AltKeyCodes

Reference Mark Symbol

There is no legacy Windows Alt code for Reference Mark because it is not in either the OEM code page 437 or Windows-1252 tables. The Unicode codepoint is U+203B, which you can use as ※ in HTML, \203B in CSS, or type with Alt+8251 on Windows (BMP only). If your keyboard has no numeric keypad, use the Character Viewer, the HTML entity, or copy the character directly. Reference Mark is outside both legacy code pages, which is why U+203B is the identifier that works across Word, HTML, CSS, Python and JavaScript. Reference Mark has no named HTML entity, so use the numeric escape ※ or the hex escape ※.

Codes for this symbol

Copy any value by clicking it.
MethodValue
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: legacy Windows Alt code, macOS Option shortcut, named HTML entity.

How to type reference mark on Windows

  1. Turn Num Lock on so the numeric keypad is active.
  2. Hold the left Alt key.
  3. Type 8 2 5 1 on the numeric keypad for the decimal codepoint 8251.
  4. Release Alt. The Reference Mark character (※) appears.

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

How to type reference mark on macOS

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

How to use reference mark in code

  • HTML: or
  • CSS: content:"\203B"; ()
  • Python: \u203B or chr(0x203B)
  • JavaScript: \u203B or String.fromCodePoint(0x203B)
  • JSON: "\u203B"
BulletAlt+7
Section SignAlt+21
Horizontal EllipsisAlt+0133
Left-pointing Double Angle Quotation MarkAlt+174
Pilcrow SignAlt+20
Right-pointing Double Angle Quotation MarkAlt+175
En DashAlt+0150
Em DashAlt+0151
Left Single Quotation MarkAlt+0145
Right Single Quotation MarkAlt+0146
Left Double Quotation MarkAlt+0147
Right Double Quotation MarkAlt+0148
DaggerAlt+0134
Per Mille SignAlt+0137
Middle DotAlt+250
Inverted Exclamation MarkAlt+173
Inverted Question MarkAlt+168
Double DaggerAlt+0135

Frequently asked questions

Is there an Alt code for ※?

No legacy Alt code exists for Reference Mark because it is not in code page 437 or Windows-1252. Use the Unicode codepoint U+203B in HTML, CSS or the Character Viewer instead.

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+8251 not work?

Alt+8251 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 Reference Mark?

The Unicode codepoint for Reference Mark is U+203B. You can use this value in HTML as ※, in CSS as \203B, 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+203B, then click it.

Back to Punctuation and Quotation Marks