How to Type Special Symbols on Any Device

You're typing away and suddenly you need a degree symbol. Or a copyright sign. Or that one arrow that points both ways. And you're just sitting there staring at your keyboard thinking "where is it?" I've been there more times than I'd like to admit.

The truth is, your keyboard only shows you about 80 characters, but there are literally tens of thousands of symbols hiding behind it. You just need to know the right doors to open. This guide covers every major device and operating system, so no matter what you're working on, you'll know exactly how to pull up the symbol you need.

Windows: Four Ways to Get Symbols

Method 1: The Emoji Panel (Fastest)

Press Windows + . (that's the Windows key and the period key together). This opens the emoji and symbol picker that was added in Windows 10. Most people know it for emoji, but if you click the Ω tab at the top, you get access to a huge library of special characters — math symbols, currency signs, Latin characters with accents, and more.

Honestly, this is the method I use 90% of the time on Windows. It's fast, it remembers your recently used symbols, and it works in basically every app.

Method 2: Alt Codes (Old School but Reliable)

Alt codes have been around since DOS days, and they still work perfectly. Here's how: hold down the Alt key, type a number on your numpad (not the top row — this trips people up constantly), then release Alt. The symbol appears.

Some popular Alt codes:

• Alt + 0169 → © (copyright)
• Alt + 0176 → ° (degree)
• Alt + 0153 → ™ (trademark)
• Alt + 3 → ♥ (heart)
• Alt + 0188 → ¼ (one quarter)
• Alt + 0177 → ± (plus-minus)

The catch? You need a numpad. If you're on a laptop without one, you can sometimes enable a virtual numpad with the Fn key, but honestly it's a pain. Just use Method 1 instead.

Method 3: Character Map

Search for "Character Map" in the Start menu. It's a built-in Windows utility that shows you every single character in every installed font. You can browse, search, and copy characters from here. It's not pretty and it feels like it hasn't been updated since Windows XP, but it works when you need something obscure.

Method 4: Unicode Input

In some apps (like Word), you can type a Unicode code point and press Alt + X to convert it. For example, type 2602 then press Alt + X and you get ☂ (umbrella). This is nerdy but very powerful once you memorize a few codes. Check our weather symbols page for codes you can use.

Mac: Symbols Are Everywhere (If You Know Where to Look)

Method 1: Character Viewer

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer. This is Mac's equivalent of the emoji panel, and it's actually really good. You can search for symbols by name ("arrow", "heart", "star"), browse categories, and see recently used characters. Way better than Windows Character Map, honestly.

Method 2: Option Key Combos

The Option key (sometimes labeled Alt on Mac keyboards) unlocks a whole hidden layer of characters:

• Option + Shift + K → (Apple logo — only works in Apple fonts though)
• Option + 2 → ™
• Option + G → ©
• Option + R → ®
• Option + Shift + 2 → €
• Option + = → ≠

Here's a neat trick: go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources and enable "Show keyboard layout in menu bar." Then you can hold Option and see all the hidden characters right on a visual keyboard. Game changer.

Method 3: Hold a Key Down

On Mac, if you hold down a letter key, you'll see accented variations pop up. Hold e and you get é, è, ê, ë, ē, and more. Hold a for à, á, â, ä, and so on. Just press the number shown to select the one you want. This is perfect for typing in French, Spanish, German, or any language with accented characters.

iPhone & iPad

On iOS, you've got a few tricks up your sleeve:

Long-press letters for accented versions, just like on Mac. Hold "e" and slide to pick é or ê. Hold "0" for the degree symbol °. Hold "-" for an em dash —.

Switch to the symbol keyboard by tapping the "123" button, then tap "#+=" for even more symbols. You'll find §, ¶, •, and a handful of others hiding there.

But here's the real talk — the iOS keyboard only gives you a tiny fraction of available symbols. For anything beyond basics (like star symbols ★ or arrows →), you're better off copying them from a site like ours and pasting them in. You can even save frequently used symbols as text replacements in Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement.

That text replacement trick is actually my favorite iPhone tip for symbols. Set "xdeg" to replace with °, "xarr" to replace with →, and you've got instant access to your most-used symbols without leaving whatever app you're in.

Android

Android varies a lot depending on your keyboard app, but here's what works on Gboard (Google's default keyboard):

Long-press keys for variations. This works for letters (accents), numbers (fractions on some), and punctuation marks.

Symbol pages: Tap "?123" then "=\<" for extra symbols. You'll find ° © ® ¥ and various others.

Gboard's built-in emoji search also finds some symbols if you type their names. But again, for the full range of heart symbols, music notes, or check marks, you'll want to copy them from a dedicated source.

Samsung Keyboard users: your symbol selection is actually slightly better than Gboard. Long-press the period key and you'll see a surprisingly big grid of extra characters.

Chromebook

Chromebooks are a bit limited, but there are still a couple of solid methods:

Emoji picker: Press Search + Shift + Space (or right-click in a text field and choose "Emoji"). This gives you emoji and some symbols, though the selection isn't as wide as Windows or Mac.

Unicode input: Press Ctrl + Shift + U, then type the Unicode hex code and press Enter. For example, Ctrl + Shift + U, 2764, Enter gives you ❤. This works everywhere in ChromeOS and is super useful once you know a few codes.

For Chromebook users, I honestly recommend bookmarking our symbol categories page. It's way faster to copy from there than to memorize Unicode codes.

Linux

Linux users, you probably already know this, but for completeness:

Compose key: If you set up a Compose key (usually mapped to Right Alt or another key in your keyboard settings), you can type symbol combos. Compose, O, C → ©. Compose, +, - → ±. The compose sequences are intuitive once you get the hang of them.

Ctrl + Shift + U: Same as Chromebook — type a Unicode hex code after this shortcut in GTK apps. Works in most Linux text fields.

GNOME Character Map (gucharmap) or KCharSelect for KDE are the GUI options, similar to Windows Character Map but honestly better organized.

The Copy-Paste Method (Works Everywhere)

Let's be real — the most practical approach for most people is just copy and paste. Doesn't matter what device you're on. Find the symbol you want, copy it, paste it wherever you need it. Done.

That's literally why we built iLoveSymbols. Every symbol organized into categories — Greek letters, brackets, fractions, Roman numerals, gender symbols, you name it — with one-click copy. No keyboard shortcuts to memorize, no special apps to install.

Quick Reference: Most Wanted Symbols

Here are the symbols people search for most often, with the fastest way to type them:

Tips That'll Save You Time

1. Create a personal symbol sheet. Keep a note (Google Keep, Apple Notes, whatever) with your most-used symbols. Way faster than looking them up every time.

2. Use text expansion. On Mac, go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements. On Windows, try AutoHotkey or Espanso. On your phone, use the built-in text replacement feature. Set up shortcuts like ";deg" for ° or ";arr" for →.

3. Bookmark category pages. If you frequently need currency symbols or math symbols, bookmark those specific pages for quick access.

4. Learn just 5 Alt codes. You don't need to memorize hundreds. Just learn the five symbols you use most. For most people that's degree, copyright, trademark, em dash, and maybe a currency symbol.

5. Don't forget the long-press. Both iOS and Android keyboards hide tons of characters behind long-presses. Explore every key — you might be surprised what's there.

Wrapping Up

There's no single "best" way to type special symbols — it depends on what device you're using and how often you need them. For one-off use, copy and paste from our symbol library is hard to beat. For daily use, set up text shortcuts and learn a handful of keyboard combos.

The good news is that once you find your method, it becomes second nature. I barely think about it anymore — I just hit Win + . and grab what I need. Give it a week and you'll be the same way.