Left Parenthesis Alt Code and Symbol

The Alt code for Left Parenthesis is 40. Hold Alt, type 40 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Left Parenthesis also has the Unicode codepoint U+0028, so you can type it with Alt+40 on Windows, search for U+0028 in macOS's Character Viewer, use ( in HTML, or \0028 in CSS. If your keyboard has no numeric keypad, use the Character Viewer, the HTML entity, or copy the character directly — the Alt key method requires a physical numpad. Copy the Left Parenthesis character from this page when you need it in a form, chat message or document that does not accept Alt codes. Left Parenthesis has no named HTML entity, so use the numeric escape ( or the hex escape (.

Codes for this symbol

Copy any value by clicking it.
Method	Value
Legacy Alt code
Alt + decimal
Alt + X hex
HTML decimal
HTML hex
CSS escape
Python escape
JavaScript escape
UTF-8 bytes
Unicode codepoint
Unicode block
Unicode category

Not available for this symbol: macOS Option shortcut, named HTML entity.

How to type left parenthesis on Windows

Turn Num Lock on so the numeric keypad is active.
Hold the left Alt key.
Type 4 0 on the numeric keypad.
Release Alt. The Left Parenthesis character (() appears.

If your keyboard has no numeric keypad, see how to type symbols without a numpad.

How to type left parenthesis on macOS

There is no direct Option shortcut for Left Parenthesis. Open the Character Viewer with ⌃⌘Space, search for "Left Parenthesis" and click the character to insert it.

How to use left parenthesis in code

HTML: or
CSS: content:"\0028"; ()
Python: \u0028 or chr(0x28)
JavaScript: \u0028 or String.fromCodePoint(0x28)
JSON: "\u0028"

Frequently asked questions

What is the Alt code for Left Parenthesis?

The legacy Alt code for Left Parenthesis is 40. Hold Alt, type 4 0 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.

How do I type ( without a numpad?

Use the Windows Character Viewer (Win+.), the macOS Character Viewer (⌃⌘Space), an HTML entity such as (, or copy the character directly from this page.

Why does Alt+40 not work?

Alt+40 only works on a keyboard with a physical numeric keypad. It also requires the application to accept the numeric-keypad input path. Laptops without a numpad need an alternative method.

What is the Unicode for Left Parenthesis?

The Unicode codepoint for Left Parenthesis is U+0028. You can use this value in HTML as (, in CSS as \0028, and in Word with Alt+X.

How do I type ( on a Mac?

Open the Character Viewer with ⌃⌘Space and search for the character name or U+0028, then click it.

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