Complete ASCII Character Table & Reference

All 256 ASCII characters (0-255) with codes, names, and copy functionality. Includes control characters, letters, numbers, symbols, and extended ASCII.

Showing 256 ASCII characters

ETX
End of Text
#3
control
ENQ
Enquiry
#5
control
BEL
Bell
#7
control
BS
Backspace
#8
control
LF
Line feed
#10
control
FF
Form feed
#12
control
SO
Shift Out
#14
control
SI
Shift In
#15
control
CAN
Cancel
#24
control
SUB
Substitute
#26
control
ESC
Escape
#27
control
Space
#32
basic
!
Exclamation mark
#33
punctuation
"
Double quotes
#34
punctuation
#
Number sign
#35
symbols
$
Dollar sign
#36
symbols
%
Percent sign
#37
symbols
&
Ampersand
#38
symbols
'
Single quote
#39
punctuation
*
Asterisk
#42
symbols
,
Comma
#44
punctuation
-
Hyphen
#45
punctuation
.
Dot
#46
punctuation
0
Number 0
#48
numbers
1
Number 1
#49
numbers
2
Number 2
#50
numbers
3
Number 3
#51
numbers
4
Number 4
#52
numbers
5
Number 5
#53
numbers
6
Number 6
#54
numbers
7
Number 7
#55
numbers
8
Number 8
#56
numbers
9
Number 9
#57
numbers
:
Colon
#58
punctuation
;
Semicolon
#59
punctuation
?
Question mark
#63
punctuation
@
At sign
#64
symbols
\
Backslash
#92
symbols
_
Underscore
#95
symbols
`
Grave accent
#96
symbols
~
Tilde
#126
symbols
DEL
Delete
#127
control
£
Pound sign
#156
currency
½
One half
#171
symbols
¼
Quarter
#172
symbols
«
Left guillemet
#174
punctuation
»
Right guillemet
#175
punctuation
Light shade
#176
graphics
Dark shade
#178
graphics
¢
Cent symbol
#189
currency
Box cross
#197
graphics
ı
Dotless i
#213
letters
Full block
#219
graphics
µ
Micro sign
#230
symbols
¸
Cedilla
#247
symbols
¨
Diaresis
#249
symbols
·
Interpunct
#250
symbols

How to Type ASCII Characters using your keyboard

Mac Methods

Character Viewer
Press Control + Command + Space
Browse and insert special characters
Option key combinations
Hold Option + letter key for accented characters
Example: Option + e, then e = é
Unicode hex input
Enable in System Preferences → Keyboard → Input Sources
Hold Option and type hex code

Windows Methods

Alt codes
Hold Alt and type decimal code on numeric keypad
Example: Alt + 176 = ° (must use numeric keypad)
Character Map
Search "Character Map" in Start menu
Find and select your character, then copy and paste
Symbol panel
Press Win + ; to open emoji/symbol panel
Click the Ω symbol tab for special characters

💡 Pro tip: Click any character to copy it instantly to your clipboard!

Brief History of ASCII

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) revolutionized digital communication when it was first published as a standard in 1963. Developed by the American Standards Association, ASCII created a universal language for computers to represent text characters using just 7 bits, encoding 128 unique characters including letters, numbers, punctuation, and control characters.

The original ASCII standard (codes 0-127) included 95 printable characters and 33 control characters. This foundation enabled the first standardized text communication between different computer systems, making ASCII the backbone of early internet protocols, email systems, and programming languages.

Extended ASCII emerged in the 1980s, expanding the character set to 8 bits and 256 total characters (codes 128-255). This extension added international characters, mathematical symbols, and graphical elements that became essential for creating ASCII art and supporting multiple languages.

Why ASCII Characters Matter Today

Despite being over 60 years old, ASCII characters continue to play a crucial role in modern digital communication:

Programming and web development
ASCII art and text-based graphics
System administration interfaces
Social media bio symbols
Email signatures and terminal art
Retro computing and digital art

From Discord text art to Instagram bio symbols, these timeless characters bridge the gap between simplicity and expression in our increasingly complex digital world.

ASCII Character Categories Explained

Control Characters (0-31, 127)
Non-printable characters used for text control and formatting
Standard ASCII (32-126)
Letters, numbers, punctuation, and basic symbols
Extended ASCII (128-255)
International characters, graphics, and special symbols
Graphics Characters
Box drawing, blocks, shades for creating ASCII art
Mathematical Symbols
Math operators, fractions, superscripts, and equations
International Characters
Accented letters, currency symbols, and diacritical marks
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