How to type symbols on Windows

Seven ways to type a symbol on Windows

Windows has no single “symbol key”. Instead it has several overlapping systems, each suited to a different situation. Here they are, from the one most people use to the most powerful.

1. Alt codes

Hold the left Alt key, type the number on the numeric keypad, then let go of Alt. The digits along the top of the keyboard do not work, and Num Lock must be on.

There are two families of codes, and the leading zero decides which one you get:

• With a leading zero (Alt + 0169), Windows uses the Windows-1252 code page. This gives the Western European set: © ® ° ± é ñ ü, plus Alt + 0128 for €, Alt + 0153 for ™, Alt + 0151 for the em dash — and Alt + 0149 for •.
• Without a zero (Alt + 3), you get code page 437, the character set of the original IBM PC. It includes the famous “graphics”: Alt + 1 ☺, Alt + 3 ♥, Alt + 26 →, and box-drawing lines such as Alt + 196 ─.

So Alt + 248 and Alt + 0176 both give °, but Alt + 0248 gives ø. Our alt code chart lists all 255 codes from both sets side by side. Codes above 255, such as Alt + 8730, are not real alt codes. Only a few apps like Microsoft Word read them as Unicode numbers, which is why they fail almost everywhere else.

If nothing happens when you type a code, work through our checklist for alt codes not working.

2. The emoji panel (Win + .)

Press Win + . (period) or Win + ; anywhere you can type. The panel opens with emoji, but it has two more tabs: kaomoji such as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, and symbols (the Ω icon). The Symbols tab is split into punctuation, currency, Latin, geometric, maths, supplemental and language symbols, and covers several hundred characters.

Start typing while the panel is open to search emoji by name, for example “heart” or “check”. The search covers emoji, not the symbol tab, so for ≠ or ∞ browse the Math symbols category instead. This works in Windows 10 (version 1903 and later) and in Windows 11.

3. Character Map

Character Map is an old tool, but it can reach every character in every installed font. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick Advanced view, type a name such as “arrow” into Search for, and click Search. Double-click a character to add it to the “Characters to copy” box, then click Copy and paste it anywhere.

The status bar also shows the Unicode code and, for Latin-1 characters, the keystroke, so Character Map is a handy way to learn alt codes. Choose a broad font such as Segoe UI Symbol to see the most characters.

4. Alt + X in Word and Outlook

In Microsoft Word and Outlook, type the hexadecimal Unicode code and press Alt + X. For example, 2713 then Alt + X becomes ✓, and 1F600 then Alt + X becomes 😀. The trick works both ways: put the cursor after a symbol and press Alt + X to reveal its code. Look up any code with our Unicode character lookup.

5. The US-International keyboard

If you type accents or the same few symbols every day, switch to the US-International layout under Settings → Time & language → Language & region → your language → Keyboards. It keeps the normal US layout, but turns ' " ` ~ ^ into dead keys: press ' then e for é, or " then u for ü. Type the accent key followed by a space to get the plain character.

The right Alt key (AltGr) adds a symbol layer: AltGr + 5 is €, AltGr + C is ©, AltGr + R is ®, AltGr + N is ñ, AltGr + S is ß, AltGr + 1 is ¡ and AltGr + / is ¿. Our guide to the US-International keyboard maps every key.

6. PowerToys Quick Accent

Microsoft’s free PowerToys add-on includes Quick Accent. Once it is turned on, hold a letter such as e and tap Space or an arrow key to cycle through è é ê ë ē and more, just as on a phone keyboard. It also offers currency and punctuation variants, and you can limit the choices to the languages you write in.

7. Your own shortcuts with AutoHotkey

AutoHotkey is a free scripting tool. One line such as ::(deg)::° replaces “(deg)” with ° in every app as you type. It is the most flexible option for people who type the same technical symbols all day, such as engineers writing ± and µ.

Which method should you use?

For one-off symbols, copying from a page like our symbol collections is fastest. For symbols you use weekly, learn the alt code, or use the emoji panel if you have no keypad. For accents in several languages, switch to US-International or install Quick Accent. For programmers and writers who need hundreds of characters, Word’s Alt + X or AutoHotkey pays off quickly.