26 characters, every way to type them
The Alt code works in any Windows app with the numbers typed on the numeric keypad. The Alt+X code works in Microsoft Word on Windows: type the code, then press Alt+X. The HTML column shows the named reference; the numeric form is in the next section. Empty cells mean the support pages give no shortcut for that character; use the symbol panel or the Character Viewer instead.
| Character | Name | Unicode | HTML | Windows Alt code | Word: Alt+X | Mac |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ° | Degree sign | U+00B0 | ° | Alt+0176 | B0 Alt+X | |
| © | Copyright | U+00A9 | © | Alt+0169 | A9 Alt+X | Word: type (c) |
| ® | Registered | U+00AE | ® | Alt+0174 | AE Alt+X | Word: Option+R |
| ™ | Trademark | U+2122 | ™ | Alt+0153 | 2122 Alt+X | Word: Option+2 |
| € | Euro sign | U+20AC | € | Alt+0128 | 20AC Alt+X | |
| £ | Pound sign | U+00A3 | £ | Alt+0163 | A3 Alt+X | |
| ¥ | Yen sign | U+00A5 | ¥ | Alt+0165 | A5 Alt+X | |
| ¢ | Cent sign | U+00A2 | ¢ | Alt+0162 | A2 Alt+X | |
| § | Section sign | U+00A7 | § | Alt+0167 | A7 Alt+X | |
| ¶ | Pilcrow (paragraph) | U+00B6 | ¶ | B6 Alt+X | ||
| • | Bullet | U+2022 | • | 2022 Alt+X | ||
| … | Ellipsis | U+2026 | … | 2026 Alt+X | ||
| ½ | One half | U+00BD | ½ | Alt+0189 | BD Alt+X | |
| ¼ | One quarter | U+00BC | ¼ | Alt+0188 | BC Alt+X | |
| ¾ | Three quarters | U+00BE | ¾ | Alt+0190 | BE Alt+X | |
| × | Multiplication sign | U+00D7 | × | D7 Alt+X | ||
| ÷ | Division sign | U+00F7 | ÷ | F7 Alt+X | ||
| ± | Plus-minus | U+00B1 | ± | B1 Alt+X | ||
| ≈ | Almost equal | U+2248 | ≈ | 2248 Alt+X | ||
| ≠ | Not equal | U+2260 | ≠ | 2260 Alt+X | ||
| ≤ | Less than or equal | U+2264 | ≤ | 2264 Alt+X | ||
| ≥ | Greater than or equal | U+2265 | ≥ | 2265 Alt+X | ||
| ñ | n with tilde | U+00F1 | ñ | Alt+164 | F1 Alt+X | Hold n, or Option+N then n |
| é | e with acute | U+00E9 | é | Alt+130 | E9 Alt+X | Hold e |
| ü | u with diaeresis | U+00FC | ü | Alt+129 | FC Alt+X | Hold u |
| ß | Sharp s | U+00DF | ß | Alt+0223 | DF Alt+X |
Microsoft's page lists Alt codes for 16 of these 26; the arithmetic and math symbols and the ellipsis are not on it, so for those the Alt+X code or the panels below are the route. Where the Mac column says "Word", the shortcut comes from Microsoft's Word for Mac list and may not work in other apps. "Hold" means press and hold the letter key, which works across macOS.
Windows
Alt codes. Hold Alt and type the number on the numeric keypad, with Num Lock on if your keyboard needs it. Microsoft's table shows both forms, with and without a leading zero, and they are different: Alt+0153 is ™ while Alt+153 is Ö, so enter each code exactly as listed. The numbers must come from the numeric keypad, so on a laptop without one the next two methods are the practical route.
Alt+X in Word. Type the hexadecimal code from the Unicode column without the "U+", then press Alt+X and the code becomes the character. Microsoft says you can also type U+ in front, which avoids a trap: if the text just before the code is a number, Alt+X may swallow those digits too.
The symbol panel. Press the Windows key and the period together. On Windows 11 the panel that opens has emoji, GIFs and kaomoji and a Symbols section with punctuation, accented characters and other symbols, and it works in any app. Word also has its own shortcuts for a few of the most common signs: typing (c) gives ©, Ctrl+Alt+R gives ®, Ctrl+Alt+T gives ™ and Ctrl+Alt+Period gives an ellipsis.
Mac
Press and hold. Hold a letter key and a menu of its accented forms appears: hold e for é, è, ê and the rest, then click the one you want or press the number under it. Apple notes that nothing appears for keys that have no accented forms, and that the menu is not available in every app.
Dead keys. Press a key combination for the accent, then the letter. Apple's example is Option-N for a tilde, followed by the letter, which is how ñ is typed. Open the Keyboard Viewer from the input menu and hold Option or Shift-Option to see every character those combinations type on your layout; keys outlined in orange are dead keys that add an accent to the next letter. Apple also offers an input source called ABC - Extended with accents and diacritics for several Latin-script languages.
Character Viewer. Press Control-Command-Space, or Fn-E, or choose Edit and then Emoji & Symbols in most apps. It holds emoji, symbols, accented letters and characters from other languages, and you can search by name or by code, so "degree" or "00B0" both find °. Double-click a character to insert it. Microsoft's Word for Mac list adds Option+R for ® and Option+2 for ™, and (c) for ©.
iPhone and Android
On the iPhone keyboard, touch and hold a key and slide to the alternate character you want: hold e for é, and try the keys of the number and symbol keyboard the same way for signs like ° and €. Gboard on Android works the same way; Google's help page puts it in one line, touch and hold a key to find accents and more options. Both phones also let you add keyboards for other languages, and Gboard switches between them when you hold the space bar.
HTML, code and the web
In a web page you can type the character itself, since pages are UTF-8, and the Unicode and UTF-8 guide explains why that is safe. Entities are for when the character has to survive a system that only passes ASCII, or when you want the source to be readable. Every character has a numeric reference built from its code point, in decimal or hexadecimal, and the common ones have names too. The three forms for the degree sign:
| Form | Degree sign | Euro sign | n with tilde |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | ° | € | ñ |
| Decimal | ° | € | ñ |
| Hexadecimal | ° | € | ñ |
The HTML entity converter turns a pasted text into any of the three forms and decodes them back, and in decode mode it is a quick way to see what a run of … actually is. Styled letters such as the bold and script alphabets from the fancy text generator are special characters in the same sense: each is a separate Unicode code point, which is why they paste into places that do not allow fonts. And because uppercase and lowercase are also different code points, the case converter handles accented letters like any other: é becomes É.
Which method when
- One accented letter, now: press and hold on a Mac or a phone; the Alt code on a Windows desktop with a keypad.
- A symbol you type often: learn its Alt code or Alt+X code, or keep it in a note to copy from.
- A symbol you cannot name: the Windows symbol panel or the Mac Character Viewer, browsing by category.
- Many characters in a document: switch to a keyboard layout for that language rather than hunting each one.
- Text for a web page or an email template: paste it through the entity converter and keep the named references in the source.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type the degree symbol?
On Windows hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad, or in Word type B0 and press Alt+X. On a Mac open the Character Viewer with Control-Command-Space and search for degree. On a phone, touch and hold the keys of the number and symbol keyboard and slide to the alternates they offer. In HTML write ° or °.
What is an Alt code?
A way to type a character on Windows by holding the Alt key and entering a number on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. Microsoft lists them for the Latin-1 characters: Alt+0169 is the copyright sign, Alt+0128 the euro sign. The numbers must be typed on the keypad, so a laptop without one needs the Fn-key overlay or another method.
What does Alt+X do in Word?
It converts the hexadecimal Unicode code you just typed into the character. Type 20AC and press Alt+X and you get the euro sign. Microsoft notes that you can write U+ in front of the code, and that Alt+X can grab the wrong digits if the text right before the code is a number, so put a space before the code in that case.
How do I type accented letters on a Mac?
Press and hold the letter until the accent menu appears, then click the accent or press the number under it. Apple also documents dead keys: press Option-N and then a letter for a tilde. The Keyboard Viewer shows every Option combination for your layout, and the Character Viewer, opened with Control-Command-Space, has every accented letter searchable by name.
Which HTML entity should I use, the name or the number?
Both decode to the same character. Named references such as © are easier to read; numeric ones such as © or © work for every character, including the thousands that have no name. In a UTF-8 page you can also just type the character itself, and only the five characters that have meaning in HTML markup need escaping.
Sources
- Microsoft Support, insert ASCII or Unicode Latin-based symbols and characters (Alt codes typed on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on, e.g. Alt+0176 for ° and Alt+0169 for ©; the hexadecimal code followed by Alt+X, optionally with U+ in front; the warning that Alt+X can take preceding digits)
- Microsoft Support, Windows keyboard tips and tricks (Windows logo key + period opens the emoji panel; on Windows 11 its Symbols section has punctuation, accented characters and other symbols)
- Microsoft Support, keyboard shortcuts in Word (Windows: (c) for ©, Ctrl+Alt+R for ®, Ctrl+Alt+T for ™, Ctrl+Alt+Period for an ellipsis, a code then Alt+X; macOS: (c) for ©, Option+R for ®, Option+2 for ™)
- Apple Support, macOS User Guide: enter characters with accent marks (press and hold a letter key for the accent menu, pick by click, number or arrow keys; dead keys such as Option-N for a tilde; the Keyboard Viewer outlines dead keys in orange; the ABC - Extended input source)
- Apple Support, macOS User Guide: use emoji and symbols (the Character Viewer via Fn/Globe-E or Edit > Emoji & Symbols; it holds symbols, accented letters and characters from other languages, searchable by name or code)
- Apple Support, Mac keyboard shortcuts (Control-Command-Space bar or Fn-E shows the Character Viewer)
- Apple Support, macOS User Guide: use the Keyboard Viewer (press modifier keys such as Option and Shift to see the additional characters you can type)
- Apple Support, iPhone User Guide: type and edit text (touch and hold a key, then slide to choose an accented letter or other alternate character)
- Google Gboard Help, use your keyboard (touch and hold a key to find accents and more options)
- WHATWG HTML Standard, named character references (deg, copy, reg, trade, euro, pound, yen, cent, sect, para, bull, hellip, frac12, frac14, frac34, times, divide, plusmn, asymp, ne, le, ge, ntilde, eacute, uuml, szlig and the code points they map to)