How to type symbols and letters with accent marks
Ever wondered how to type that Trademark ™ symbol? What about characters from other languages, like Latin? You may not know it, but there’s a whole slew of symbols and characters that you can type out just by using the keyboard in front of you. No special software is required.
Here’s our guide on how to type out symbols and accented letters, whether you use Windows or MacOS. Also, check out our picks for the best Windows keyboard shortcuts, the best MacOS keyboard shortcuts, and the best free Microsoft Office alternatives.
Typing symbols in Windows 10
Dan Baker/Digital Trends
Your Windows PC has many alt-key shortcuts programmed into it that are pretty easy to type out. However, it should be noted that if you’re using Windows and you have a keyboard with a full number pad, you can only execute these keyboard shortcuts if you use the number keys on your number pad, with the number lock key turned on. Using the number keys directly located below the row of F-keys will not work, which we discovered during independent testing.
If you don’t have a keyboard without a number pad, you can use the on-screen keyboard in Windows to perform these tasks. To find the keyboard in Windows 10, roll your cursor over to the lower right side of the screen and right click on the taskbar. Then, click on “Show Touch keyboard Button.” You can then long tap or long hold your mouse down on any given letter to find symbols and other alternate characters.
Step 1: Open your word processor and locate either alt key on your keyboard. Typically, the alt keys are located on either side of your spacebar.
Step 2: Then, scan the lists below for the symbol you want to type out.
Step 3: Make sure the cursor is located in the place where you want to insert the symbol of your choice. Then, simply enter its corresponding keyboard shortcut. For instance, holding the alt key and pressing the 1 on your numpad will insert a smiley face (☺) in your copy.
Emoji
Symbol
alt + 1
☺
alt + 2
☻
alt + 3
♥
IP
Symbol
alt + 0169
©
alt + 0153
™
alt + 0174
®
Math
Symbol
Alt + 35
#
Alt + 241
±
alt + 0188
¼
alt + 0189
½
alt + 0190
¾
alt + 0247
÷
alt + 60
<
alt + 62
>
alt + 242
≥
alt + 243
≤
Uppercase Accented Letters
Symbol
alt + 0192
À
alt + 0193
Á
alt + 0194
Â
alt + 0195
Ã
alt + 0196
Ä
alt + 0199
Ç
alt + 0200
È
alt + 0201
É
alt + 0202
Ê
alt + 0203
Ë
alt + 0204
Ì
alt + 0205
Í
alt + 0206
ú
alt + 0207
û
alt + 165
Ñ
alt + 0210
Ò
alt + 0211
Ó
alt + 0212
Ô
alt + 0213
Õ
alt + 0214
Ö
alt + 0217
Ù
alt + 0218
Ú
alt + 0219
Û
alt + 0220
Ü
alt + 0221
Ý
alt + 0159
Ÿ
alt + 0142
Ž
Lowercase Accented letters
Symbol
alt + 0224
à
alt + 0225
á
alt + 0226
â
alt + 0227
ã
alt + 0228
ä
alt + 0229
å
alt + 0230
æ
alt + 0231
ç
alt + 0232
è
alt + 0233
é
alt + 0234
ê
alt + 0235
ë
alt + 0236
ì
alt + 0237
í
alt + 0238
î
alt + 0239
ï
alt + 164
ñ
alt + 0242
ò
alt + 0243
ó
alt + 0244
ô
alt + 0245
õ
alt + 0246
ö
alt + 0154
š
alt + 0249
ù
alt + 151
ù
alt + 150
û
alt + 0252
ü
alt + 0253
ý
alt + 0255
ÿ
alt + 0158
ž
Currency
Symbol
alt + 0164
¤
alt + 155
¢
alt + 156
£
alt + 157
¥
alt + 158
₧
alt + 159
ƒ
Using the character map on Windows
Character Map is installed onto every Microsoft Operating system. It allows you to copy and paste accented letters and symbols into documents, whether you use Word, WordPad, Google Docs, or another program.
Step 1: Head to the Windows Start Menu and then type in “character map” to search. After that, click it to open the application. Then, click it to open the app when it appears in the search results.
Step 2: Once opened, you’ll see a list of characters. Scroll through the list until you locate your desired symbol or letter. Once found, click the Select button next to the text field. Your selected symbol or letter will then appear in the text field labeled “Characters to copy.”
Step 3: Click Copy, then paste them in their respective places within in your document.
