Have you ever created an exam or worksheet for your students that required the use of symbols like division signs or accent marks? Where do you find the symbol that you need, and how do you get it on your page?! Well, key codes on your Windows computer can help make this task a lot less overwhelming. A key code is a code that makes specific symbols appear within a document. To trigger the code, the user must type in a 3 or 4 digit code, while simultaneously holding down the Alt key.

To get started, we must first locate where we can find our key codes, and from there we’ll explore the most commonly used codes that help increase productivity.

The key codes will be located in the character map of your computer. If that sounds unfamiliar to you, let’s take a look at how to locate your character map.

Once you have located the character map, you’ll be able to search and look for the symbol you’d like to add to your content pages. All that’s left now is to remember some simple keystrokes to help this character appear in your document.

You can either memorize your most common keystrokes or you can simply revisit the character map to get a refresher or more ideas. To get your started, let’s take a look some of the most common characters and the key codes that correspond to them.

When using key codes, keep in mind you have the ability to edit properties of the symbols in the same way you edit text. You can change also colors or size of symbols, as needed, within your document. Have ideas for any other useful symbol? Leave a comment below and join the conversation! ΈȠĴőŶ!