Insert Unicode characters via the keyboard?

Question

I am familiar with inserting an ASCII character into a text document by using 'Alt+ASCII code' on the NumPad keys (e.g. Alt+130 inserts an é character).

Is there a similar way to insert a Unicode character via the keyboard using the unicode value given in Windows Character Map?

Answer 1

According John D. Cook there are 3 ways:

1. In Microsoft Word you can insert Unicode characters by typing the hex value of the character then typing Alt-x. You can also see the Unicode value of a character by placing the cursor immediately after the character and pressing Alt-x. This also works in applications that use the Windows rich edit control such as WordPad and Outlook.
2. Another approach which works with more applications is as follows. First create a registry key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER of type REG_SZ called EnableHexNumpad, set its value to 1, and reboot. Then you can enter Unicode symbols by holding down the Alt key and typing the plus sign on the numeric keypad followed by the character value. When you release the Alt key, the symbol will appear. This approach worked with most applications I tried, including Firefox and Safari, but did not with Internet Explorer.
3. Another option is to install the UnicodeInput utility. This worked with every application I tried, including Internet Explorer. Once installed, the window below pops up whenever you hold down the Alt key and type the plus sign on the numeric keypad. Type the numeric value of the character in the box, click the Send button, and the character will be inserted into the window that had focus when you clicked Alt-plus.

I would go for the second option because it integrates nicely with your current usage.

Answer 2

If you're using Chrome or Safari, you can open up the console with Ctrl+Shift+I (or Cmd+Alt+I on Mac) and type copy('\uNNNN'); – where the NNNN is the Unicode code after the +:

Right-to-Left Override U+202E copy('\u202e')

You can do that with Firefox, too, but you'll need Firebug.

Answer 3

If you're working with firefox, you can also install this as an addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5235