How to Type Special Characters
on Any Device
Whether you need an em dash on Windows, a degree symbol on iPhone, or a copyright sign on Mac — this guide covers every method for typing special characters across all major devices. Plus the fastest shortcut: just copy and paste.
The Fastest Method on Any Device
Before going through keyboard shortcuts — the fastest method on any device is simply copy and paste. SymbolNow has over 1,000 symbols and 3,700 emojis, all organised by category, searchable, and ready to copy with a single click. No memorising shortcuts, no character maps, no alt codes.
iPhone & iPad
iOS has several built-in methods for typing special characters. The most useful is the long-press method, which reveals hidden characters on almost every key.
Method 1: Long-Press Keys
Method 2: Text Replacement (for symbols you use often)
Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. Tap the + button. In “Phrase” type the symbol (e.g. →), in “Shortcut” type something easy to remember (e.g. ->). Now whenever you type that shortcut iOS replaces it with the symbol automatically.
Characters accessible by long-pressing keys on iPhone
| Key | Hidden characters |
|---|---|
. | … · • ° (ellipsis, middle dot, bullet, degree) |
- | — – · (em dash, en dash, middle dot) |
? | ¿ (inverted question) |
! | ¡ (inverted exclamation) |
& | § (section sign) |
% | ‰ ‱ (per mille, per ten thousand) |
$ | € £ ¥ ₩ ₹ ¢ (other currencies) |
" | ” ” „ » « (typographic quotes) |
Android
Android keyboards vary by manufacturer (Samsung, Google, OnePlus etc.) but the core methods are consistent across most devices.
Method 1: Long-Press (same as iPhone)
Hold any key to reveal alternate characters. Works on Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, and most other Android keyboards.
Method 2: The ?123 Key
Method 3: Gboard — Search Emoji & Symbols
If you use Gboard (Google’s keyboard), tap the emoji icon then use the search bar at the top. Type a word like “arrow” or “heart” and it shows all matching Unicode characters. This is the fastest way to find specific symbols on Android.
Windows PC
Windows has the most methods for entering special characters — but also the most confusing. Here’s every approach ranked by ease of use.
Method 1: Windows Emoji Panel (Windows 10/11)
Method 2: Alt Codes (Number Pad required)
Alt codes work by holding Alt and typing a number on the numeric keypad (not the top row). They only work in certain Windows applications and require Num Lock to be on.
| Symbol | Alt Code | Character |
|---|---|---|
| © | Alt + 0169 | Copyright |
| ® | Alt + 0174 | Registered |
| ™ | Alt + 0153 | Trademark |
| ° | Alt + 0176 | Degree |
| ± | Alt + 0177 | Plus-minus |
| — | Alt + 0151 | Em dash |
| • | Alt + 0149 | Bullet |
| € | Alt + 0128 | Euro |
| £ | Alt + 0163 | Pound |
Method 3: Character Map
Search for “Character Map” in the Start menu. Browse every Unicode character, copy it, and paste it anywhere. Good for rarely-used characters — but slow for frequent use.
Mac
Mac has the best built-in support for special characters of any desktop OS. The keyboard shortcuts are logical once you learn the Option key patterns.
Method 1: Option Key Shortcuts
| Symbol | Shortcut | Character |
|---|---|---|
| © | Option + G | Copyright |
| ® | Option + R | Registered |
| ™ | Option + 2 | Trademark |
| ° | Option + Shift + 8 | Degree |
| — | Option + Shift + - | Em dash |
| – | Option + - | En dash |
| • | Option + 8 | Bullet |
| € | Option + Shift + 2 | Euro |
| ≠ | Option + = | Not equal |
| ∞ | Option + 5 | Infinity |
| π | Option + P | Pi |
| √ | Option + V | Square root |
Method 2: Character Viewer
HTML & CSS
For web developers, special characters in HTML should be written as HTML entities to ensure they render correctly across all browsers and encodings.
HTML Entity Format
You can find the HTML entity for any symbol on SymbolNow — each symbol’s page shows the HTML code alongside the Unicode value. Visit any symbol page and the HTML entity is right there, ready to copy.
The Most Useful Special Characters
If you only bookmark a handful of special characters, make it these. They come up in nearly every context — writing, design, coding, and social media.
| Character | Name | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| — | Em Dash | Replacing parentheses in writing — like this |
| • | Bullet | Lists, bio separators, menu items |
| © | Copyright | Footer attribution, creative work |
| ™ | Trademark | Brand names, product references |
| → | Right Arrow | Calls to action, navigation cues |
| ✓ | Check Mark | Feature lists, confirmations |
| ° | Degree | Temperature, coordinates, angles |
| … | Ellipsis | Trailing off in writing, UI truncation |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my special character look different when I paste it?
The character itself is correct — the visual difference is caused by the font. Each platform and app renders Unicode characters using its own system font. The character → is the same code point everywhere, but iOS, Windows, and Android all draw it slightly differently. Our Unicode Inspector shows you how a character is encoded so you can verify you have the right one.
What is the difference between a symbol and an emoji?
Both are Unicode characters, but emoji are part of a specific Unicode block with standardised coloured renderings across platforms. Symbols are generally monochrome text characters. An arrow → is a symbol. An arrow ➡️ with a colour variant is an emoji. Symbols are more reliable in professional contexts because they don’t trigger emoji rendering in some apps. Browse our full symbol library and emoji library to see the difference.
Can I type special characters on a Chromebook?
Chromebooks support Unicode input through the CTRL+SHIFT+U method: hold Ctrl+Shift, press U, type the Unicode code point (e.g. 2192 for →), then press Enter or Space. For a much faster approach, just use SymbolNow and copy-paste.