Alt codes are a method used to insert special characters or symbols by holding down the Alt key and typing in a specific sequence of numbers on the numeric keypad. This helps in entering characters that aren’t in the keyboard or languages on the computer.
History of Alt codes:
In 1980s IBM introduced a feature that allowed users to type special characters by holding down the Alt key and typing in a number on the numeric keypad. The primary function of introducing this feature was to allow users to type in special characters that were not on the keyboard. In the early days different character sets (code pages) were used in different regions, this would produce different characters depending on the active code page. This allowed for possibility of representations of characters in different languages and scripts.
This Alt code mechanism was inherited by MS-DOS and early versions of Windows. It became the norm for entering special characters. With the advancement in computing and its usage increasing rapidly, efforts were made to create a universal standard. With widespread adoption of Unicode, a standard that gained popularity rapidly, the need for Alt codes gradually decreased. Unicode has a bigger library of characters and symbols, and it is easier to access and use them. Unicode is a superset of ASCII, it’s first 128 characters are identical to ASCII.
While Unicode is the dominant standard, Alt codes are still used in legacy applications or for maintaining compatibility with older systems.
Use of Alt codes and Unicode
Both methods of representing characters serve different purposes and have different compatibility.
Alt Codes:
Alt-codes are used to enter special characters that are not found on a standard keyboard. They are simple and straight forward to use, by holding down the Alt key and typing in a combination of numbers on the numeric keypad you can input miscellaneous symbols and characters. They have one disadvantage; the number sequence may vary between different operating systems. Alt codes are useful for quickly entering specific characters. They are mostly used by Graphic designers, writers, programmers, researchers, people also use emoticons like Smiley Face Symbols in their texts and on social apps, basically anyone who needs to type a character that isn’t on the keyboard uses Alt codes.
Unicode:
Unicode is a universal character encoding standard that assigns a unique number to every character, it provides a standardized way to represent characters from all languages for example, German alphabet symbols. Unicode supports a vast range of characters and is adopted in moder technologies. Unicode is the preferred standard for dealing with international characters. It is used on Web pages in Software applications, Mobile devices, Databases etc. Everyone who interacts with digital text uses it.
Alternative methods for representing characters
Character Maps:
Windows and Mac have a built-in character map which can be used to visually select and insert special characters, but they don’t have an extensive library and aren’t easy to navigate.
Keyboard Layouts
Keyboards designed for other languages may include some dedicated keys for characters specific to that language.
Input Methods
For languages with complex writing systems, input methods can be used to convert phonetic input into the desired characters. An example for such an input would be Pinyin for Chinese or IME for Japanese)
Examples of Alt Codes and Unicode Characters
Alt Codes:
Given below are a few examples of Alt Codes:
- Copyright symbol ©: Alt + 0169
- British pound symbol £: Alt + 0163
- Euro symbol (€): Alt + 0128
Unicode:
Given below are a few examples of Unicode
- Heart symbol: U+2665
- Check mark: U+2713
- Chinese character for “hello”: U+4F60
On altcodessymbols, you will find both Alt code and Unicode values for special characters and symbols. On the homepage you will find animal emoticons, Food emojis, music symbol alt codes, Smiley Face Symbols and Zodiac signs symbols. These lists are there just to give you an idea of miscellaneous symbols available to you to copy and paste as needed. The site has an extensive library of symbols, the easiest way to use these symbols or characters is to click on one of them to copy and then paste it wherever you need it.
These special characters and symbols can be used by typing their Alt code values on Text editors or applications running on Microsoft Windows. These cannot be typed by using their Unicode values, Unicode values are used in HTML, Java.. and other programming languages.
How to use Alt codes
Given below is the method of using an Alt Code for a special character or symbol:
- The first step is to turn the NumLock on so that you can use the numeric keypad
- Press and hold the ALT key down
- While holding the ALT key down, type in the alt code for desired symbol, after you have entered the alt code, release the ALT key, your desired symbol will appear.
Let’s have a look at two examples to better understand how to use Alt codes:
Example 1
Press down the ALT key and using the numeric keypad type in 31 a symbol ▼ will appear.
Example 2
Press down the ALT key and using the numeric keypad type in 8377 an Indian rupee sign ₹ will appear.
Example 3
Press down the ALT key and using the numeric keypad type in 0200 a symbol È will appear.
If you are using a Mac computer
Use the Option key instead of the Alt key