Alt codes provide an easy way to type special characters and symbols using your keyboard. You simply hold down the Alt key and type in a specific number code on your numeric keypad. This article will cover the most common alt codes for special characters, letters, symbols, currencies, and more that you can use on Windows.
How Alt Codes Work
To use alt codes, you need to use the numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard, not the numbers along the top of the keyboard. You‘ll also need to make sure Num Lock is turned on.
Then, just hold down the Alt key and type in the alt code number using the numeric keypad. As soon as you release Alt, the special character will appear. It‘s that simple!
For example, to type a smiley face, you would hold down Alt and type 1 on the numeric keypad. ☺ will then appear.
The Main Alt Codes Categories
There are a few main ranges of alt codes:
- Alt codes 1-31: Punctuation symbols and other common special characters like ☺ ♥ ♣
- Alt codes 32-126: Main keyboard symbols and characters
- Alt codes 128-255: Special mathematical symbols, Greek letters, and other extended characters
In the sections below, I‘ll cover the most useful alt codes in each category.
Alt Codes 1-31: Fun Symbols
The first 31 alt code numbers (alt codes 1-31) contain fun special characters like faces and card suit symbols:
| Alt Code | Symbol | Alt Code | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt 1 | ☺ | alt 16 | ► |
| alt 2 | ☻ | alt 17 | ◄ |
| alt 3 | ♥ | alt 18 | ↕ |
| alt 4 | ♦ | alt 19 | !! |
| alt 5 | ♣ | alt 20 | ¶ |
| alt 6 | ♠ | alt 21 | § |
| alt 7 | • | alt 22 | ▬ |
| alt 8 | ◘ | alt 23 | ↨ |
| alt 9 | ○ | alt 24 | ↑ |
| alt 10 | ◙ | alt 25 | ↓ |
| alt 11 | ♂ | alt 26 | → |
| alt 12 | ♀ | alt 27 | ← |
| alt 13 | ♪ | alt 28 | ∟ |
| alt 14 | ♫ | alt 29 | ↔ |
| alt 15 | ☼ | alt 30 | ▲ |
As you can see, alt codes provide quick access to fun symbols like smiley faces ☺, hearts ♥, spades ♠, notes ♫, arrows → ← ↑ ↓, and more. These come in handy for documents, emails, web pages, conversations, and anywhere else you want to add some fun flair.
Alt Codes for Letters, Numbers, and Main Keyboard Symbols
The next block of alt codes, from 32 to 126, correlate to the main letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols found on a standard US English keyboard layout.
For example, alt 65 types an uppercase A, alt 97 types a lowercase a, and alt 48 types a 0.
Some examples:
| Alt Code | Symbol | Alt Code | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt 32 | (space) | alt 64 | @ |
| alt 48 | 0 | alt 65 | A |
| alt 49 | 1 | alt 66 | B |
| alt 50 | 2 | alt 67 | C |
| alt 51 | 3 | alt 68 | D |
| alt 52 | 4 | alt 69 | E |
| alt 53 | 5 | alt 70 | F |
| alt 54 | 6 | alt 71 | G |
| alt 55 | 7 | alt 72 | H |
| alt 56 | 8 | alt 73 | I |
| alt 57 | 9 | alt 74 | J |
| alt 97 | a | alt 122 | z |
So if your keyboard is having issues, or you just need to type a letter or number real quick, you can use alt codes to do so.
Alt Codes for Math Symbols, Greek Letters, and Special Characters
The higher alt code numbers, from 128 through 255, contain lots of math symbols, Greek letters, and special characters. These come in handy for typing scientific and mathematical formulas, including algebraic expressions, integrals, derivatives, physics equations, and more.
Here are some examples of math, Greek letter, and other special symbol alt codes:
| Alt Code | Symbol | Alt Code | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt 224 | α | alt 236 | ∞ |
| alt 227 | π | alt 237 | φ |
| alt 228 | Σ | alt 239 | ∩ |
| alt 230 | μ | alt 247 | ≈ |
| alt 231 | τ | alt 252 | n |
| alt 235 | δ |
As you can see, you can quickly type Greek letters like α δ π τ φ and special symbols like ∞ ∩ ≈ using alt codes. This saves you from having to hunt through symbol insertion dialogs to find them.
Beyond math and Greek letters, you can type some special foreign language characters as well using alt codes, like:
| Alt Code | Symbol | Alt Code | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt 130 | ‘ | alt 161 | ¡ |
| alt 131 | ‘ | alt 162 | ¢ |
| alt 162 | ¢ | alt 163 | £ |
| alt 164 | ¤ | alt 165 | ¥ |
| alt 168 | ¿ | alt 169 | © |
So if you‘re typing Spanish, French, or other foreign languages, these special character alt codes can help.
Alt Codes for Currencies
Alt codes make it easy to type various international currency symbols. For example:
| Alt Code | Symbol | Alt Code | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt 155 | ¢ | alt 157 | ¥ |
| alt 156 | £ | alt 158 | ₧ |
| alt 159 | ƒ | alt 165 | ¥ |
So whether you need to type out dollar amounts, British pounds, Japanese Yen, or other currencies, alt codes have you covered.
Line Drawing Symbols
Another useful range of alt codes includes line drawing symbols, which are handy for creating user interfaces, diagrams, frames, boxes, and ASCII art.
Some examples:
| Alt Code | Symbol | Alt Code | Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| alt 174 | ─ | alt 203 | ╦ |
| alt 175 | ┼ | alt 204 | ╠ |
| alt 176 | ░ | alt 205 | ═ |
| alt 177 | ▒ | alt 206 | ╬ |
| alt 196 | ├ | alt 218 | ┌ |
| alt 200 | ╚ | alt 217 | ┘ |
With these and other line/box drawing alt codes, you can build everything from simple diagrams to intricate ASCII art designs.
How to Type Alt Codes on Non-US Keyboard Layouts
The above alt codes will work on United States and some other keyboard layouts. However, if you try them on another keyboard layout, you may find the wrong character appears when you use the alt code.
This happens because the alt code numbers correspond to certain keyboard scan codes, which vary based on keyboard layout. So alt 65 gives an A on a US keyboard, but might give something totally different on a French keyboard layout.
Fortunately, you can still type alt codes on international keyboards, you just need to use the correct ALT code for your specific keyboard layout.
For example, to type an @ symbol on a German keyboard layout, instead of alt 64 you would use:
Alt + Q
And to type a [ symbol, instead of alt 91 you‘d use:
Alt + 8
To look up the correct alt code numbers for your region/language, check out Computech‘s Custom Alt Codes Tool or Useful Shortcuts.
These tools let you select your keyboard layout/language and then show the matching alt codes to use.
How to Enable the Numeric Keypad for Laptops
Laptop keyboards often don‘t have a separate numeric keypad, which can make typing alt codes tricky. But with the right settings enabled, you can still type alt codes:
On Windows:
- Go to Control Panel > Clock and Region > Change input methods
- Click the Keyboards and Languages tab
- Under Installed services, check the box next to Turn on numeric keypad
- Tap your Num Lock key to enable the numeric keypad overlay on your main keyboard‘s right side
You can now hold Alt and type numbers using those keys instead of a physical numeric keypad.
On Mac:
Enable the "Use F1, F2 etc. keys as standard function keys" option in your Keyboard settings.
Then hold FN + Alt + [number] to simulate the Alt code. So FN + Alt + 1 would make a smiley face ☺
Alt Codes Can Come in Handy for Hard-to-Find Characters
As you can see, there are hundreds of special characters, symbols, foreign letters, and line drawing shapes you can quickly access using alt codes.
Anytime you‘re typing and need to insert a special character that‘s hard to find via menus and dialogs, try using an alt code instead for the fastest access.
Whether you‘re building a user interface wireframe, typing mathematical formulas, adding fun emoji-style symbols to a message, or including foreign currencies and languages in a document, alt codes have you covered. Give them a try the next time you need a special character!
I hope you found this alt codes reference helpful. Please feel free to link to this article or share it if you found it useful!
