The short answer: tap the emoji / globe key (bottom-left) for emoji; tap .?123 then #+= for symbols; and press and hold keys for the hidden ones — hold $ for € £ ¥, hold – for – — •, and hold a vowel for accents. Copy the common ones below.
Emoji on iPad
Tap the 😀 / 🌐 key at the bottom-left of the keyboard to switch to the emoji keyboard, then tap an emoji to insert it. Use the search field to find one by name — “heart”, “fire”, “check”. Tap ABC to return to letters. (No emoji key at all? See Troubleshooting below.)
Faster: predictive emoji. Type a word like pizza or heart and watch the suggestion bar above the keyboard — iPadOS suggests words and emoji there. Tap the emoji to swap it in, with no keyboard switching at all. If nothing appears, turn on Settings → General → Keyboard → Predictive; emoji suggestions also require the Emoji keyboard to be enabled.
Symbols on the on-screen keyboard
Tap .?123 for numbers and common symbols, then #+= for a second layer with brackets, currency signs, the bullet •, and math basics. The #+= layer also holds %, brackets like [ ] and { }, and extra punctuation — so between the two layers you’ll find most everyday symbols with no tricks at all.
Press and hold (the power move)
Most keys hide extra characters. Press and hold one, slide to the character you want, and lift your finger.
| Hold this key | You get |
|---|---|
| $ (on the .?123 layer) | ¥ € ¢ £ ₩ — the currency popover |
| – (hyphen) | – en dash · — em dash · • bullet |
| 0 (number row) | ° (degree) |
| ? and ! | ¿ ¡ |
| a e i o u | à á â ä ã … (accents) |
| n | ñ ń ň |
| c | ç ć č |
[Image: Press and hold the hyphen key on iPad for an en dash, em dash and bullet]
About the currency key: on the US English keyboard, holding $ gives you yen, euro, cent, pound and won. The set changes with your keyboard language — a UK English keyboard puts £ on the key and hides $ € ¥ behind it. If the currency you need isn’t in the popover, add that language’s keyboard, or use copy-paste / a text replacement.
Quotes, apostrophes and dashes (Smart Punctuation)
iPadOS quietly does typography for you. Smart Punctuation turns straight quotes into curly ones (“like this”) and converts a double hyphen into an em dash as you type. That’s why your quotes don’t match the keycap.
Need straight quotes for code, spreadsheet formulas or search operators? Turn it off: Settings → General → Keyboard → Smart Punctuation.
Split and floating keyboard
The iPad keyboard changes shape, and symbols work identically in every mode. Pinch it inward to float a small keyboard you can drag anywhere on screen. You can also split it for thumb typing — but only on iPad mini and iPad (9th generation and earlier). iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad (10th generation and later) don’t offer the split keyboard at all. Where it exists, enable it under Settings → General → Keyboard → Split Keyboard.
The .?123 / #+= layers and press-and-hold behave the same whether the keyboard is docked, split or floating.
With a hardware keyboard (Magic Keyboard and others)
When an external keyboard is attached, the on-screen keyboard hides. Then:
- Press the 🌐 Globe key to open the emoji picker — start typing to search it by name.
- Hold a letter to get its accent menu (é, ñ, ü…), just like on a Mac.
- Some Option-key combinations produce extra symbols, much as they do on a Mac.
- For anything else, copy-paste works exactly the same.
Do Alt codes work on iPad?
No. Alt codes are a Windows feature that needs an Alt key plus a numeric keypad — the iPad has neither, and iPadOS doesn’t support them even with an external keyboard attached. Use press-and-hold, the #+= layer, a text replacement, or copy-paste instead. (If you’re coming from a Windows habit, see why Alt codes don’t work.)
Dictation
Tap the microphone key and say the symbol’s name — “degree sign,” “euro sign,” “em dash,” “copyright sign,” “percent sign” — and iPadOS types the character. Handy when you can’t remember which layer a symbol hides on. Turn it on first under Settings → General → Keyboard → Enable Dictation.
Add a symbols keyboard from the App Store
If you insert special characters constantly, install a dedicated symbols or emoji keyboard from the App Store, then enable it under Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards. Switch to it any time with the 🌐 Globe key — useful for unusual glyphs the built-in layers don’t include.
Copy and paste
The universal fallback: copy a symbol from the strip above (or from our copy & paste tool) and paste it into any app. It never depends on which keyboard layer a symbol lives on.
Make a shortcut for symbols you use a lot
Set up a Text Replacement: Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement → +. Put the symbol in Phrase and a trigger like dgr in Shortcut. Now typing dgr expands to ° anywhere on the iPad — and on your iPhone and Mac too, through iCloud.
Examples
- 20°C in Notes — hold 0 for °
- € in an email — hold $
- An — em dash in a sentence — hold the hyphen
- é in a name — hold e
- A • bullet in a list — the #+= layer, or hold the hyphen
Troubleshooting
No emoji key. Add the Emoji keyboard: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Emoji. The globe or smiley appears once it’s added.
Press-and-hold shows nothing. You’re lifting too soon — hold a moment longer until the popover appears. Not every key has one.
Hold $ doesn’t show the currency I need. The popover set depends on your keyboard language. Add another language keyboard (Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards), or use copy-paste / a text replacement for that symbol.
My quotes keep curling. That’s Smart Punctuation. Turn it off in Settings → General → Keyboard.
No emoji suggestions above the keyboard. Turn on Predictive in Settings → General → Keyboard, and make sure the Emoji keyboard is added.
A symbol shows as a box ▯. The app or font lacks that glyph; the character itself is still correct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I type emoji on iPad?
Tap the Emoji or Globe key at the bottom-left of the keyboard to switch to the emoji keyboard. You can then tap an emoji or use the search field to find one by name.
How do I get symbols like € or • on iPad?
Tap .?123, then #+= to access additional symbol keys. You can also press and hold certain keys—for example, hold $ to see currency symbols or – to access dashes and the bullet symbol (•).
How do I type accents on iPad?
Press and hold a letter, then slide your finger to the accented version you want. For example, hold e to choose é, è, ê, or ë.
Why is there no emoji key on my iPad?
The Emoji keyboard may not be enabled. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Emoji. After adding it, the Globe or Emoji key will appear on the keyboard.
How do I type symbols with a hardware keyboard on iPad?
Press the Globe key to open the emoji picker. For accented letters, press and hold the corresponding key to open the accent menu. For other symbols, you can copy and paste them if needed.
How do I make a shortcut for a symbol I use often?
Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. Create a new shortcut by entering the symbol as the Phrase and a short abbreviation as the Shortcut. When you type the shortcut, it will automatically expand to the symbol.
Do Alt codes work on iPad?
No. Alt codes need a Windows Alt key and a numeric keypad, and the iPad has neither — not even with an external keyboard attached. Use press-and-hold, the #+= layer, a text replacement, or copy-paste instead.
Recap
Emoji = the 😀 / 🌐 key. Symbols = .?123 → #+=. The hidden ones = press and hold ($ for currency, – for dashes, vowels for accents, 0 for °). There are no Alt codes on iPad — use press-and-hold or a text replacement instead. With a hardware keyboard, the Globe key opens emoji and holding a letter gives accents.
Written by Igor R.. Tested on iPadOS with the on-screen keyboard and Magic Keyboard. Last updated July 2026. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.