Alt Codes
A complete Alt code reference for Windows — find the keyboard shortcut for every special character, symbol, and accented letter. Browse the full table, click to copy any symbol, and learn how Alt codes work on your keyboard.
What are Alt codes?
Alt codes are keyboard shortcuts for Windows that let you type special characters by holding the Alt key and typing a number on the numeric keypad. Released with IBM’s original PC in 1981, Alt codes were the primary way to access characters beyond the standard keyboard layout before the web made copy-paste ubiquitous.
Alt codes come in two forms:
- Alt + numpad number (0–255) — types an ASCII or Windows-1252 character (e.g., Alt+3 = ♥)
- Alt + 0 + numpad number (0128–0255) — types a Windows-1252 extended character (e.g., Alt+0169 = ©)
On modern Windows systems you can also type Unicode characters with Alt+X in Microsoft Word (type the hex code, then press Alt+X), but this only works inside Word, not system-wide.
How to use Alt codes on Windows
- Make sure Num Lock is ON (the Num Lock indicator light should be lit).
- Click into the text field where you want the character.
- Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard.
- While holding Alt, type the code number using the numeric keypad (right side of a full keyboard). Do NOT use the number row at the top.
- Release Alt — the character appears.
Important: Alt codes only work on Windows with a full keyboard that has a dedicated numeric keypad. Laptop keyboards without a numpad usually don’t support Alt codes (use copy-paste instead). Mac users should use Option key shortcuts instead — or simply copy from our Symbols page.
Most useful Alt codes (quick reference)
| Alt Code | Symbol | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Alt + 1 | ☺ | White Smiling Face |
| Alt + 2 | ☻ | Black Smiling Face |
| Alt + 3 | ♥ | Heart Suit |
| Alt + 4 | ♦ | Diamond Suit |
| Alt + 5 | ♣ | Club Suit |
| Alt + 6 | ♠ | Spade Suit |
| Alt + 13 | ♪ | Musical Note |
| Alt + 14 | ♫ | Beamed Musical Notes |
| Alt + 0169 | © | Copyright Sign |
| Alt + 0174 | ® | Registered Sign |
| Alt + 0153 | ™ | Trade Mark Sign |
| Alt + 0176 | ° | Degree Sign |
| Alt + 0177 | ± | Plus-Minus Sign |
| Alt + 0163 | £ | Pound Sign |
| Alt + 0128 | € | Euro Sign |
| Alt + 0165 | ¥ | Yen Sign |
| Alt + 0162 | ¢ | Cent Sign |
| Alt + 0188 | ¼ | Vulgar Fraction One Quarter |
| Alt + 0189 | ½ | Vulgar Fraction One Half |
| Alt + 0190 | ¾ | Vulgar Fraction Three Quarters |
| Alt + 0191 | ¿ | Inverted Question Mark |
| Alt + 0161 | ¡ | Inverted Exclamation Mark |
| Alt + 0233 | é | Latin Small Letter E with Acute |
| Alt + 0225 | á | Latin Small Letter A with Acute |
| Alt + 0243 | ó | Latin Small Letter O with Acute |
| Alt + 0241 | ñ | Latin Small Letter N with Tilde (Spanish ñ) |
| Alt + 24 | ↑ | Upwards Arrow |
| Alt + 25 | ↓ | Downwards Arrow |
| Alt + 26 | → | Rightwards Arrow |
| Alt + 27 | ← | Leftwards Arrow |
Alt codes vs. copy-paste: which is better?
Both methods have their place:
- Alt codes are faster for characters you use constantly (like © or °) once you memorise the code — no mouse needed, works anywhere on Windows.
- Copy-paste is better for: rare symbols you don’t use often, all Mac and Linux users, anyone without a numpad (laptops), and any character outside the 0–255 ASCII range.
- Alt codes only cover 256 characters — the full Unicode standard has 149,000+ characters. For anything beyond ASCII, copy-paste from our Symbols page is the only keyboard-accessible option without installing additional software.
Alt codes for accented letters (international characters)
Alt codes are especially useful for typing accented letters used in European languages without switching your keyboard layout:
| Language | Characters | Alt codes |
|---|---|---|
| French | é è ê ë à â ù û ç | 0233 0232 0234 0235 0224 0226 0249 0251 0231 |
| Spanish | á é í ó ú ñ ¿ ¡ | 0225 0233 0237 0243 0250 0241 0191 0161 |
| German | ä ö ü Ä Ö Ü ß | 0228 0246 0252 0196 0214 0220 0223 |
| Italian | à è é ì ò ó ù | 0224 0232 0233 0236 0242 0243 0249 |
| Portuguese | ã õ â ê î ô û ç | 0227 0245 0226 0234 0238 0244 0251 0231 |
Alt codes on laptops (no numpad)
Most laptop keyboards don’t have a dedicated numeric keypad, which means standard Alt codes won’t work. Workarounds include:
- Enable the virtual numpad: On some laptops, Fn+Num Lock activates a numpad on the J, K, L, U, I, O keys — then Alt codes work normally
- Windows Character Map: Search for “Character Map” in Start → browse characters visually → click Copy
- Copy from this page: The easiest solution — click any symbol in our table above to copy it instantly
- Windows emoji picker: Press Win+. (period) to open the emoji and symbol picker built into Windows 10/11
Alt codes on Mac
Mac computers don’t use Alt codes. Instead, Mac uses the Option key for special characters:
- Option+G = ©
- Option+R = ®
- Option+2 = ™
- Option+Shift+8 = °
- Control+Command+Space = opens the Character Viewer with all Unicode characters
Alternatively, Mac users can copy any character from our Symbols Copy Paste page — it works the same on all operating systems.
Related tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Alt code for a heart symbol?
The Alt code for a heart (♥) is Alt+3. Hold Alt, press 3 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. On some systems, Alt+0164 produces the same character. If you're on a Mac or laptop without a numpad, just copy ♥ from our Symbols page.
Why isn't my Alt code working?
Common causes: (1) Num Lock is off — press the Num Lock key to turn it on; (2) You're using the number row at the top of the keyboard instead of the numeric keypad — Alt codes require the numpad; (3) You're on a laptop without a numpad — use the Windows Character Map or copy-paste from this page instead.
Do Alt codes work in all Windows programs?
Most Windows applications support Alt codes, including Notepad, Word, Excel, browsers, and chat apps. A small number of programs intercept Alt+key combinations for their own shortcuts. If an Alt code doesn't work in a specific app, use copy-paste.
What's the Alt code for the copyright symbol?
Hold Alt and type 0169 on the numpad to produce ©. On Mac, press Option+G.
What's the Alt code for the degree symbol (°)?
The degree symbol ° is Alt+0176. This is useful for typing temperatures (32°F, 100°C) and angles without switching layouts.
How many Alt codes are there?
Standard Alt codes cover characters 1–255, based on the original IBM PC character set (code page 437) and Windows-1252 (using Alt+0XXX format). That gives access to 255 unique characters. For the full 149,000+ Unicode character set, use Windows Character Map or copy from our tools.
Can I use Alt codes on a Chromebook?
Chromebooks don't support Windows Alt codes. Instead, use the ChromeOS special character shortcut: press Ctrl+Shift+U, type the Unicode hex code, then press Enter. Or simply copy any symbol from our Symbols page — it works on all platforms.