Plus may refer to any of the following:
- When referring to a keyboard or symbol, the plus ( + ) is found on the same key as the equal sign. As pictured here, it is depicted as a horizontal and vertical line that cross exactly at the center.
Where is the plus key on the keyboard?
Below is an overview of a computer keyboard with the plus key highlighted in blue on the main keyboard and numeric keypad.
- Where is the plus key on the keyboard?
- How to create the + symbol.
- What is a plus used for on a computer?
- What is the other symbol on the plus key?
- Related information
- Keyboard help and support.
How to create the + symbol
Creating the + symbol on a U.S. keyboard
To create a plus using a U.S. keyboard, hold down Shift and press + keyboard key. It is on the same key as the equals sign ( = ), next to the backspace key.
Creating the + symbol on a smartphone or tablet
To create a plus on a smartphone or tablet, open the OSK (on-screen keyboard). Tap the numbers (123) button, then (#+=) or symbols (sym) key. Then tap the + symbol.
The plus is easier to use on the numeric keypad with math formulas.
Doing the Alt code Alt+43 can also create a plus.
What is a plus used for on a computer?
The plus key is often used in programming and mathematics to add two or more numbers or as a programming operator.
Plus in a math formula
In a math formula a plus represents addition. For example, in the below formula you can see that 2
2 + 1 = 3
A plus in a URL
In a URL the + is a common method used to represent a space, because spaces are not allowed in URLs.
Plus in a shortcut key
When describing a shortcut key, the plus symbol indicates two or more keys pressed at the same time. For example, Ctrl+A indicates pressing Ctrl and A at the same time to select all text. The plus may also be used as a shortcut. For example, in your browser, press Ctrl and + at the same time to zoom in on text or an image.
A plus in a regular expression
With a regular expression, a plus is used to match one or more times. For example, in the below regular expression, all occurrences of the letter “z” in the $example variable would be replaced with a single letter “a.” In other words, the “z” would become “a,” “zz” would become “a,” “zzz” would become “a,” etc.
$example =~ /z+/a/g;
Increment a variable in programming
Two pluses next to each other in programming is a shorthand method of incrementing a variables value. For example, if you had a variable called $count that was equal to “10” and you wrote $count++; in many different programming languages it would increment by one and become “11.”
- What are the most common symbols used by computers?
What is the other symbol on the plus key?
On U.S. keyboards, the plus key is shared with the equals key, which may be shown next to or above the equals symbol. To create a plus, hold down Shift while also pressing = keyboard key.
- Plus is also an abbreviated version of Google+.
Related information
- Computer keyboard key explanations.
- Keyboard help and support.
- Short for Microsoft Plus!
Computer abbreviations, Hyphen, Keyboard terms
