Alt Codes Master List | How to Type Any Symbol on Windows

1. Turn NumLock on. The number-pad keys must type numbers, not arrows.
2. Hold the Alt key.
3. Type the code on the number pad — including the leading zero (0169, not 169).
4. Release Alt. The character appears.

Use the number pad on the right of a full keyboard, never the number row above the letters. The leading zero matters: Alt+169 gives ⌐, while Alt+0169 gives © — different code pages, different characters.

1. Fn key: hold Fn, and the J-K-L-U-I-O keys become a number pad (look for the small printed digits). Then Alt+Fn-code works.

2. Character Map: open it from Start, search the character by name, copy it. Slow but always works.

3. Skip codes entirely: copy the character from its page on this site — one click, no pad required.

Alt codes are a Windows convention. They do nothing on Mac (use the shortcuts on each character page), in most browser address bars, or in terminal apps that bind Alt for themselves. Google Docs ignores them too — use Insert → Special characters there.

To understand how Alt codes compare with Windows Character Map and Word's Alt+X hex input, see our decision guide: Character Map vs Alt Codes vs Hex Input. If your numpad Alt codes suddenly stopped functioning after an OS patch, check why keyboard shortcuts stop working after a Windows update.