on your keyboard.^{[4]
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Unlike the Windows emoji panel, Mac's Character Viewer separates symbols into many more categories, so it's easier to find what you're looking for.
The symbol will be placed wherever your cursor is. Alternatively, you can drag and drop a symbol into your document where you want it to go.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I use the "/" symbol?

Community Answer

You just press the question mark key while holding down the Shift key. On some laptops, there will be a separate "/" key next to the question mark key.

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Question

How do you type "@" on a laptop?

Community Answer

It's easy. While holding "Shift," press the number "2". Shift+2=@

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Question

How do I type the # symbol on a laptop?

Community Answer

Hold down the shift key and press the number 3 on the row of numbers at the top of keyboard.

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