Alt codes on Windows: the complete special characters table

Typing the © symbol, the letter œ or the ± sign without diving into Word's Insert > Special character menu is entirely possible thanks to Windows Alt codes. This shortcut, inherited from the MS-DOS era, remains one of the fastest ways to insert a character that the keyboard does not display directly. You only need to know the right codes.

In this article we have compiled the table of the most useful Alt codes for everyday use: accented letters that foreign keyboards do not carry, typographic symbols for layout work, math characters for technical notes. A reference to keep open in a tab — or to print and pin near your screen.

How Alt codes work on Windows

The principle is simple. Hold down the Alt key, type a numeric sequence on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Windows converts the sequence into a character. For example, Alt + 0233 produces é.

Three conditions must be met for the combination to work. First, Num Lock must be enabled — without it, the keypad keys drive the arrow functions and Alt input is disabled. Second, the digits must be entered on the numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard, not on the row of numbers above the letters. Third, the Alt key must remain held down until the entire sequence is typed.

Two families of codes coexist. Three-digit codes (for example Alt + 130 for é) use the legacy OEM table inherited from DOS. Four-digit codes starting with zero (for example Alt + 0233 for é) use the Windows ANSI table, which is more modern and compatible with most graphical applications. We favour the four-digit codes here — more reliable in Word, browsers and modern editors.

Alt codes for accented Latin letters

Useful for anyone writing in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese or other Latin-script languages on a US English keyboard.

Anyone who writes regularly across languages — translators, fiction authors, editorial staff — gains real time from these shortcuts. The author site of Allison Lister, for example, juggles English and Italian text constantly, and Alt codes make that switching painless on an English keyboard.

Common typographic and commercial symbols

The symbols below appear constantly in web writing, layout work and professional correspondence.

Em dashes (—) and curly quotes (“ ”) are the markers of polished typography, as opposed to the straight hyphens and straight quotes most keyboards offer by default. They make the difference between raw text and properly composed text. An editorial site like subwaypress.com relies on these details across its publications.

Math and scientific characters

For technical notes, exponents or basic formulas, these codes save a trip to the equation editor.

The last three symbols (π, ∞, ≈) use the three-digit OEM table and may not work in every application. If that happens, the Insert > Symbol menu remains a reliable fallback — or you can check our complete ASCII, ISO and HTML special character table, which covers the extended set in depth.

What about a laptop without a numeric keypad?

This is the most frustrating limitation: most compact laptops have no numeric keypad, and Alt codes do not work with the top row of digits. Several workarounds exist.

The first is the virtual numeric keypad built into some laptops, triggered by Fn + Num Lock. Keys U, I, O, J, K, L… then act as numbers 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3…. The method works, but it is slow and forces you to memorise the mapping.

The second option, and the most comfortable one, is an external USB numeric keypad. These small accessories slip into any laptop bag and plug in within seconds. A compact wired model restores the full speed of Alt codes for under twenty dollars. For anyone who writes regularly with special characters, it is the most worthwhile accessory to keep nearby.

The third workaround is software: the Character Map tool built into Windows (charmap.exe) lets you search and copy any Unicode character. Slower than Alt codes, but exhaustive.

Bonus trick: hexadecimal Unicode codes

In Word and a few Office applications, a more powerful method is available. You type the hexadecimal Unicode code of the character, then press Alt + X. For example, 2603 followed by Alt + X produces ☃ (snowman). The whole Unicode table becomes accessible this way, well beyond the classic Alt codes.

In summary

Alt codes remain one of the most rewarding Windows shortcuts to learn: three seconds to insert a character that would otherwise take a minute to find in a menu. We recommend printing the table above and keeping it next to your keyboard for two or three weeks. After that, the codes you use most (accents, the euro sign, curly quotes) will be automatic.

To go further on special characters and their use in HTML, see our guide to HTML entities and ASCII characters. And if you write across languages, the work on subwaypress.com and allisonlister.com is worth a look for examples of polished bilingual editorial work.