In today’s article, you’ll learn about all the available methods and shortcuts you can use to type the asterisk (*) symbol on your keyboard, whether you are using Windows or Mac, and whether you are working with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or in your browser.
Without any further ado, let’s get started.
But before we begin, you can also use the button below to easily copy and paste the Asterisk Sign for free.
Below is an image of a keyboard showing where the Asterisk key is located on the keyboard.
However, if copy and paste aren’t what you are looking for, and you cannot also find or type the (*) Symbol key on your keyboard, continue reading below on how you can type the Asterisk Sign using some shortcuts.
Table of Contents
Asterisk Symbol [*] Quick Help
To type the Asterisk (*) symbol on your keyboard, press Shift + 8 for both Windows and Mac. Alternatively, press and hold the Alt key and type the Asterisk alt code which is42on the numeric keypad, then release the alt key.
| Symbol Name | Asterisk |
| Symbol | * |
| Alt Code | 42 |
| Windows/Mac Shortcut | Shift + 8 |
| Windows Alt Code Shortcut | Alt + 42 |
The above quick guide provides some useful tips on how to type * Symbol including shortcuts and alt codes you can use on both Windows and Mac. However, below are some other methods you can also leverage to insert this symbol into your Word document.
5 ways to type the Asterisk on Keyboard
Microsoft Office provides several methods for typing or inserting symbols that do not have dedicated keys on the keyboard.
In this section, I will make available for you five different methods you can utilize to type or insert the Asterisk Symbol in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or any text editor for both Mac and Windows users.
Without any further ado, let’s get started.
1. Using the Asterisk Symbol key on the keyboard
Where is the Asterisk Symbol key on the Keyboard?
On most keyboards, the * Symbol key is located on the same key as the [8] key. Pressing this key gives you 8. In order to type this symbol, press down the shift key before you press on the [8] key.
Thus, the keyboard shortcut for Asterisk Symbol is Shift + 8 for both Windows and Mac.
2. Using the Asterisk Symbol Alt Code (Windows Only)
The Asterisk Symbol alt code is42.
Even though this symbol has a dedicated key on most English keyboards, you can also use the Alt Numpad Input Method (AKA Alt Code Method) to type this symbol. This can be done by pressing and holding the Alt key whilst typing the Asterisk Symbol Alt code (42) using the numeric keypad.
This method is for Windows only. And your keyboard must also have a numeric keypad.
If you don’t still get it, just obey the following instructions to type the Asterisk Symbol using the alt code method:
- Place your insertion pointer where you need the symbol.
- Press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard.
- Whilst holding on to the Alt key, press the symbol’s alt code (42). You must use the numeric keypad to type the alt code. If you are using a laptop without the numeric keypad, this method may not work for you. On some laptops, there’s a hidden numeric keypad which you can enable by pressingFn+NmLkkeystrokes on the keyboard.
- Release the Alt key after typing the Alt code to insert the Symbol into your document.
This is how you may type this symbol in anywhere on your Windows PC using the Alt Code method.
3. Using the Asterisk Symbol Shortcut (Windows and Mac)
The keyboard shortcut for Asterisk Symbol is Shift + 8 for both Windows and Mac. Alternatively, for Windows, use the Alt Code method by pressing down the alt key and typing the alt code of 42 on the numeric keypad.
To type the Asterisk Symbol with a shortcut, obey the instructions below:
- First of all, place the insertion pointer where you need to type the Symbol.
- For both Windows and Mac, press and hold theShiftkey and hit once on the [8](Eight) key.
- Alternatively, for windows users, press and hold the alt key and type42on the number pad.
These are the steps you may use to type this symbol in Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
4. Copy and Paste the Asterisk Symbol
Another easy way to get the Asterisk Symbol on any PC is to use my favorite method: copy and paste.
All you have to do is to copy the symbol from somewhere like a web page or the character map for windows users, and head over to where you need the symbol (say in Word or Excel), then hit Ctrl+V to paste.
Below is the symbol for you to copy and paste into your document. Just select it and press Ctrl+C to copy, switch over to your text editor, place your insertion pointer at the desired location and press Ctrl+V to paste.
*
For windows users, you may also obey the following instructions to copy and paste this [*] and any other symbol using the character map dialog box.
- Click on theStartbutton and search for Character Map. The Character Map app will appear in the search results, click on it to open.
- The Character Map dialog will appear. Click on theAdvanced viewcheckboxto expand the dialog box for more options.
- On the advanced view, typeAsterisk in the Search box. This is the official name for the * Symbol.
- You should now see only the Asterisk Symbol on the character map dialog. Double click on the symbol to select it. Alternatively, click on the Select button.
- After you select the symbol by double-clicking on it, it should appear in the Character to copy: field, then click on theCopybutton to copy the symbol.
- Switch to your Microsoft Word document, place the insertion pointer at the desired location, and press Ctrl+V to paste.
This is how you may use the Character Map dialog to copy and paste any symbol on Windows PC.
5. Using insert Symbol dialog box
The insert symbol dialog box is a library of symbols from where you can insert any symbol into your Word document with just a couple of mouse clicks.
Obey the following steps to insert the Asterisk Symbol in Word using the insert symbol dialog box.
- Open your Word document.
- Click to place the insertion pointer where you wish to insert the symbol.
- Go to the Insert tab.
- In the Symbols category, click on the Symbol drop-down and select the More Symbols button.
- The Symbol dialog box will appear. In theSubsetdrop-down list, select Basic Latin to display symbols in that category which includes the Asterisk Symbol.
- Select the symbol and click on the Insert button. Alternatively, double click on the symbol to insert it into your Word document.
- Close the dialog.
The symbol will then be inserted exactly where you place the insertion pointer in the beginning.
These are the steps you may use to insert the Asterisk Symbol in Word or Excel or PowerPoint using the Symbol library.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are several different methods you can use to type the Asterisk Symbol on the keyboard.
Using the shortcuts for both Windows and Mac make the fastest option for this task. Shortcuts are always fast and save time.
Thank you very much for reading this blog.
If you have any suggestion or question to ask about this article, please drop it in the comments below.
FAQs
What does the asterisk * character do? ›
An asterisk is a star-shaped symbol (*) that has a few uses in writing. It is most commonly used to signal a footnote, but it is sometimes also used to clarify a statement or to censor inappropriate language.
What is the asterisk key on keyboard? ›* The asterisk (*, Greek for “little star”) is used as a multiplication symbol in calculators, spreadsheets, databases, etc. You can use the asterisk on the numeric keypad, or you can press Shift 8 to get the asterisk you see above the number 8 on the keyboard.
How do I insert a star symbol in word? ›Press and hold the ALT key and type the number 9733 or 9734 to make star symbol.
How do you type an asterisk over a letter? ›Holding the "Ctrl" key plus a punctuation key and the letter will insert the marked letter on your document.
What does * mean before a word? ›In linguistics, an asterisk is placed before a word or phrase to indicate that it is not used, or there are no records of it being in use.
What are * symbols called? ›An asterisk is a star-shaped symbol (*) primarily used to call attention to a footnote, indicate an omission, point to disclaimers (which often appear in advertisements), and dress up company logos. An asterisk is also often placed in front of constructions that are ungrammatical.
Where is * on the keyboard? ›Sometimes called a star, big dot, and multiplication symbol, the asterisk is a symbol ( * ) found above the "8" key on standard U.S. keyboards and the number pad.
What is this called * on a keyboard? ›Asterisk (*)
In formal writing, especially academic and scientific writing, the asterisk is used to indicate a footnote.
Do you put * before or after typo? ›
For editing and footnote purposes, the asterisk will appear before a word that needs correcting or a sentence that needs elaborating, and the additional information will be placed beside a corresponding asterisk at the bottom of the page.
What does * mean after a word in text? ›Word forms: asterisks
countable noun. An asterisk is the sign *. It is used especially to indicate that there is further information about something in another part of the text.
Where is asterisk used for correcting a typo i.e. before or after the correct word? It is used before the correct word. For example if we write OAKY by mistake and the correct word is OKAY , then we would use the asterisk as such - *okay.
What is the symbol '*' called? ›Asterisk: (sign/symbol) The ' * ' sign/symbol is sometimes called a 'splat' or 'star'.
What does * mean next to a word? ›: the character * used in printing or writing as a reference mark, as an indication of the omission of letters or words, to denote a hypothetical or unattested linguistic form, or for various arbitrary meanings. Examples: Words in the text that are defined in the glossary are marked with an asterisk for quick reference ...
What is * called in text? ›Spelling Correction. An asterisk is used in text messaging to indicate a correction to a message that has just been sent.
How do I activate special characters on my keyboard? ›Inserting ASCII characters
To insert an ASCII character, press and hold down ALT while typing the character code. For example, to insert the degree (º) symbol, press and hold down ALT while typing 0176 on the numeric keypad. You must use the numeric keypad to type the numbers, and not the keyboard.
Ctrl+O Opens the dialog box or page for selecting a file to open. Ctrl+P Open the print window. Ctrl+R Aligns the line or selected text to the right of the screen. Ctrl+S Save the open document.
How do you activate special characters? ›In your document, position the insertion point where you want the special character to appear. Press and hold down the ALT key while you type the four number Unicode value for the character. Note that NUM LOCK must be on, and you have to use the number pad keys to type the Unicode character value.
What does asterisk * mean in conversation? ›An asterisk is used in text messaging to indicate a correction to a message that has just been sent.
What is the purpose of the * special character? ›
| Character | Description | Use |
|---|---|---|
| ^ | Circumflex, caret | Expresses exponents in mathematics; shorthand for CTRL key on PCs |
| & | Ampersand | Symbolizes “and” in English text; combines values in spreadsheet formulas |
| * | Asterisk | Mathematical multiplication; indicates footnotes |
| ( | Open parenthesis | Begins parenthetical text |
Word forms: asterisks
An asterisk is the sign *. It is used especially to indicate that there is further information about something in another part of the text.
In text messages, asterisks are commonly used to denote a correction of some error in an earlier text. Asterisk corrections typically specify the corrected words, but do not explicitly mark the words that should be replaced.