How to enter special characters using a PC keyboard on any system

When you need to type symbols, uncommon accented letters, or mathematical symbols, the standard keyboard falls short. There are shortcuts, symbol panels, and Alt key codes in Windows that allow you to enter virtually any character on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android , or iOS , even if it's not printed on a key.

In this guide, we cover everything step by step: from classic Alt key codes in Windows to Unicode insertion, including the Character Map, the macOS Symbol Viewer, the Control + Shift + U trick in Linux, and virtual keyboard options on mobile devices . We also review ASCII, ISO-8859-1, Unicode and code pages, lists of common characters (currency, legal, mathematical, fractions, diacritics, and ligatures), and even details about the console and batch files.

What are ASCII, ISO-8859-1, Unicode, and code pages?

For a computer to understand letters and symbols, each character is represented by numbers according to a coding system. ASCII was born with 128 values: from 0 to 31 it reserved control characters (non-printable) and from 32 to 127 readable characters (space, symbols, digits and the basic Latin alphabet).

Over time, extensions such as ISO-8859-1 (Latin-1) and Windows code pages (e.g., CP850) were added to cover European languages. Unicode resolved the limitation : it assigns a unique code point (U+XXXX) to characters from virtually all the world's scripts and symbols, including emojis, mathematical symbols, and complex ligatures.

Practical consequence: In modern documents and on the web, Unicode is the standard; even so, Windows maintains compatibility with ALT codes inherited from code pages, and many apps accept both ALT and Unicode (Alt+X) to insert characters.

Quick methods on the physical keyboard

Without even touching menus, the keyboard itself gives you access to many symbols. These are the most common methods with Spanish layouts (they may vary with other languages):

• Direct symbolsThose that already have a key, such as period (.), comma (,), hyphen (-) or accent marks (´ `). They are used so frequently that they do not require combinations.
• With Shift: It is used for symbols placed above numbers (for example, parentheses) or the dollar sign ($) and, in Spanish, for question marks.
• Alt Gr: adds a third level to certain keys (e.g., € in the E (on many Spanish keyboards). It usually covers less common symbols.
• Numeric keyboardOn full keyboards, it allows you to directly type operations (+, -, *, /) and facilitates the input of ALT codes.

Note: Direct symbols and combinations vary across different distributions (English, French, German, etc.). macOS also differs from Windows in the placement of symbols and modifiers.

Windows: all the ways to enter special characters

In Windows, there are three main tools: Alt+Number key combinations, Unicode + Alt+X, and the Character Map. Additionally, Microsoft Word includes its own selector , and there are lesser-known system utilities, such as options to disable special keys that might interfere.

1) ALT codes (ASCII/Code Page) with numeric keypad

To insert a character using this method, activate Num Lock if your keyboard requires it, hold down Alt, and type the code on the numeric keypad . For example, Alt+0176 types the degree symbol (°). It is essential to use the numpad , not the numbers on the top row.

Important note: On compact devices without a numeric keypad (for example, certain laptops like the DUO, which is specifically mentioned), there is no built-in Num Lock key combination or on-screen equivalents that allow you to use Alt with codes. In these cases, the alternative is the Character Map or pasting from another location.

Also remember that the top row of numbers doesn't replace the numpad: they're not electronically equivalent , even though they print the same digit. The on-screen keyboard won't help either if you can't hold down the physical Alt key while pressing virtual numbers.

For accents and tildes with an English keyboard, there are classic combinations: ALT+160 á, ALT+130 é, ALT+161 í, ALT+162 ó, ALT+163 ú, ALT+129 ü , ALT+164 ñ; and their uppercase counterparts with four-digit codes (for example, ALT+0193 Á). If you alternate between English and Spanish keyboards, consider activating only those two languages ​​and switching between them with Alt+Shift.

2) Unicode with Alt+X

Many Microsoft applications ( Word , Outlook, etc.) accept the Unicode sequence: type the code (e.g., 0024 for $), press Alt, and while holding it down, press X. The text 0024 is transformed into $ . It works with a wide variety of glyphs, e.g., 221A Alt+X → √, 2206 Alt+X → ∆.

3) Character Map

The Character Map displays all the symbols available in a selected font. It allows you to copy one or more glyphs to the clipboard and paste them into any program that supports them. How to open it:

• Windows 10: search for "character" in the taskbar and choose Character Map.
• Windows 8On the Start menu, search for "character" and open Character Map.
• Windows 7Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map.

Inside, select the font and click on the symbol; press Select and then Copy, and paste it into the document. This way you avoid memorizing codes and ensure that the glyph exists in that font.

Bonus: Windows includes the Private Character Editor for creating your own glyphs (useful for internal logos). Run "eudcedit" from the Start menu or Windows+R. It's an advanced and very specific tool , but it exists for those who need it.

4) Inserting symbols in Microsoft Word

In Word, go to the Insert tab and open Symbols. There you can choose the desired character or click More Symbols to open a dialog box similar to the Character Map. This is ideal if you're already writing in Word and don't want to switch to other apps.

Common symbol codes

These tables contain typical symbols with ALT or Unicode Alt+X combinations. They are a good starting point for currency, legal, mathematical, fractional, punctuation, and shapes symbols.

Glyph	Dress	Glyph	Dress
£	ALT + 0163	¥	ALT + 0165
¢	ALT + 0162	$	0024+ALT+X
€	ALT + 0128	¤	ALT + 0164
©	ALT + 0169	®	ALT + 0174
§	ALT + 0167	™	ALT + 0153
°	ALT + 0176	º	ALT + 0186
√	221A+ALT+X	+	ALT + 43
#	ALT + 35	µ	ALT + 0181
<	ALT + 60	>	ALT + 62
%	ALT + 37	(	ALT + 40
	ALT + 93	Δ	2206+ALT+X
¼	ALT + 0188	½	ALT + 0189
		¾	ALT + 0190
?	ALT + 63	¿	ALT + 0191
!	ALT + 33	!	203+ALT+X
	ALT + 45	'	ALT + 39
«	ALT + 34	,	ALT + 44
.	ALT + 46	|	ALT + 124
/	ALT + 47	\	ALT + 92
`	ALT + 96	^	ALT + 94
«	ALT + 0171	»	ALT + 0187
~	ALT + 126	&	ALT + 38
:	ALT + 58	{	ALT + 123
;	ALT + 59	}	ALT + 125
□	25A1+ALT+X	√	221A+ALT+X

If you're going to use several frequently, it's worth memorizing the most common ones. With practice, they'll come naturally , and you'll avoid having to look them up every few minutes.

Frequent diacritics (uppercase and lowercase letters)

Many Latin letters with accents or diacritics have ALT and/or Unicode Alt+X codes. Here is a representative selection (more are available in the Character Map):

Glyph	Dress	Glyph	Dress
Ã	ALT + 0195	å	ALT + 0229
Å	ALT + 143	ä	ALT + 132
À	ALT + 0192	à	ALT + 133
Á	ALT + 0193	á	ALT + 160
Â	ALT + 0194	â	ALT + 131
Ç	ALT + 128	ç	ALT + 135
Č	010C+ALT+X	č	010D+ALT+X
É	ALT + 144	é	ALT + 130
È	ALT + 0200	è	ALT + 138
Ê	ALT + 202	ê	ALT + 136
Ë	ALT + 203	ë	ALT + 137
Ğ	011E+ALT+X	ğ	011F+ALT+X
Ï	ALT + 0207	ï	ALT + 139
Î	ALT + 0206	î	ALT + 140
Í	ALT + 0205	í	ALT + 161
Ì	ALT + 0204	ì	ALT + 141
Ñ	ALT + 165	ñ	ALT + 164
Ö	ALT + 153	ö	ALT + 148
Ô	ALT + 212	ô	ALT + 147
Ō	014C+ALT+X	ō	014D+ALT+X
Ò	ALT + 0210	ò	ALT + 149
Ó	ALT + 0211	ó	ALT + 162
Ø	ALT + 0216	ø	00F8+ALT+X
Ü	ALT + 154	ü	ALT + 129
Û	ALT + 0219	û	ALT + 150
Ù	ALT + 0217	ù	ALT + 151
Ú	00DA+ALT+X	ú	ALT + 163
Ÿ	0159+ALT+X	ÿ	ALT + 152

For a complete list of glyphs and codes, refer to the Character Map. There you'll see what support each font offers , which is crucial if you print or share documents.

Typographic ligatures

In addition to individual letters, there are ligatures and combined glyphs. Some are very well known and are inserted as follows:

Glyph	Dress	Glyph	Dress
Æ	ALT + 0198	æ	ALT + 0230
ß	ALT + 0223	Œ	ALT + 0140
œ	ALT + 0156	ʣ	02A3+ALT+X
ʥ	02A5+ALT+X	ʦ	0246+ALT+X
Ю	042E+ALT+X	ﷲ	FDF2+ALT+X

If you're interested in the topic of ligatures in typography, you'll see that there are dozens of combinations , although not all fonts implement them.

ASCII control characters (non-printable)

The original ASCII codes 0–31 are device controls (printers, terminals, etc.). Some classic names include: NUL (0), SOH (1), STX (2), ETX (3), EOT (4), ENQ (5), ACK (6), BEL (7), BS (8), HT (9), LF (10), VT (11), FF (12), CR (13), SO (14), SI (15), DLE (16), DC1–DC4 (17–20), NAK (21), SYN (22), ETB (23), CAN (24), EM (25), SUB (26), ESC (27), FS (28), GS (29), RS (30), US (31), space (32), and DEL (127). They are rarely used directly in modern environments , but they still exist for compatibility.

macOS: Character and Emoji Viewer

On a Mac , the easiest way is through the Character Viewer. Open it with Fn+E, Control+Command+Spacebar, or from each app's menu under Edit > Emojis & Symbols . It's quick and very convenient for inserting everything from accented letters to technical symbols and emojis.

In the upper corner of the panel, there's a button to expand it and see many more categories. This will make it easier to find what you need. Select the character, and it will be inserted where the cursor is.

Linux: Control + Shift + U and Unicode codes

Most Linux desktops allow you to type a Unicode character: press Control + Shift + U, an underlined "u" will appear, and type the code (for example, 20AC for €). Confirm with Enter or Space , and you'll see the symbol. You can also use the "Characters" app, depending on your distribution.

Express listing of popular codes in U+XXXX format: € U+20AC, $ U+0024, ¥ U+00A5, £ U+00A3, ₿ U+20BF , ≠ U+2260, ≈ U+2248, √ U+221A, ∞ U+221E, π U+03C0, © U+00A9, ® U+00AE, ™ U+2122, ■ U+25A0, □ U+25A1, ▲ U+25B2, ▼ U+25BC, ¼ U+00BC, ½ U+00BD, ¾ U+00BE. They are a great basic repertoire for technical or academic reports.

Android and iOS: virtual keyboards, symbol pages, and long press

On Android, tap 123 to switch to numbers and symbols; tap the key above ABC to see more available symbols . Many keys also offer long-press variations (for example, accented vowels). Gboard and other keyboards follow similar patterns.

On iPhone and iPad, the mechanism is very similar: 123 for numbers and symbols, another key for more symbols, and a long press displays variations. You can even type ordinal numbers by holding down a number (1st, 1st), and the same with vowels and their diacritics.

Copy and paste: the universal solution

When you don't want to mess around with codes or the system isn't helpful (no numpad, blocked access, etc.), copying from a table and pasting works on all devices. Here are some typical symbols that are difficult to type : π, ∞, ×, ·, √, ~, ∈, ∩, ∪, ≠, Å, ≡, x̄, ∂, ≅, $, €, ¥, £, ₹, ₩, ₪, ₱, ₽, ฿. Save a note with your most frequently used ones and you'll always have a backup.

Switch language and keyboard layout

You're using an English keyboard but typing in Spanish. The solution? In Windows, leave only "ES" and "EN" as languages ​​and switch between them with Alt+Shift. Configure this in Control Panel > Region and Language (or run intl.cpl). This way you can type ñ, accented characters, question marks, and other characters without using ALT codes.

Keep in mind that when using an English QWERTY keyboard with a Spanish layout, some keys change their function . If you work in different languages, it's advisable to be familiar with both layouts or use stickers/templates.

Windows console and batch files

In cmd.exe and batch scripts, the active code page is involved. Depending on the case, you may or may not see accents and symbols correctly. Some recommendations and ways to fix keys that type incorrect characters : use the appropriate ALT codes for CP850/CP437 or change pages with chcp, and test the result in the target console.

Example of common character representation in batch using some historically used shortcuts: á with ALT+255, é with ALT+0130 , í with ALT+173, ó with ALT+189, ú with ALT+156, ñ with ALT+207, Ñ with ALT+190, ¿ with ALT+249. Always check in your environment , because the display depends on the font and the code page.

:: Muestra códigos y caracteres (extracto ilustrativo)
@echo off
chcp 850 >nul
echo Alt+248 = °
echo Alt+241 = ±
echo Alt+171 = 1/2
echo Alt+172 = 1/4
echo Alt+219 = █
pause>nul

To see all available glyphs with their ALT codes in your Windows system, you can generate tables using scripts or use the Character Map. This is the most reliable way to check support by font and environment.

More tips and final notes

If you can't remember a code but use it often, create a reference document or bookmark this guide. Word and the Character Map will quickly get you out of a bind; on a Mac, the Symbol Viewer does the same job; and on Linux, Control+Shift+U solves it with Unicode codes.

Finally, remember that Unicode covers non-Latin scripts (Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, etc.), advanced forms, and ligatures. If you need glyphs outside the Latin alphabet, consult the Unicode script charts to quickly locate the appropriate block. In professional typography, coverage is usually extensive.

Mastering these options lets you type whatever you want, wherever you want: from the euro symbol (€) to a black triangle (▲), from an ordinal number (1st) to a square root (√). Between ALT, Alt+X, viewfinders, and long presses , there's no excuse anymore for leaving a blank space or resorting to impromptu screenshots.