While it’s not a new feature, it’s one you may not know exists in Windows 10. That’s right, you can easily insert symbols, emojis, and Kaomojis in just about any Windows 10 application that you can type in. There have always been ways to insert special characters into your emails, documents, and other applications, but the two main ways were a bit time-consuming.
ALT+NUM codes
If you’re an office worker, a writer, coder, or anyone else who spends a lot of time typing in Windows, you’ve likely come across a time you’ve need a special symbol like ™ or ©. In the “old days,” you could insert these special characters by using your number pad and an alt code. For example, holding ALT and typing 0169 on your numpad would give you that © while holding ALT and typing 0223 would give you é. Trust me, you got pretty good at memorizing key ALT+NUM combinations to quickly insert these special characters.
Copy & Paste
That is assuming you even had a number pad. A lot of smaller modern laptops don’t have room for one. Which leaves you having to Google search a special character, copying it, and then pasting it into your document or application. Alternatively, you could have a document which has all the ones you use frequently ready to go, but you still have to cut and paste.
Native Windows 10 support
I can’t remember exactly when this feature was added to Windows 10 (I’m running 1903 but am sure it’s been around for awhile) but, as a writer, I was pretty stoked when it did. A simple press of the Windows Key and the period at the same time will bring up a nice little interface. Simply select the emoji, Kaomoji, or symbol tab, find the special character you want to insert, and click on it to insert it into your text.
This interface not only lets you insert symbols, but also your favourite emojis (😂🤣) and Kaomoji. In case you’re wondering what Kaomoji are, they’re those fancy character sets that look like a picture of sorts. For example, you have ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (shrug) and (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ (table flip) — two of my favourites.
Even better, once you start to use this method, you can click on the clock icon on the lower left to quickly access symbols you’ve used recently.
At any rate, that’s all there is to it. Hit that Windows Key and period at the same time and insert symbols, emojis, and Kaomoji to your heart’s content in emails, word processing, and even web forms.
Did you know it was that easy to access emoji, Kaomoji, and symbols in Windows 10? If you did, how often do you use it? If you didn’t, will you be using it now? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Facebook, or MeWe.
Last Updated on February 11, 2021.
