How to Make Music Notes on a PC Keyboard
You can type music note symbols anywhere -- Facebook, Twitter and Word included -- by using Alt codes or the Character Map utility.
Things You'll Need
- A PC computer with a functioning keyboard and number pad
Windows can use hundreds of symbols that are not mapped to a key on your keyboard. To type specific symbols, such as music notes, you need to use their ALT codes or the Character Map -- a utility that helps you find symbols. Music symbols created using Alt codes can be used anywhere, including on Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft Word.
You can copy symbols from the Web by selecting them and pressing Ctrl-C. The symbols can then be inserted into your Facebook posts or Twitter updates by pressing Ctrl-V. Note that not all symbols are accepted by social networking platforms.
Using Alt Codes
Alt codes are used to insert characters that are not mapped to a key on your keyboard. To type a symbol, activate Num Lock. The key is usually located in the upper-left corner of the numeric keypad. Alt codes are typed using the numeric keypad.
- To insert an eighth note symbol (♪), hold the Alt key and type 13 using the numeric keypad.
- To insert a beamed eighth note (♫), hold the Alt key and type 14 using the numeric keypad.
The music notes can be inserted anywhere, as long as the application accepts text input.
Using the Character Map
The Character Map utility enables you to select several symbols and copy them to the clipboard all at once. You can then paste the symbols from the clipboard anywhere by pressing Ctrl-V.
Press Windows-R to display the Run dialog, type charmap into the Open field and press Enter to open the Character Map program.
Type note in the Search For field and click Search to locate the two music notes. Manually scrolling through all the fonts and symbols until you find what you are looking for can be time consuming.
Click one of the music notes and click the Select button to add it to the Characters To Copy field. Click the Select button several times to add more notes. Click the Copy button to copy the contents of the field to the clipboard. To paste the notes somewhere else, press Ctrl-V.