Character Map

How to Open and Use Character Map in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8

information   Information
Character Map is a feature in Windows that makes it possible to use characters that are not displayed on the keyboard. You can use Character Map to insert special characters into your documents, such as the trademark symbol, a special mathematical character, or a character from another language.

For more information, see: Windows Help and How-to: Character Map FAQs

Tip   Tip

  • To make your own special characters, see: How to Use Private Character Editor
  • At the bottom right corner of Character Map, it will show you what keyboard shortcut Keystroke to press for the selected character symbol. See screenshot below step 2.
Note   Note
The Character Map exe file is located at: C:\Windows\System32\charmap.exe






Here's How:

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type charmap, click/tap on OK.
Character_Map.jpg

2. To Select a Font
A) Select the Font you want at the top. (See screenshot above)​
3. To Search by a Character Value
A) Click/tap on the Character set list, and then click/tap on the character set you want to search in. (See screenshot below step 1)​
NOTE: If the character set you want is not available, choose a different font in the Font list.
4. To Search by a Character Category
A) Click/tap on the Group by drop down menu list, and then choose a group (EX: Unicode Subrange) to open the Group By box. (See screenshot below step 1)​
B) In the Group by box, click on the category of character you want to view. (See screenshot below)​
NOTE: When you click a category, Character Map displays the characters that belong to that category.
Group_By_Box.jpg

5. To Search by a Character Name
A) Click/tap on the Character set drop down menu list, and then click/tap on the character set you want to search in. (See screenshot below step 1)​
NOTE: If the character set you want is not available, choose a different font in the Font list.
B) In the Search for box, type all or part of the name of the character you are searching for.​
C) Click/tap on Search.​
NOTE: Character Map displays the characters that match your search.
6. Click/tap on the character you want to use to enlarge it. (See screenshot below step 1)

7. Click/tap on the Select button. (See screenshot below step 1)

8. Click/tap on the Copy button. (See screenshot below step 1)
NOTE: This will put the character into the Clipboard.

9. Now, right click in your document and click on Paste. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This can be anything that you are able to Paste text into. I am just using Notepad as an example.
WordPad.jpg
10. Close the Character Map window when done.



That's it,
Shawn


 

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Note in lower left corner of your first displayed example the ALT+0196 shortcut key. In systems before Vista, the desired character was shown by holding the ALT key then typing the number code on the number pad, including the zero. This was a more simple method of displaying characters not shown on the keyboard. But not in Vista. Even though the shortcut key is shown in CharMap, it is useless in Vista, as the characters displayed have nothing to do with the desired character. Using German umlauts as examples:
ALT+0196 shows: `TEMP
ALT+0220 shows: %TEMP%
ALT+0214 shows: %TEMP%
etc.

Am I missing something? Or are we stuck with the copy/paste method? :sarc:
 

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Hi Antje

Ahhh...and I thought I was just losing my mind or something!
I've used Char. Map for ages but last week I tried to use it for the first time in Vista, using the ALT + 0123 method, and had totally baffling results. So I'm not going crazy...it's Vista that can't do this other method for posting characters...heheh..what else is new.

It seems that we just may be stuck with having to use Copy-Paste method in Vista.
 

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System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Personal Build
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    NZXT Lexa Classic Case, Zalman 9700 CPU Cooler, 2 DVD Burners c/w LightScribe (Sony, TSST), Enermax NoiseTaker II 600W PSU with Custom Chrome cable sleeving, Hauppauge HDTV TV Tuner Card, 5.1 Logitech Z5500 speakers, 15 in 1 Multi-card reader
I found nothing at Microsoft. I addressed the problem at Annoyances.org. Perhaps something will come up from one site or the other...
 

My Computer

Antje,

I'm not sure why it is not working for you. I tried it in Notepad, and that character appeared as it should after I pressed ALT+1096 and released the ALT key.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
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    2560x1440
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    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
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    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
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    Thermaltake Core P3
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    Corsair Hydro H115i
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    Logitech wireless K800
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    Logitech MX Master 3
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    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
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    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
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    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
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    16 GB DDR4-2133
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    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
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    17.3" UHD IPS touch
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    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
ALT+0196 displays `TEMP. Not the German umlaut 'A'
ALT+0162 displays >TEMP. Not the cent sign
ALT+0188 displays XTEMP. Not the fraction 1/4.
I am using the codes in this message. How come why is it that you get the correct display and I don't?
 

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Antje,

I'm not sure why you are not getting the correct characters using the key commands. You might run a sfc /scannow command to see if it can find and fix any bad system file that may be causing this. This tutorial will show you how to.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/66978-system-files-sfc-command.html

I hope you do not get stuck using only the Copy and Paste method until the next reinstall.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Chappy,
Found my mistake. I have a keyboard launcher program, HotKeys, where I had set up a shortcut that was in conflict with charmap keystrokes. After fixing, everything running hunky-dorry.
Thanks to all who put in their 3¢ worth. Look at that! ALT+0162 works!
 

My Computer

Antje, I'm glad to hear that you sorted your problem out and that Characte Map is now working properly for you now.

Thank you for the feedback,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
This does help a bit but im still having trouble, if you notice the list starts at U+0021 (exclamation point) but i need to be able to access characters above that U+0001-0020. specifically i need to access character U+0007 (its a non printable character), how would i go about doing this?
 

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Hello SulfurousChain, and welcome to Vista Forums.

I don't think you can in Character Map, but while in say Notepad, you could press and hold the ALT key, type the ASCII number on the numeric keypad for the Unicode of the character you want in the table at the link below, then release ALT to have it.

Character codes - Unicode, ASCII Table

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
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