If you want to type unusual symbols on the keyboard using shortcuts or invoke functions using a shortcut, below you’ll find a list and instructions for typing with shortcuts on Windows and Mac. In addition, I will also provide an overview of system shortcuts (keyboard shortcuts) for invoking Windows and Mac operating system functions. Some are very similar on Windows and Mac.

It is important to note that each program you run may have its own shortcuts. Every function in every program can be invoked with a shortcut key, allowing subject matter experts to work faster.

Always look for these shortcuts in the program’s Settings or Preferences, usually under items such as “Commands” or “Keyboard Shortcuts”. In some cases, you can also set up custom shortcuts.

An overview of all keyboard shortcuts for hidden symbols and all functions on the Czech keyboard – quick navigation

• Windows – shortcuts, hidden symbols, and functions on the regular Czech keyboard.
  • with left Alt+ ►
    this way you can type characters not included on the keyboard
  • with right Alt+ ► (Alt Gr = alternate graphics, also if you press left Alt+Shift)
    a quick option for typing the most commonly used special characters
  • with Ctrl+ ►
    basic control of system functions
  • with Shift+ ►
    special control of system functions
  • F1-10, status keys and more+ ►
    quick dial for the most used functions
  • with WINDOWS button + ►
    special quick system control functions
  • with Fn + ► button.
    direct hardware control from the manufacturer
  • custom shortcut settings ►
    application for setting custom controls.
  • Map of all Windows characters ►
    how to access all hidden characters at a glance
  • Foreign diacritics on Czech QWERTY ►
    How to write a hyphen, a backslash…
• Apple Mac OS – shortcuts, hidden characters, and function calls.
  • s Command – basic+ ►
  • with right Alt+ ►
  • print screen+ options ►
  • Map of all Mac characters ►

• Windows – abbreviations, hidden characters, and functions on the common Czech keyboard.
  • with left Alt+ ►
    this way you can type characters not included on the keyboard
  • with right Alt+ ► (Alt Gr = alternate graphics, also if you press left Alt+Shift)
    a quick option for typing the most used special characters
  • with Ctrl+ ►
    basic control of system functions
  • with Shift+ ►
    special control of system functions
  • F1-10, status keys and more+ ►
    quick dial for the most used functions
  • with WINDOWS button + ►
    special quick system control functions
  • with Fn + ► button
    direct hardware control from the manufacturer
  • custom shortcut settings ►
    application for setting custom controls.
  • Map of all Windows characters ►
    how to access all hidden characters clearly
  • Foreign diacritics on Czech QWERTY ►
    How to write a hyphen, a backward comma…
• Apple Mac OS – shortcuts, hidden characters, and function calls.
  • s Command – basic+ ►
  • with right Alt+ ►
  • print screen+ options ►
  • Map of all Mac characters ►

Windows – Left Alt Shortcuts (Alt Codes)

How to type a special character on the Czech keyboard?

There is a universal shortcut for characters in the computer environment. To type a special character on the Czech keyboard, do the following:

1. Press the left Alt key.
2. While holding down the Alt key, type the numbers on the numeric keypad according to the following table.
3. Then release the Alt key and the character will appear.

It is important to note that this method works for universal character shortcuts in a computer environment. Some characters may be specific to certain fonts or programs, so you may find that a rectangle appears instead of a character in graphics programs. This may indicate that the font does not contain the desired character.

When using this method, it is also important to note that some abbreviations may be marked as “EN only” and only work on an English keyboard.

Visual display of the use of the left Alt + dial combination (for all languages)

If you have a laptop or keyboard that does not include a dial pad, you must activate the dial pad function using the “NUM” key. The letters located in the middle of the keyboard will then be turned into digits. These are shown here in red. Common digits on the standard dial are shown in white (for reference and safety).

Keyboard shortcuts using the right Alt key

The shortcuts below are only available on the Czech QWERTZ keyboard, which is the standard Czech layout. In other language versions or keyboard layouts these shortcuts are not functional. The right Alt key can be replaced by the left Alt+Ctrl key combination.

Visual comparison of the layout of hidden characters on the keyboard using the right Alt on Czech keyboards

1. Right Alt + (standard – CZ QWERTZ)

Here is an example of the layout of hidden symbols on the Czech QWERTZ keyboard that will appear when you press the combination Right Alt + a given character. On other types of Czech keyboards, these symbols are placed differently, as can be seen in the following comparison table.

2nd character map of right Alt + CZ QWERTY

3. right Alt + Czech programming character map

Keyboard shortcuts using Ctrl/CMD

The following shortcuts are active when you press the Control or Command key on macOS devices. The basic shortcuts for both systems are essentially the same. The letter used always corresponds to the first letter of the English name of the function.

Keyboard Shortcuts with Shift

The following shortcuts work when you press the Shift key.

F1 – 10, keyboard status keys and other keys and keyboard shortcuts

The following shortcuts work when F1 to 10 and others are pressed.

Windows Shortcuts Buttons

The following shortcuts are active when you press the Windows logo button, which is always located to the left of the Alt key. Press and hold this button while simultaneously pressing the character listed in the table below.

Fn keyboard button (also F-Lock)

A button for direct control of your computer’s hardware, especially on laptops. This includes functions such as turning the sound up and down, turning the volume down, turning the screen brightness up and down, turning the touchpad on and off, controlling music, enabling “NumLock” which is turning the integrated numeric keypad on or off, directly launching Wifi, switching between displays, etc. The Fn button allows you to control these settings directly without having to search for these functions in the software.

Look for the button marked Fn on the keyboard. This button is always a different color from the other keys. Press and hold this button. On the keyboard, look for markings on each key that are the same color as the Fn button (if the Fn button is purple, look for other purple key markings). While holding down the Fn button, press the key with the desired function in the same colour and the function will be automatically activated.

F-Lock is the equivalent of the Fn button on Windows keyboards. The difference is that when you press this button, the desired function remains activated without having to hold the button all the time. Pressing the F-Lock button a second time will deactivate the function again.

Customize Windows 10 shortcuts

In Windows 10, you have the option to download the “Mouse and Keyboard Center” app. This app allows you to set up your keyboard and its functions. For Microsoft keyboards only.

Map of all Windows characters:

If you are looking for a specific character and there are a really large number of them, you can find all available characters in Windows using the charmap application. This tool will show you all existing characters in the Windows environment. To launch the application, press the Windows button on your keyboard – it’s the second button from the left at the bottom, press and hold the Windows button while pressing the letter R. A dialog box will open to launch Windows applications directly. Type charmap.exe in this box and confirm with Enter. Windows will then open the Character Map, where you can simply copy the desired characters into the text using the Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V key combination.

An alternative way is to click on the magnifying glass icon on the bottom bar and type “Character Map” in the search box. This will find and open the same application with all the characters.

Start > Programs list > P – Accessories > Character Map (in English version: Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map)

Personally, if you need to find a character quickly, I recommend visiting http://copypastecharacter.com/. This page offers a simple and visually accurate character search, which you can then simply copy using the Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V key combination. In addition, you can easily find out the HTML code of a given character.

Foreign accents on Windows QWERTY:

The most commonly searched character on this keyboard is the German umlaut, or two dots above the letter (Double Acute Accent). You can type this diacritic by pressing the | \ key (this key is located either above or to the left of the Enter key, or in the bottom left corner – see attached image)) and then pressing the letter. Umlaut will then appear above the letter. For example, pressing the | (or \) keys and the letter “a” will produce the letter ä.

If you need to type a letter with a left accent, i.e. with the comma above pointing to the left (also a backslash) as opposed to the Czech comma above pointing to the right, you must first press the Alt Gr and numeral 7/ý key combination, and then the letter to be encircled. Then a comma will appear above the letter to the left, which is also known as a Grave Accent – for example, for the letter e, a è will appear.

Map of all characters, special symbols and icons on Apple OS:

How to type a character or symbol on Mac that is not on the keyboard? On the Mac, this issue is handled in a very elegant, logical and clear way. There are several ways to bring up a clear application where you can see a map of all the characters and select the character you need. You don’t need anything more or less: And if you use the character frequently, you can choose the shortcut under which you call up the character in the language settings item: Symbol and Text Substitution. And here’s how to start the character application on the MAC:

1. Click where you want to insert the character. Press Control+Command+Spacebar. And you’re done. Select what you need here. The most used emoji will appear first, for other characters expand the app using the icon in the top right corner. Then select as needed.
2. The other way to invoke this app is from the status menu. In the top bar, click on the language flag, select “Show Character Panel” here, and then you’re done. If you don’t have “Show character panel” here then you need to add it in the settings. Follow these steps: System Preferences // International // Input Menu // Character Palette / you must also have this checked: Show input menu in menu bar
3. On some MAC applications, you can bring up this character list by pressing Command+Option+T
4. If you can’t do that here I recommend this http://copypastecharacter.com/ character overview with all the characters.

Picture/image capture options on Mac (print screen)

The following shortcuts show the different options for capturing an image on the screen – the printscreen feature – on the Mac platform. Got it! Saves a .png with the date and time in the name. Multiple screens are saved separately.