Character Map Utilities
Character map utilities are graphical system tools that allow users to browse all available Unicode characters, search by name or category, and copy characters to the clipboard for pasting into any application. Every major operating system includes a built-in character map, and they serve as an accessible on-ramp for users who need occasional access to symbols outside their keyboard layout.
Windows Character Map (charmap.exe)
Windows includes the Character Map application, accessible by:
- Start → type "Character Map"
- Run dialog: charmap
- PowerToys (newer, enhanced replacement)
Features
- Browse characters organized by Unicode block
- Filter by font (character availability varies by font)
- Click a character to see its Unicode code point and keyboard shortcut if available
- Double-click to add to a "Characters to copy" buffer
- Copy multiple characters at once
Limitations
The classic charmap.exe shows characters in font rendering order rather than Unicode order, making systematic browsing of Unicode blocks awkward. It also does not support searching by character name.
Windows 10/11 Emoji Picker (Win+Period or Win+Semicolon) is a modern alternative with search by name and emoji categories.
macOS Character Viewer
macOS provides the Character Viewer, accessible via: - Edit → Emoji & Symbols in most apps - Ctrl+Cmd+Space keyboard shortcut - System Settings → Keyboard → Show Input menu → Show Emoji & Symbols
Features
- Search by name: Type "snowman" to find ☃
- Categories: Emoji, arrows, currency, math, technical, Latin, and more
- Recently used: Quick access to frequently needed characters
- Favorites: Star characters for fast retrieval
- Font variants: See how a character renders in different installed fonts
- Code point display: Shows Unicode value and related characters
The macOS Character Viewer is among the most fully-featured built-in character tools, with name search being particularly useful.
Linux / GNOME Character Map (gnome-characters)
GNOME includes the Characters app, installable on most distributions:
sudo apt install gnome-characters # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install gnome-characters # Fedora
Features include browsing by Unicode category, search by character name, and one-click copying. The gucharmap application provides a more detailed technical view with Unicode properties.
Command-Line Character Lookup
For developers, command-line tools are often more efficient:
# Python: look up a character's Unicode data
import unicodedata
print(unicodedata.name('☃')) # SNOWMAN
print(unicodedata.category('☃')) # So (Symbol, Other)
print(hex(ord('☃'))) # 0x2603
# Find characters by name
for cp in range(0x2600, 0x2700):
try:
ch = chr(cp)
name = unicodedata.name(ch)
if 'SNOW' in name:
print(f'U+{cp:04X} {ch} {name}')
except ValueError:
pass
# Using the 'uni' command-line tool (if installed)
uni search snowman
uni print U+2603
Web-Based Character Maps
Online character reference sites like SymbolFYI offer character browsing with additional context including: - Copy-to-clipboard functionality - HTML entity references - CSS escape sequences - Usage examples across different platforms - Related characters and categories
These web tools complement system utilities by providing richer information about each character's usage and rendering across platforms.