Emacs: Insert Unicode Character

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .
emacs unicode 2021-08-28
emacs showing Unicode chars.

sample unicode characters unicode.txt

Insert letter with accent marks é

To see all characters you can type this way, press Ctrl+x 8 Ctrl+h.

emacs insert accent char 2024-06-25
emacs insert accent char 2024-06-25

Insert a Character by Name

Alt+x insert-char 【Ctrl+x 8 Return】

insert a character, by Character Name or by Codepoint hexadecimal.

try to insert →. Its name is RIGHTWARDS ARROW.

Note: insert-char was ucs-insert in emacs 24.3 or before. [see Emacs 24 (Released 2012-06)]

Insert a Char by ID in Hexadecimal

Alt+x insert-char, then the hexadecimal of the Unicode.

For example, try to insert →. Its hexadecimal value is 2192.

Insert a Char by ID in Decimal

Alt+x insert-char, then type #10r followed by the decimal codepoint. e.g. #10r8594

For example, try to insert →. Its coidpoint in decimal is 8594.

Find Char Name and ID

Customize Fast Unicode Char Input

if you use some math symbols or unicode frequently, do any of the following setup.

Emacs and Unicode

File Encoding

Unicode Font Setup