Alt may refer to any of the following:
- Short for alternate, Alt is a modifier key on both sides of the spacebar key on IBM-compatible computer keyboards. The picture shows an example of the Alt key.
Where is the Alt key on the keyboard?
The following image of a keyboard shows the location of the Alt keys, which are highlighted in blue.
The Alt key should not be confused with the Altmode key used with some TeleType and ASCII terminals. The Altmode key does not function the same as the Alt key.
- Where is the Alt key on the keyboard?
- Alt keyboard shortcuts and what can the Alt key do?
- Using the Alt key to create special characters (Alt codes).
- Where is the Alt key on my smartphone or tablet touch screen?
- Related information.
Alt keyboard shortcuts and what can the Alt key do?
Alt is used in a key combination to perform certain actions, such as accessing the options in the file menu or Ribbon. Refer to the example below:
Apple computer keyboards use the option key instead of the Alt key.
Ctrl+Alt+Del
The combination above means to press and hold the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys all at the same time. This action opens the Windows Task Manager window or the lock menu to access the Task Manager.
Below are some commonly used Alt shortcut key combinations on a computer in alphabetical order. Clicking any of the shortcut links opens a page for that shortcut with all known programs associated with that shortcut key.
Using the Alt key to create special characters (Alt codes)
With Windows computers, Alt can also be used with the number keys on the numeric keypad to create special characters (Alt codes), such as accented letters. For example, when using code page 437, pressing Alt+160 creates an “a” with an accent (á) in all programs.
The Alt key is not used as often as the Ctrl key with keyboard shortcuts. If you’re unsure about using Alt or Ctrl in a shortcut, start with Ctrl.
See our shortcut key list to view all the keyboard shortcuts.
Where is the Alt key on my smartphone or tablet touch screen?
Android and Apple phones, tablets, and other mobile devices with touch screens don’t have an Alt key or other modifier keys, except the Shift key.
When using Alt codes, your Num Lock must be enabled, and you must use the numbers on the numeric keypad.
See our ASCII page to get the decimal values of all characters. For example, the decimal value of the capital “A” is 65. Knowing this lets you know the Alt code for this character is Alt+65.
- Alt may specify alternate text as a description for an image in HTML. For example, with the below img tag, the alt attribute describes the picture is the Computer Hope logo. If someone was reading the page but couldn’t see the images (e.g., a blind visitor), they could still understand the picture.
With a computer on-screen keyboard, the Alt key is on both sides of the spacebar.
Related information
- Some keys on my computer keyboard aren’t working.
- Computer keyboard keys and explanations.
- Keyboard help and support.
ASCII, Computer abbreviations, Ctrl, Ctrl+Alt+Del, Keyboard terms, M, Meta key, Modifier key, Option key
The alt attribute should not be confused with the title attribute, which shows text when hovering over an image. See our img tag page for further information about these attributes.
