Monday, June 14, 2010

Secret Alt Codes - How to Type ☺☻♥

Considering the success of my gmail emoticons page, and due to popular request, here's how to type those other secret characters that sometimes popup in messages.

Yes, I mean the other smiley faces (☺☻), the heart symbol (♥), and many others (♪☼♂...) !

These are known as Alt-code characters, and they've been around for a very long time.

Although we now have Unicode that allow for thousands of different characters and symbols, for a long time computers could only represent 255 different characters. Besides the regular symbols, letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, a few of them represented codes that had no visual meaning, like "end-of-line", "carriage-return", and the like...

But, even though they had no visual representation didn't stop engineers from placing some nice visuals on it. :)

So... how can you type these weird and secret strange characters? It's quite easy...
You just need to press and hold the ALT key while you type its "alt-code" number in the numeric keypad.

Just try it: place your cursor in a text input area and press and hold the ALT key, and press the "1" key in the numeric keypad (make sure you have "num lock" on, so you can type numbers instead of using it as cursor keypad.)

ALT + 1 gives you: ☺
ALT + 2 gives you: ☻
ALT + 3 gives you: ♥
and so on...

Here's a table of most useful secret alt-code chars available:
☺1α224
☻2ß225
♥3Γ226
♦4π227
♣5Σ228
♠6σ229
•7µ230
◘8τ231
○9Φ232
◙10Θ233
♂11Ω234
♀12δ235
♪13∞236
♫14φ237
☼15ε238
►16∩239
◄17≡240
↕18±241
‼19≥242
20≤243
§21⌠244
▬22⌡245
↨23÷246
↑24≈247
↓25°248
→26∙249
←27·250
∟28√251
↔29ⁿ252
▲30²253
▼ 31■254

From the code 32 (space character) up to code 127 you get the regular numbers, letters, punctuation marks and symbols. From 128 to 255, you get some few extra characters, like accented characters used in other languages (like: áêü) and some more symbols (µ¼Σ√...)

A few other useful symbols (you do need to type the leading zero in the alt-code):

¼0188½0189¾0190
™0153©0169®0174

Hope you find it useful! :)


P.S. If you're looking for other symbols like Apple's logo, be sure to check the Emoji and Glyphs page.
Bookmark and Share
Posted by Carlos Martins at 11:54 AM
Labels: , ,

36 comments:

  1. doesn't work
    ReplyDelete
  4. That doesn't work!
    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes it does. Make sure you're using the numeric keypad (not the numbers on the top row of the keyboard)!
    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi. For me, it doesn't work. Yes, I'm using the number pad. It just takes me to the first tab if I do alt 1, or second tab on my web browser (Google Chrome) alt 2, etc. Does it have to do with my settings?
    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, in my PC I can type the symbols just fine in Chrome (☺☻♥♦).

    Changing the tabs in Chrome requires the CTRL+1/2/3/4 combination - typing the ALT symbols requires pressing the *ALT* key.
    ReplyDelete
  9. Why, when I press the number lock key, then hold the alt key, and press 3 for the heart symbol, am I only getting a ? to come up???
    ReplyDelete
  10. What OS are you using? Can you try it in any other PC just to check if you're doing it right?
    ReplyDelete
  11. i dont have a numeric key pad! :(
    ReplyDelete
  12. That's a good point. I'll try to figure out how to type these codes without a numeric keypad.
    Are you using an Apple keyboard, or just a laptop?

    (In case it's a laptop, you can usually use the num lock keys to turn the numeric keypad on - on top of some letters.)
    ReplyDelete
  13. i have them on my mackbook
    ReplyDelete
  14. It is cool Ally® is my friends logo.
    ReplyDelete
  15. how to make an apple??
    ReplyDelete
  16. @Anonymous

    For Apple's logo check out my post regarding Glyphs and Emoji on the iPhone.
    ReplyDelete
  17. when i try, my computer makes weird symbols ♥
    ReplyDelete
  18. when I press alt 7 it takes me back to google.
    ReplyDelete
  19. @Emily K
    Try typing it in a "notepad" program, to ensure it's not your browser acting up.

    When you're able to type it in the notepad program, then try it inside the browser.
    ReplyDelete
  23. for a laptop without the numlock keys, use the FN key and the keys with the blue 1-10 and stuff
    ReplyDelete
  24. This doesn't work on my mac. :'(
    ReplyDelete
  25. i found more, 0233 é, 145 æ, 156 £, 0137 ‰, 0135 ‡ and 0134 †. Your welcome
    ReplyDelete
  26. how do you do this with a macbook?
    ReplyDelete
  27. I found another one! Alt+415=ƒ!
    ReplyDelete
  28. ♪lalalah♪ thnx♥
    ReplyDelete
  29. WOW! this is fun ☼ ☼ double sun POWER!!! *Boom* *Boom*
    ReplyDelete
  30. only works if you have a number pad on the right side
    ReplyDelete
  31. on an iMac it works sort of 1-¡ 2-™3-£4-¢5-∞
    ReplyDelete
  32. Hey, these are really cool. I can amaze everybody now with all I know about awesome little symbols. Then, I send them this link. Thank you so much for this‼ This code rocks‼♪♫ This is coming from a person who doesn't like technology, but has to learn to use it. This helps. Thanks again‼
    -Old-fashioned Girl
    ReplyDelete
  33. Hey it works!!☺☻♥♠♣♦○•
    ReplyDelete
  34. The Best Of ALT CodeJan 10, 2012 01:09 PM
    The Apple is on mac and you use Option Shift K At the same tome
    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks I was just trying to figure it out on my mac
      Delete
  35. This is not an internet trick! It is a computer OS trick. for linux this will not work! You have to CTRL+Shift+Uthen a number sequence from the numbers at the top. There is more than Windows and macs.
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts with Thumbnails

Amazon Store