Three dots on the keyboard. Windows: How to enter characters not on the keyboard? Cursor keys

Many have seen unusual and beautiful symbols decorating a name, message or social media page, but few know where they come from.

In the Windows operating system, characters that are not on the keyboard are encrypted as numbers. Pressing a number in combination with the Alt key produces a special character that will change depending on the number.

Inserting hidden characters

Many people ask the question: “How to enter characters that are not on the keyboard?” This can be done in various ways:

• using a symbol table;
• combinations of Alt with numbers;
• copying from the Internet;
• copying from text editing software (Microsoft Office);
• special online services.

symbol table

Above is a table of symbols that are not on the keyboard. With its help, you can easily insert the symbol you like into the text and copy it to social networks.

How to open a symbol table

Opening a symbol table is very simple. First of all, you need to click “Start” and enter the phrase “Symbol table” in the computer search window.

Next step: click on the found phrase.

The symbol table can be easily found by knowing its location in the system. The path is as follows:

1. "Start".
2. All programs.
3. Standard.
4. Service.
5. Symbol table.

In order not to constantly perform many operations and mouse clicks, you can pin the link to the table on the “Taskbar” or in the “Start” menu. This is done like this: hover the cursor over the icon of the open program on the lower taskbar, press the right mouse button to open additional functions, then use the left mouse button to click on the penultimate line (pin the program).

Using the symbol table

In the table you can change the font, view help, and also copy any of the presented characters to the clipboard. To copy them, double-click on the one you like and click on the “Copy” button. To insert into text, you need to place the cursor in the part of the text in which you want to place the element, click on the "Insert" menu, called up with the right mouse button. Or do the same using Ctrl and V.

Additional Symbol Table Options

The functionality of the program in question contains additional parameters, to enable which you need to check the appropriate box. The checkbox is located under the "For copying" line. The main advantage of additional parameters is the presence of "Grouping". It allows you to very quickly search for the required element to insert into the text by category (monetary, punctuation, arrows, numeric, technical). For grouping to work correctly, Unicode ranges must be present.

For example, you can take the infinity sign. To find it, you need to go to the grouping and select the desired category (for the infinity sign - these are mathematical operators). Double-click on it and copy it to the clipboard.

Alt key and number combinations

In order for the symbol you need to appear on the screen, you need to click on the indicated number while holding down Alt. In order not to lose such a useful table, it is recommended to add it to your browser bookmarks or save it to your computer. For example, the combination of Alt and 1 produces the smiley symbol.

Copying from the Web

A very popular way to obtain the necessary characters that are not on the keyboard is to copy them from the Internet. This method is very simple and understandable for everyone, it consists of 2 steps:

• finding the desired symbol or emoticon by creating a request in the search bar of the browser;
• copy and paste to the desired location (text, message, status).

Symbols from Microsoft Office Word

You can also find original characters that are not on the keyboard in the very popular software from Microsoft Office Word. This method is similar to that described earlier. Its essence lies in the fact that first we open the Word program (it is installed on almost every computer), look for the “Insert” tab, and in the menu we find the “Insert Symbol” button. After this, a window appears with a huge number of different symbols. In order to take the symbol you like from Word and paste it into another place, you need to paste the required symbol onto an empty sheet of Word, then select it and copy it (copying can be done using the Ctrl and C key combination).

Online services

Online services that provide the ability to quickly and conveniently select and copy your favorite symbol, emoticon or sign will help you diversify your VKontakte page, tweets and posts on Facebook, and simply please your chat interlocutor.

Everything here is very simple and clear. Each button is a specific symbol. After clicking on any of them, the selected symbol appears in the window at the top. Below the window there are buttons with which you can change characters (font, size) or perform some action (copy, tweet, etc.). When you click Copy, the character(s) in the selection window are copied to your computer's clipboard. Only then does the user insert them into the message from the buffer.

Categories of hidden characters

All existing symbols that are not on the keyboard can be divided into the following categories:

• numbers;
• fractions;
• Zodiac signs;
• musical notes;
• symbols representing weather or precipitation;
• card;
• chess;
• snowflakes;
• flowers;
• emotions;
• arrows;
• others.

Greetings, dear readers! Today I will tell you how to type special characters on the keyboard using the Alt key. If you didn’t quite understand from the title of the article what we’re talking about, I’ll explain in more detail.

There are symbols that are simply not on the keyboard, but they can be used quite often (paragraph icon, arrow, suit, heart). The question immediately arises of how to write this or that character that is not on the keyboard. How to do this will be discussed in this article.

Here are examples of such symbols:

☻☺ ♣♠◘○♀♪♂☼ ↕☼↓→§

Naturally, these are not all symbols, there are many more of them. You can find a complete table with these symbols just below.

And now I will tell you how to print these characters.

So, already from the name it is clear that we will use the Alt key! But we will need other keys too!

In the picture below you can see all the keys we will need and where they are:

So, to print this or that character, you need to hold down the Alt key and, using the additional panel with numbers, type the code of the character we need (character codes can be taken from the table below). Moreover, it is important to follow the sequence, that is, if you first press 1 and then 2, then a symbol with number 12 will pop up, and if you do the opposite: first 2, and then 1, then a completely different symbol with number 21 will pop up.

For example, the emoticon code (☺) is 1. This means that to print an emoticon, you need to press the Alt key and, without releasing it, click on “1” in the additional panel with numbers, then you need to release the Alt key and the symbol will be printed.

To type an arrow (→) with code 26, you need to hold down the Alt key, then alternately press first “2”, then “6”, and then release the Alt key. The symbol will be printed immediately.

Here is a table of the most common characters with their numbers:

This was the easiest way to print these characters, but not the only one.

There is also such a thing as a symbol table. No, we are not talking about the yellow table above. Every Windows computer has this Symbol Table application.

This application is located in this location:

This folder contains a bunch of all sorts of system files, including “charmap”. In order not to look for it in that giant list, use the hotkey Ctrl + F and type “charmap” into the search. After launching the application, the following table will open:

You need to find and select the symbol you need, then copy it from the bottom line and paste it into the place you need. Quite convenient too!

What is alt code? Alt code is the characters that are displayed when you press the key combination on the keyboard Alt + X, where X is a set of numbers (a specific number) on the NumPad. NumPAd is a block of numbers on the keyboard, usually located on the right. Alto symbols on a PC with operating Windows systems are not available when using a regular keyboard. They can only be called using additional commands. Press the ALT button and type the number in the decimal number system. I hope everything is clear here. The table of Alt codes will help you navigate and find the desired character.

Attention! Enter numbers on the side Num-pad keyboard.

English layout

Russian layout

A computer keyboard is the main device for manually entering information, commands and data. This article discusses the design and layout of a computer keyboard, hot keys, symbols and signs on the keyboard.

Computer keyboard: operating principle

Basic keyboard functions do not require special software. The drivers necessary for its operation are already available in the BIOS ROM. Therefore, the computer responds to commands from the main keyboard keys immediately after turning on.

The operating principle of the keyboard is as follows:

1. After pressing a key, the keyboard chip generates a scan code.
2. The scan code enters a port integrated into the motherboard.
3. The keyboard port reports a fixed-number interrupt to the processor.
4. Having received a fixed interrupt number, the processor contacts a special interrupt. an area of ​​RAM containing an interrupt vector - a list of data. Each entry in the data list contains the address of the program servicing the interrupt, which matches the entry number.
5. Having determined the program entry, the processor proceeds to execute it.
6. The interrupt handler program then directs the processor to the keyboard port, where it finds the scan code. Next, under the control of the processor, the processor determines which character corresponds to this scan code.
7. The handler sends code to the keyboard buffer, notifying the processor, and then stops working.
8. The processor moves on to the pending task.
9. The entered character is stored in the keyboard buffer until it is picked up by the program for which it is intended, for example, the Microsoft Word text editor.

Keyboard composition: key assignments

A standard keyboard has more than 100 keys, divided into functional groups. Below is a photo of a computer keyboard with a description of the key groups.

Alphanumeric keys

Alphanumeric keys are used to enter information and commands typed by letter. Each of the keys can work in different registers and also represent several characters.

Switching case (entering lowercase and uppercase characters) is carried out by holding the Shift key. For hard (permanent) case switching, Caps Lock is used.

If the computer keyboard is used to enter text data, the paragraph is closed by pressing the Enter key. Next, data entry begins on a new line. When the keyboard is used to enter commands, Enter ends the input and begins execution.

Function keys

The function keys are located at the top of the keyboard and consist of 12 buttons F1 – F12. Their functions and properties depend on the running program, and in some cases the operating system.

A common function in many programs is the F1 key, which calls up help, where you can find out the functions of other buttons.

Special keys

Special keys are located next to the alphanumeric group of buttons. Due to the fact that users often resort to using them, they have an increased size. These include:

1. Shift and Enter discussed earlier.
2. Alt and Ctrl – used in combination with other keyboard keys to form special commands.
3. Tab is used for tabulation when typing text.
4. Win – opens the Start menu.
5. Esc – refusal to use the started operation.
6. BACKSPACE – deleting the characters just entered.
7. Print Screen – prints the current screen or saves a snapshot of it to the clipboard.
8. Scroll Lock – switches the operating mode in some programs.
9. Pause/Break – pause/interrupt the current process.

Cursor keys

The cursor keys are located to the right of the alphanumeric pad. Cursor is a screen element indicating the location for entering information. The directional keys move the cursor in the direction of the arrows.

Additional keys:

1. Page Up/Page Down – move the cursor to page up/down.
2. Home and End – move the cursor to the beginning or end of the current line.
3. Insert – traditionally switches the data input mode between insertion and replacement. In different programs, the action of the Insert button may be different.

Additional numeric keypad

The additional numeric keyboard duplicates the actions of the numeric and some other keys of the main input panel. To use it, you must first enable the Num Lock button. Also, the additional keyboard keys can be used to control the cursor.

Keyboard shortcut

When you press a certain key combination, a particular command is executed for the computer.

Commonly used keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Shift + Esc – open the Task Manager.
• Ctrl + F – search window in the active program.
• Ctrl + A – selects all content in the open window.
• Ctrl + C – copy the selected fragment.
• Ctrl + V – paste from the clipboard.
• Ctrl + P - prints the current document.
• Ctrl + Z – cancels the current action.
• Ctrl + X – cut the selected section of text.
• Ctrl + Shift + → selecting text by words (starting from the cursor position).
• Ctrl + Esc - opens/closes the Start menu.
• Alt + Printscreen – screenshot of the active program window.
• Alt + F4 – closes the active application.
• Shift + Delete – permanently delete an object (past the trash can).
• Shift + F10 – call the context menu of the active object.
• Win + Pause – system properties.
• Win + E – launches Explorer.
• Win + D – minimizes all open windows.
• Win + F1 – opens Windows Help.
• Win + F – opens the search window.
• Win + L – lock the computer.
• Win + R – open “Run a program”.

Keyboard symbols

Surely, many users have noticed symbols for nicknames on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki and other social networks. How to make symbols on the keyboard if there are no explicit keys for this?

You can place characters on the keyboard using Alt codes - additional commands for entering hidden characters. These commands are entered by simply pressing Alt + a decimal number.

You can often come across questions: how to make a heart on the keyboard, an infinity sign or a euro on the keyboard?

• alt + 3 =
• Alt+8734 = ∞
• Alt + 0128 = €

These and other keyboard symbols are presented in the following tables in the form of pictures. The “Alt code” column contains a numeric value, after entering which, in combination with the Alt key, a certain character will be displayed. The symbol column contains the final result.

Please note that if the additional numeric keypad is not enabled - Num Lock is not pressed, then the Alt + number key combination may lead to unexpected results.

For example, if you press Alt + 4 in the browser without Num Lock enabled, the previous page will open.

Punctuation marks on the keyboard

Sometimes users, when trying to put a punctuation mark on the keyboard, do not get exactly what they expected. This is due to the fact that different keyboard layouts imply different use of key combinations.

Below we discuss how to put punctuation marks on the keyboard.

Punctuation marks with Cyrillic alphabet

• " (quotes) - Shift + 2
• № (number) - Shift + 3
• ; (semicolon) - Shift + 4
• % (percentage) - Shift + 5
• : (colon) - Shift + 6
• ? (question mark) - Shift + 7
• ((open bracket) - Shift + 9
• – (dash) – button labeled “-”
• , (comma) - Shift + “period”
• + (plus) – Shift + button with plus sign “+”
• . (dot) – button to the right of the letter “U”

Latin punctuation marks

• ~ (tilde) - Shift + Yo
• ! (exclamation mark) - Shift + 1
• @ (dog - used in email address) - Shift + 2
• # (hash) - Shift + 3
• $ (dollar) - Shift + 4
• % (percentage) - Shift + 5
• ^ - Shift + 6
• & (ampersand) - Shift + 7
• * (multiply or asterisk) - Shift + 8
• ((open bracket) - Shift + 9
• ) (close bracket) - Shift + 0
• – (dash) – key on the keyboard labeled “-”
• + (plus) - Shift and +
• = (equal) – equal sign button
• , (comma) – key with the Russian letter “B”
• . (dot) - key with the Russian letter “Yu”
• < (левая угловая скобка) - Shift + Б
• > (right angle bracket) - Shift + Yu
• ? (question mark) – Shift + button with a question mark (to the right of “Y”)
• ; (semicolon) – letter “F”
• : (colon) – Shift + “F”
• [ (left square bracket) – Russian letter “X”
• ] (right square bracket) – “Ъ”
• ( (left curly brace) – Shift + Russian letter “X”
• ) (right curly brace) – Shift + “Ъ”

Computer keyboard layout

Computer keyboard layout - a scheme for assigning symbols of national alphabets to specific keys. Switching the keyboard layout is done programmatically - one of the functions of the operating system.

In Windows, you can change the keyboard layout by pressing Alt + Shift or Ctrl + Shift. Typical keyboard layouts are English and Russian.

If necessary, you can change or add a keyboard language in Windows 7 by going to Start – Control Panel – Clock, language and region (sub-item “change keyboard layout or other input methods”).

In the window that opens, select the “Languages ​​and keyboards” tab - “Change keyboard”. Then, in a new window, on the “General” tab, click “Add” and select the required input language. Don't forget to save your changes by clicking OK.

Virtual computer keyboard

The virtual keyboard is a separate program or an add-on included in the software. With its help, you can enter letters and symbols from the computer screen using the mouse cursor. Those. During the typing process, the computer keyboard is not involved.

A virtual keyboard is needed, for example, to protect confidential data (login and password). When entering data using a regular keyboard, there is a risk of information being intercepted by malicious spyware. Then, via the Internet, the information is transmitted to the attacker.

You can find and download a virtual keyboard using search engines - it won’t take much of your time. If Kaspersky anti-virus is installed on your PC, you can launch the virtual keyboard through the main program window; it is included in it.

Screen keyboard

On-screen keyboard is a keyboard on the touch screen of a tablet, smartphone, touch monitor, which is pressed with the user’s fingers. Sometimes the on-screen keyboard is called a virtual keyboard.

Also, the on-screen keyboard on your computer is included in the list of Windows accessibility features. If your keyboard does not work, has stopped typing, suddenly turned off, etc., the on-screen keyboard for Windows will come to the rescue.

To launch the on-screen keyboard in Windows 7, go to Start - All Programs - Accessories - then Accessibility - On-Screen Keyboard. It looks like this.

To switch the keyboard layout, use the corresponding buttons on the taskbar (near the date and time, at the bottom left of the monitor screen).

What to do if the keyboard does not work

If your keyboard suddenly stops working, don’t rush to get upset, first find out what caused the breakdown. All the reasons why the keyboard does not work can be divided into hardware and software.

In the first case, if the keyboard hardware is broken, fixing the problem without special skills is very problematic. Sometimes it’s easier to replace it with a new one.

Before you say goodbye to a seemingly faulty keyboard, check the cable with which it is connected to the system unit. It may have come off a little. If everything is fine with the cable, make sure that the breakdown is not caused by a software glitch in the computer. To do this, restart your PC.

If after a reboot the keyboard shows no signs of life, try to wake it up using the solution available in Windows. The sequence of actions is given using Windows 7 as an example; if you have a different version of the Windows operating system, proceed by analogy. The principle is approximately the same, the names of the menu sections may differ slightly.

Go to Start - Control Panel - Hardware and Sound - Device Manager. In the window that opens, if you have problems with your keyboard, it will be marked with a yellow label with an exclamation mark. Select it with the mouse and select Action – Delete from the menu. After uninstallation, close Device Manager.

Return to the Hardware and Sound tab and select Add a Device. After searching for equipment, your keyboard will be found and its drivers will be installed.

If the hardware installation was successful and the keyboard failure was due to a software glitch, the Num Lock key indicator on the keyboard will light up.

If the problem cannot be resolved, the on-screen keyboard may be a temporary solution.

These days, a computer keyboard, like a mouse, is considered a low-value device. However, it plays an important role in working with a computer.

When working on a new culinary recipe or performing angular calculations in a simple text editor, like a standard notepad, the user may be faced with a completely logical question: how to put, for example, a degree sign, which, apparently, is not included in the standard layout? To solve this issue, it is not at all necessary to use special third-party programs. The QWERTY layout hides several tricks that are not written about in the operating instructions.

Where did the rest of the symbols go?

The existing sequence of letters and numbers on the keyboard was invented at the end of the century before last and still remains almost unchanged. Over the years, humanity has not invented anything radically new in this area. The question arises: why not come up with a new layout that would include more values?

Obviously, it will be quite problematic to place all the special characters on a regular keyboard, given the huge number of them. However, to solve this problem, developers have come up with several simple methods that allow expand the set printable characters. Who might benefit from this log?

• To the people those involved in programming. The standard layout provides a sufficient set for special languages ​​that are used in this area (|, \, &, etc.). However, an HTML programmer often requires additional values ​​that a regular keyboard does not provide (for example, © is the icon indicating Copyright).
• For employees office sector. Some computational operations or to indicate a special mathematical operation also require their own icon (± - plus/minus sign).
• Ordinary users. It is unlikely that there are people left who would not be interested in how to print a “heart” or a cheerful emoticon☺.

Working with special characters

HTML special characters are mostly used in the field of programming. To display them correctly, it is advisable to choose standard fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman. This typology includes arithmetic signs, currency symbols, markers, arrows, Greek alphabet, etc. To display the desired icon, use the specialized codes given in the table. Please note that all combinations are written in lowercase.

Alt codes

Another way to type a special character is to use alt codes. This method does not require auxiliary systems. To use it, need to be clamped alt button on the keyboard and sequentially enter a special numerical combination, with which the required icon will be inserted into the text.

As an example, here are a few alt codes. Hold alt and enter:

• 8776 – approximately or approximately equal (≈);
• 197 – cross (┼)
• 0134 – cross (†)
• 24, 25, 26, 27 – arrows up, down, right and left (,↓,→,←)
• 7 — Bold dot ( )
• 42 – Asterisk (*)
• 1, 2 – Emoticons (☺, ☻)
• 0216 – Diameter (Ø). Enters in English layout.
• 255 – Empty character (). Not to be confused with space.
• 0176, 248 – Degrees (°)
• 8381 and 01364 – Ruble sign (₽, Ք)
• 0128 and 0136 – Euro (€). The code depends on the layout - the first is for English, the second is for Russian
• 9742, 9743 – Telephone (☎, ☏)
• 10122 – 10131 – numbers from 1 to 10 in a black circle (➊ ​​– ➓)
• 10112 – 10121 – numbers from 1 to 10 in a white circle (➀ – ➉)
• 0177 – plus or minus (±)
• 8734 – infinity (∞)
• 960 – Pi icon (π)
• 0216 – crossed out O (Ø). In English layout

You can also use the table to find the desired value.