The app is available on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, though the mobile version seems to lack the ability to copy a character and doesn't have a dark mode option.
With Character Map you choose font, character group (like Greek, or Maths symbols) and pick text characters you like. You type them in a line by double-clicking them in character list and then copy-paste from the program's input line to where you want.
Functionally, the app isn't that different than the stock Character Map but it has some handy features and looks a lot better.
If you need to insert multiple different characters on your device, Character Map UWP makes it easier with a handy search bar and a touch- and mouse-friendly design. (UWP, of course, stands for Universal Windows Platform.)
May 19, 2017 A. I frequently need to use the Windows 10 ALT Character Map and scrolling through the LONG, VERY narrow list of characters is beyond frustrating. To make matters worse, the 'full screen' option at the top is grayed out. Which obviously means it's not available. Oct 13, 2017 Windows 10 tip: Access symbols, emojis, and other special characters. Entering special characters, including foreign currency symbols, fractions, and emoji, is. A modern, native UWP replacement for the Win32 Character Map and Windows Font Viewer with flawless high DPI and touch support. View all the fonts families installed on your device, and import your own - View all the different font faces in a family - View all the Characters in a font face, along with typographic variants and color variants - View font properties like their designer.
As an added bonus, it's free.
Character Map UWP function
Character Map UWP is a straightforward app. It allows you to select a character in any font and copy and paste it to insert it into a document. You can also copy the XAML Code or Fonticon code or save a character as a PNG file. When saving a character as a PNG you can select the resolution, which is great if you're on screens with varying DPIs.
Characters aren't just limited to letters and punctuation. The app has everything from currencies from around the world to symbols such as the Windows logo. You can sort Character Map UWP by 'All Fonts' or 'Show Symbol Fonts Only,' which makes it much easier to find what you're looking for.
A great example of symbols being available is under the 'Hololens MDL2 Assets' font, where you have icons from throughout the Windows Store, such as the share icon, settings, icon, battery indicators and more. Character Map UWP makes it easy to insert these wherever you want.
You can search for any character or icon using its unicode, making it even easier to jump to an icon.
Windows 10 Character Map Symbols List
In terms of function, there isn't much more to it. Character Map UWP does a specific task but does it very well.
Character Map UWP design
In terms of function, Character Map UWP isn't that different than Microsoft's built-in Character Map. There are a few functional differences but the most notable changes are in the design. Character Map UWP uses a hamburger menu, has larger touch-friendly icons, allows you to jump to certain groups of fonts by clicking a letter and then you can jump to any grouping in the alphabetical listing. The app even has both light and dark themes. In comparison to the dated Character Map that comes stock on Windows, Character Map UWP is much more modern and attractive.
Summing things up
Character Map UWP is a bare bones app, but it is a better looking version of the stock Windows Character Map. It does the job well — and it looks good doing it.
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Greetings, Shawn.. Thanks for sharing your WW (Windows Wisdom!) with us.
I have two Character Map questions and i already have a sinking feeling i'm not going to like the answers. lol. I'm using Windows 10 now.. and even though i don't like many things about it.. i'm officially here (albeit by Microsoft FORCING me to upgrade with their annoying DAILY 'Upgrade Now' Spam messages that you can NOT uninstall).
Here are my two questions. I'm going to label them A and B so you don't have to segue your answers.
A. i frequently need to use the Windows 10 ALT Character Map and scrolling through the LONG, VERY narrow list of characters is beyond frustrating. To make matters worse, the 'full screen' option at the top is grayed out.. which obviously means it's not available. Each time i EVEN SEEEEE the grayed out 'full screen' option it's a constant reminder that it SHOULD have been available and WHY isn't it?!!! Free download medical information ebooks. Obviously the MS developers don't use their Character Map very often (ever???) or they would QUICKLY know how inconvenient it is to constantly scroll through the long menu of characters. (On a side note, i realize i could probably Google a downloadable full screen version but it's absurd that i have to go to an outside source for something that could/should be fixed by MS).
B. Here's another Character Map annoyance and suggestion. The fact that MS didn't include (OR EVEN THINK OF) a 'Recently Used List' at the TOP of the menu is just another example of how little this was thought about. Even Emoji Developers have figured out the need and usefulness of this. Expecting a user to scroll through the Arabic Characters (or whatever other Characters most of the world has no clue what they mean) is BEYOND unreasonable. If someone speaks Arabic i assume they have a real Arabic Keyboard and don't use these symbols AT ALL. i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to visit with the idiots that laid out the Character Map menu and didn't categorize them. Why not put the Spanish Symbols together.. and group the Math symbols in blocks for simplicity. Since they didn't see fit to include a 'full screen' view where your eyes could quickly scan without scrolling, and since they didn't have the foresight to have a 'Recently Used List' ..IF THEY AT LEAST CATEGORIZED them 'in blocks' it would be simpler use and find the obscure symbol the user is looking for. Finally, God forbid if you happen to click on or select the WRONG character.. you can't UN-select it to see the CORRECT character! In other words, the wrong character that the user selected by accident HIDES the surrounding characters.
Instead of Microsoft hiring developers with a degree from MIT, how about adding common sense to the qualification list or asking them if they've EVER ACTUALLY USED the MS Character Map!! lol
Shawn, i know you're NOT the right person to tell this stuff to but unfortunately the Developers that do need to hear/read this are protected like the Holy Grail and hidden somewhere in the bowels of Microsoft. Actually, that's kind of an ironic place for them to be. lolol.
Windows 10 Character Map Symbols Free
Thanks again, Shawn for any direction you can provide for my frustrations.. and it would be GRRRREATLY appreciated if you can forward my suggestions to someone that could actually FIX THEM. Adding simple things like a Recently Used List would save tons of time for MILLIONS of users.
Sincerely..
Steven Williams
(i hate it when someone is critical.. then hides behind their SN for anonymity)
Character Map Download
Nope it's still there, Windows 8 didn't remove anything at all. You can still follow the same instructions: the Start menu in Windows 8 is still organized the same, just bigger (full screen).