How to Type Special Characters & Symbols
on Any Device
The complete guide to typing special characters — degree symbol, copyright ©, em dash —, bullet point •, trademark ™, and 50+ more — on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android. Includes keyboard shortcuts, alt codes, and the fastest copy-paste method for every device.
Most Searched Special Characters — Copy Instantly
The 20 most searched “how to type [symbol]” queries on Google. Click any symbol to copy it — then skip reading the guide entirely if all you needed was the character.
The Fastest Method — Works on Every Device
Before going into device-specific shortcuts: the fastest way to get any special character on any device is to copy it from SymbolNow. Copy it above, or browse the full library at symbolnow.com/symbol. No memorising shortcuts. No keyboard combinations. One click.
That said — if you type certain symbols dozens of times per day (like ° in weather writing, or © on every document), the keyboard shortcuts below are genuinely worth learning. The time investment pays back within a week of daily use.
How to Type Special Characters on Windows
Windows has four ways to input special characters. Use whichever fits your workflow.
Method 1 — Windows Emoji Panel (fastest, no numpad needed)
Press Win+. (Windows key + full stop) anywhere in Windows to open the emoji and symbol panel. Click the Ω tab for Unicode symbols. Searchable and works without a numpad — the best built-in option for most users.
Method 2 — Alt codes (requires numeric keypad)
Hold Alt and type a number code on the numeric keypad (right side of keyboard, not the top row). Release Alt to insert the character. Examples:
| Symbol | Alt Code | Name |
|---|---|---|
| © | Alt+0169 | Copyright |
| ® | Alt+0174 | Registered trademark |
| ™ | Alt+0153 | Trademark |
| ° | Alt+0176 | Degree sign |
| • | Alt+0149 | Bullet point |
| — | Alt+0151 | Em dash |
| € | Alt+0128 | Euro sign |
| £ | Alt+0163 | Pound sterling |
| ± | Alt+0177 | Plus-minus |
| ÷ | Alt+0247 | Division sign |
Method 3 — Unicode input in Microsoft Word
In Word, type the Unicode hex code for a character, then press Alt+X to convert it. Example: type 00A9 then press Alt+X to get ©.
Method 4 — Character Map
Search for “Character Map” in the Start menu. Browse or search for any Unicode character, copy it, and paste into your document. Slow for regular use but useful for finding characters you don’t know the code for.
How to Type Special Characters on Mac
Method 1 — Option key shortcuts (fastest for common symbols)
Mac uses the Option (⌥) key for most special characters. These are the most useful ones:
| Symbol | Mac shortcut | Name |
|---|---|---|
| © | ⌥ Option+G | Copyright |
| ® | ⌥ Option+R | Registered trademark |
| ™ | ⌥ Option+2 | Trademark |
| ° | ⌥ Option+Shift+8 | Degree sign |
| • | ⌥ Option+8 | Bullet point |
| — | ⌥ Option+Shift+– | Em dash |
| – | ⌥ Option+– | En dash |
| € | ⌥ Option+Shift+2 | Euro sign |
| £ | ⌥ Option+3 | Pound sterling |
| ÷ | ⌥ Option+/ | Division sign |
| … | ⌥ Option+; | Ellipsis |
| ∞ | ⌥ Option+5 | Infinity |
| ≠ | ⌥ Option+= | Not equal to |
| π | ⌥ Option+P | Pi |
| √ | ⌥ Option+V | Square root |
| µ | ⌥ Option+M | Micro / Mu |
Method 2 — Character Viewer (all Unicode characters)
Press Control+⌘ Cmd+Space to open Mac’s Character Viewer. Search for any character by name, double-click to insert. Access the full Unicode library — every symbol, every language, every emoji.
Method 3 — Hold a key for accented characters
On Mac, holding any letter key shows a popup with accented versions of that letter. Hold E to see é, ê, ë, è. Hold N to see ñ. This works in most Mac apps. Press the corresponding number or click the character to insert it.
How to Type Special Characters on iPhone & iPad
Method 1 — Hold a key for alternates (built in)
Tap and hold most letter and symbol keys on the iPhone keyboard to see a popup with alternate characters. Hold the 0 key to see °. Hold – to see — and –. Hold $ to see £, ¥, €, ¢. The most characters are available by holding vowels.
Method 2 — iPhone key holds cheat sheet
| Hold this key | Gets you |
|---|---|
| 0 (numbers) | ° degree symbol |
| – (numbers) | — em dash, – en dash, • bullet |
| $ (numbers) | € £ ¥ ¢ currency symbols |
| ? (numbers) | ¿ inverted question mark |
| ! (numbers) | ¡ inverted exclamation |
| % (numbers) | ‰ per mille |
| E or e | é è ê ë ē ě accented E |
| A or a | à á â ä å ã æ accented A |
| N or n | ñ |
Method 3 — Text replacement shortcut
Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. Add a shortcut like deg that expands to °. Every time you type “deg” your iPhone automatically replaces it with the degree symbol. This is the best method for symbols you use frequently.
Method 4 — Copy from SymbolNow
Browse to symbolnow.com in Safari, find the symbol you need, tap it to copy, then paste into any app. Works for every Unicode character. Bookmark the site for quick access.
How to Type Special Characters on Android
Method 1 — Hold a key (Gboard)
On Android with Google’s Gboard keyboard (the default on most Android phones), tap and hold any key to see alternate characters — just like iPhone. Hold 0 for °, hold a for accented A variants, hold $ for currency symbols.
Method 2 — Gboard’s special character keyboards
In Gboard, tap the ?123 key to switch to the numbers keyboard, then tap =\< to access the symbols keyboard. This gives you access to hundreds of special characters without needing to hold any key.
Method 3 — Emoji keyboard & Unicode search
Tap the emoji icon in Gboard and use the search bar at the top to search for symbols by name — type “degree” to find °, “bullet” to find •, “copyright” to find ©. Far faster than scrolling.
HTML Entities & CSS Codes
For web developers and content creators working in HTML: special characters should be entered as HTML entities to ensure correct rendering across all browsers. Here are the most commonly needed ones.
| Symbol | HTML Entity | Numeric Code | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| © | © | © | Copyright |
| ® | ® | ® | Registered |
| ™ | ™ | ™ | Trademark |
| ° | ° | ° | Degree |
| • | • | • | Bullet |
| — | — | — | Em dash |
| – | – | – | En dash |
| € | € | € | Euro |
| £ | £ | £ | Pound |
| … | … | … | Ellipsis |
| && | & | & | Ampersand |
| → | → | → | Right arrow |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Check mark |
| ≠ | ≠ | ≠ | Not equal |
| ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | Infinity |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you type the degree symbol (°)?
Windows: Alt + 0176 on numpad, or Win + . and search “degree.” Mac: ⌥ Option+Shift+8. iPhone/Android: hold the 0 key. Or just copy it: °
How do you type the copyright symbol (©)?
Windows: Alt + 0169. Mac: ⌥ Option+G. iPhone: hold the & key on the numbers keyboard. Or copy it: ©
How do you type an em dash (—)?
Windows: Alt + 0151. Mac: ⌥ Option+Shift+–. iPhone: hold the hyphen key. Or copy it: —
How do you type the euro sign (€)?
Windows: Alt + 0128. Mac: ⌥ Option+Shift+2. iPhone: hold the $ key. Or copy it: €
How do you type the trademark symbol (™)?
Windows: Alt + 0153. Mac: ⌥ Option+2. Or copy it: ™
What’s the difference between the em dash (—) and en dash (–)?
The em dash — is longer and used to mark a break in a sentence — like this. The en dash – is shorter and used for ranges (pages 10–20, the 2020–2026 period). In casual writing, the em dash is far more common.
Why don’t alt codes work on my laptop?
Most laptops don’t have a dedicated numeric keypad, which alt codes require. Solutions: use Win + . to open the emoji panel, use the SymbolNow copy-paste tool, or enable the numeric keypad overlay (Fn + Num Lock on many laptops).