Special Symbol Alt Codes

Alt Codes for Symbols, Bullets, and Other Special Characters.

Special Symbols and Characters
Alt Code Symbol Description
Alt 1 White Smiley
Alt 2 Black Smiley
Alt 3 Heart
Alt 4 Diamond
Alt 5 Club
Alt 6 Spade
Alt 7 Bullet 1
Alt 8 Bullet 2
Alt 9 Bullet 3
Alt 10 Bullet 4
Alt 11 Male Sign
Alt 12 Female Sign
Alt 13 Quaver
Alt 14 Joined Quavers
Alt 16 Play Forward
Alt 17 Play Reverse
Alt 254 Stop
Alt 30
Alt 31
Alt 23
Alt 24 Up Arrow
Alt 25 Down Arrow
Alt 26 Right Arrow
Alt 27 Left Arrow
Special Symbols and Characters
Alt Code Symbol Description
Alt 1 White Smiley
Alt 2 Black Smiley
Alt 3 Heart
Alt 4 Diamond
Alt 5 Club
Alt 6 Spade
Alt 7 Bullet 1
Alt 8 Bullet 2
Alt 9 Bullet 3
Alt 10 Bullet 4
Alt 11 Male Sign
Alt 12 Female Sign
Alt 13 Quaver
Alt 14 Joined Quavers
Alt 16 Play Forward
Alt 17 Play Reverse
Alt 254 Stop
Alt 30
Alt 31
Alt 23
Alt 24 Up Arrow
Alt 25 Down Arrow
Alt 26 Right Arrow
Alt 27 Left Arrow

About Alt Codes:

International Business Machines (IBM) developed a method to place characters that were previously impossible to type with a traditional QWERTY keyboard on the screen. By holding down the ALT key, developers and end users could define the intended character by way of the numeric keypad. The computer system's Basic Internal Operating System (BIOS) subsequently interprets the action and placing the correct corresponding symbol at the location of the cursor.

Such codes became so incredibly popular that although Microsoft decided upon developing additional sets of codes, they also decided to keep the existing Alt codes. The new set designed to coexist with also codes was originally named ANSI, with the old version redesignated as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Codes written in OEM are represented in 3 digits while codes written in ANSI codes begin with a preceding 0.

For the past 20 years, Unicode has seen major adoption by a growing number of systems. The entry of all Unicode characters by the same method of Windows was achieved by many applications yet still couldn't spread to every system. Issues of compatibility with old ANSI codes prevented the entry of every single character.

Alt Code Tips:

  • Depending on the setting of the OEM Code Page, different characters may be produced with the same code.
  • It is critical to have the system's NUM LOCK enabled when typing a character's alt code value.
  • Though it is present on some models, the right-most numeric keypad does NOT exist on most laptops. To still make sufficient use of the functionality, most laptop users are required to use press and hold down the Fn key.

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