Windows Alt Codes, Looked Up Fast
Every character your keyboard cannot type directly: its Alt code, its HTML entity, and its Unicode point, in one search.
Most looked up
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Most-used symbols
100 characters
Basic ASCII (Alt 33 to 126)
94 characters
Punctuation & typography
71 characters
Accented Latin letters
190 characters
Windows Alt codes 0128 to 0255
122 characters
Classic DOS Alt codes 1 to 255
160 characters
Math symbols
870 characters
Currency
37 characters
Arrows
396 characters
Greek letters
135 characters
Stars & dingbats
203 characters
Fancy text
1016 characters
Braille
289 characters
Box drawing
160 characters
Circled & squared letters
238 characters
Technical symbols
300 characters
Weather & zodiac
252 characters
Shapes
270 characters
Games
208 characters
Music
76 characters
Ancient symbols
292 characters
How Alt codes work
AltCodes.xyz is a fast reference for Windows Alt codes, the four digit sequences typed on the numeric keypad, while holding Alt, to produce a character your keyboard cannot reach directly. Every entry here lists three ways to get the same character: the Alt code for Windows, the HTML entity for web pages, and the Unicode code point that everything else understands.
IBM built the Alt code system into the original PC keyboard driver in 1981, mapping 256 characters to the numbers 0 through 255. Windows kept it. That is why Alt+0176 still produces a degree sign on a current Windows 11 laptop, decades later.
Two separate code pages sit behind these numbers, which explains a common source of confusion. An Alt code with a leading zero, such as Alt+0169, reaches the Windows character set, code page 1252, mostly Western European letters and punctuation. The same number without the leading zero, Alt+169, reaches the older DOS set, code page 437, the one with box drawing pieces and card suits. Two systems share one input method, and the leading zero is the only thing that tells them apart.
Alt codes only work on Windows, and only with a physical numeric keypad or Fn+NumLock on a laptop. Mac, Chromebook and mobile users cannot use them at all. For those platforms, or for a web page, the HTML entity and Unicode columns on every entry here work anywhere instead: copy the character directly, or paste the entity into markup.
Questions
Why do some Alt codes have a leading zero and others do not?
A leading zero means the code reaches the Windows character set, code page 1252. No leading zero means it reaches the older DOS set, code page 437. The two sets overlap in places and differ in others, so the same number can point to two different characters depending on the zero.
Alt codes are not working on my laptop. What do I do?
Most laptops without a separate numeric keypad still have one hidden under the main keys, reachable with Fn+NumLock. If that is not available, copy the character directly from this site instead of typing the code.
Do Alt codes work on a Mac?
No. macOS uses its own Option key combinations for a much smaller set of characters. Copy the character directly from this site, or use its Unicode value with the Mac’s Unicode Hex Input keyboard.
What is the difference between an Alt code, an HTML entity and a Unicode code point?
An Alt code is a Windows-only keyboard shortcut. An HTML entity is markup a browser turns into a character, useful in web pages. A Unicode code point is the character’s universal identifier, usable in almost any modern software that accepts direct character input.
Can I use these characters in a Word document?
Yes. Type the Alt code directly on the numeric keypad, copy the character from this page and paste it in, or use Word’s Insert > Symbol dialog with the Unicode value.