[Update] ! How to Type Exclamation Mark Symbol on Keyboard | exclamation mark – NATAVIGUIDES

In today’s article, you’ll learn about all the available methods and shortcuts you can use to type the Exclamation Mark (!) symbol on your keyboard, whether you are using Windows or Mac, and whether you are working with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or in your browser.

Without any further ado, let’s get started.

But before we begin, you can also use the button below to easily copy and paste the Exclamation Mark Sign for free.

Below is an image of a keyboard showing where the Exclamation Mark key is located on the keyboard.

However, if copy and paste aren’t what you are looking for, and you cannot also find or type the (!) Symbol key on your keyboard, continue reading below on how you can type the Exclamation Mark Sign using some shortcuts.

Exclamation Mark Symbol [!] Quick Help

To type the Exclamation Mark (!) symbol on your keyboard, press Shift + 1 for both Windows and Mac. Alternatively, press and hold the Alt key and type the Exclamation Mark alt code which is 33 on the numeric keypad, then release the alt key.

Symbol NameExclamation MarkSymbol!Alt Code33Windows/Mac ShortcutShift + 1Windows Alt Code ShortcutAlt + 33

The above quick guide provides some useful tips on how to type ! Symbol including shortcuts and alt codes you can use on both Windows and Mac. However, below are some other methods you can also leverage to insert this symbol into your Word document.

5 ways to type the Exclamation Mark on Keyboard

Microsoft Office provides several methods for typing or inserting symbols that do not have dedicated keys on the keyboard.

In this section, I will make available for you five different methods you can utilize to type or insert the Exclamation Mark Symbol in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or any text editor for both Mac and Windows users.

Without any further ado, let’s get started.

1. Using the Exclamation Mark Symbol key on the keyboard

Where is the Exclamation Mark Symbol key on the Keyboard?

On most keyboards, the ! Symbol key is located on the same key as the 1 key. Pressing this key gives you 1. In order to type this symbol, press down the shift key before you press on the 1 key.

The keyboard shortcut for Exclamation Mark Symbol is Shift + 1 for both Windows and Mac.

2. Using the Exclamation Mark Symbol Alt Code (Windows Only)

The Exclamation Mark Symbol alt code is 33.

Even though this symbol has a dedicated key on most English keyboards, you can also use the Alt Numpad Input Method (AKA Alt Code Method) to type this symbol. This can be done by pressing and holding the Alt key whilst typing the Exclamation Mark Symbol Alt code (33) using the numeric keypad.

This method is for Windows only. And your keyboard must also have a numeric keypad.

If you don’t still get it, just obey the following instructions to type the Exclamation Mark Symbol using the alt code method:

• Place your insertion pointer where you need the symbol.
• Press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard.
• Whilst holding on to the Alt key, press the symbol’s alt code (33). You must use the numeric keypad to type the alt code. If you are using a laptop without the numeric keypad, this method may not work for you. On some laptops, there’s a hidden numeric keypad which you can enable by pressing Fn+NmLk keystrokes on the keyboard.
• Release the Alt key after typing the Alt code to insert the Symbol into your document.

This is how you may type this symbol in anywhere on your Windows PC using the Alt Code method.

3. Using the Exclamation Mark Symbol Shortcut (Windows and Mac)

The keyboard shortcut for Exclamation Mark Symbol is Shift + 1 for both Windows and Mac. Alternatively, for Windows, use the Alt Code method by pressing down the alt key and typing the alt code of 33 on the numeric keypad.

To type the Exclamation Mark Symbol with a shortcut, obey the instructions below:

• First of all, place the insertion pointer where you need to type the Symbol.
• For both Windows and Mac, press and hold the Shift key and hit once on the [1] (One) key.
• Alternatively, for windows users, press and hold the alt key and type 33 on the number pad.

These are the steps you may use to type this symbol in Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

4. Copy and Paste the Exclamation Mark Symbol

Another easy way to get the Exclamation Mark Symbol on any PC is to use my favorite method: copy and paste.

All you have to do is to copy the symbol from somewhere like a web page or the character map for windows users, and head over to where you need the symbol (say in Word or Excel), then hit Ctrl+V to paste.

Below is the symbol for you to copy and paste into your document. Just select it and press Ctrl+C to copy, switch over to your text editor, place your insertion pointer at the desired location and press Ctrl+V to paste.

!

For windows users, you may also obey the following instructions to copy and paste this [!] and any other symbol using the character map dialog box.

• Click on the Start button and search for Character Map. The Character Map app will appear in the search results, click on it to open.

• The Character Map dialog will appear. Click on the Advanced view checkbox to expand the dialog box for more options.

• On the advanced view, type Exclamation Mark in the Search box. This is the official name for the ! Symbol.
• You should now see only the Exclamation Mark Symbol on the character map dialog. Double click on the symbol to select it. Alternatively, click on the Select button.
• After you select the symbol by double-clicking on it, it should appear in the Character to copy: field, then click on the Copy button to copy the symbol.

• Switch to your Microsoft Word document, place the insertion pointer at the desired location, and press Ctrl+V to paste.

This is how you may use the Character Map dialog to copy and paste any symbol on Windows PC.

5. Using insert Symbol dialog box

The insert symbol dialog box is a library of symbols from where you can insert any symbol into your Word document with just a couple of mouse clicks.

Obey the following steps to insert the Exclamation Mark Symbol in Word using the insert symbol dialog box.

• Open your Word document.
• Click to place the insertion pointer where you wish to insert the symbol.
• Go to the Insert tab.

• In the Symbols category, click on the Symbol drop-down and select the More Symbols button.

• The Symbol dialog box will appear. In the Subset drop-down list, select Basic Latin to display symbols in that category which includes the Exclamation Mark Symbol.
• Select the symbol and click on the Insert button. Alternatively, double click on the symbol to insert it into your Word document.

• Close the dialog.

The symbol will then be inserted exactly where you place the insertion pointer in the beginning.

These are the steps you may use to insert the Exclamation Mark Symbol in Word or Excel or PowerPoint using the Symbol library.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several different methods you can use to type the Exclamation Mark Symbol on the keyboard.

Using the shortcuts for both Windows and Mac make the fastest option for this task. Shortcuts are always fast and save time.

Thank you very much for reading this blog.

If you have any suggestion or question to ask about this article, please drop it in the comments below.

An exclamation point (!) is a mark of punctuation used after a word, phrase, or sentence that expresses a strong emotion. It ends emphatic statements, says “English Grammar & Punctuation,” a reference guide. William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, in their famous “Elements of Style,” say that: “The exclamation mark is to be reserved for after true exclamations and commands.” And “Merriam-Webster’s Guide to Punctuation and Style” notes that the exclamation point is used “to mark a forceful comment or exclamation.” It is also called an exclamation mark or tellingly, in newspaper jargon, a shriek.

These sources and others may define it with different vocabulary, but they all agree on one thing: The exclamation point is possibly the most overused punctuation mark in the English language. Multiple exclamation points (or marks)—two or, often, three exclamation marks (!!!) following a word or sentence—should be even rarer still in good writing.

History

The exclamation point was first used by printers at the end of the 15th century, according to Thomas MacKellar, in his 1885 book, “The American Printer: A Manual of Typography.” MacKellar also noted that the punctuation meant “admiration or exclamation” as well as “surprise, astonishment, rapture, and the like sudden emotions of the mind.” The mark, itself, comes from Latin, says Smithsonian.com:

“In Latin, the exclamation of joy was io, where the i was written above the o. And, since all their letters were written as capitals, an I with an O below it looks a lot like an exclamation point.”

It wasn’t until 1970 that the exclamation point had its own key on the keyboard, the Smithsonian notes, adding that before that you had to type a period, and then use the backspace to go back and stick an apostrophe above it.

When executives dictated to secretaries, they would say “bang” to indicate the exclamation point, leading to the term interbang, a nonstandard punctuation mark in the form of a question mark superimposed on an exclamation point (sometimes appearing as ?!). It is used to end a rhetorical question or a simultaneous question and exclamation. Some writers, then, began using multiple exclamation points as a logical outgrowth of the interbang and single exclamation mark to add even more emphasis to words, phrases, and sentences.

Purpose

The use of the exclamation point—and, even more so, multiple exclamation points—has been met with plenty of controversy and criticism. Smithsonian notes this less-than-pleased response by F. Scott Fitzgerald to the use of multiple exclamation points:

“Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own jokes.”

Author Elmore Leonard was even more incensed by their use:

“You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.”

Leonard also said that use of multiple exclamation points is the “sign of a diseased mind.” Still, exclamation points do have a purpose in the English language, according to the late Rene “Jack” Cappon, a longtime editor at the Associated Press and author of “The Associated Press Guide to Punctuation.” Cappon said that exclamation points are certainly not subtle; instead, they act like a “kettle drum,” noisily calling readers’ attention to a given word, phrase, or sentence. Echoing the very earliest use of this punctuation mark, Cappon says you should use exclamation points to convey pain, fear, astonishment, anger, and disgust, as in:

“ ‘Ouch! My toes!’ cries one, a bowling ball dropped on his foot. ‘Somebody help me!’ screams a damsel in distress. ‘Look, a real unicorn!’ Astonishment. ‘Get thee behind me, Satan!’ Rage and disgust.”

Cappon notes that you rarely run into emotional outbursts like these, so you should use single or multiple exclamation points sparingly. He and other grammar and punctuation experts point out that you should generally let the words speak for themselves, set off by a simple period, comma, or semicolon. Otherwise, you risk damaging your credibility by constantly yelling at your readers, similar to someone screaming “fire” in a crowded theater, even when there is not a hint of smoke.

Rules for Using Exclamation Marks

Richard Bullock, Michal Brody, and Francine Weinberg note in the “The Little Seagull Handbook,” a grammar, punctuation, and style guide used on many college campuses, that you should use exclamation points to express strong emotion or add emphasis to a statement or command. They give this example of when to use an exclamation point, from Susan Jane Gilman’s “Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress: Tales of Growing Up Groovy and Clueless,” who described seeing “The Rolling Stones” band member Keith Richards:

Encountering a member of the iconic rock band—and the shrieking that accompanied the sighting—would, indeed, call for at least one exclamation point—and perhaps more!!!—to emphasize the excitement of the moment. Another example of when to use exclamation points is illustrated in this pithy quote from Tennessee Williams in “Camino Real.”

“Make voyages! Attempt them! There’s nothing else.”

You can also use multiple exclamation points in informal or comic writing, or to express sarcasm, as in:

•  I loved your last email! OMG did I LOVE it!!!

The point is that the writer of the above sentences didn’t really love the email. She was being ironic, which the multiple exclamation points help to show. Additionally, David Crystal, in “Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation,” gives these examples where the contexts dictate when exclamation marks would be acceptable, even expected:

• Interjections – Oh!
• Expletives – Damn!
• Greetings – Happy Xmas!!!
• Calls – Johnny!
• Commands – Stop!
• Expressions of surprise – What a mess!!!
• Emphatic statements – I want to see you now!
• Attention-getters – Listen carefully!
• Loud speech in dialogue – I’m in the garden!
• Ironic comments – He paid, for a change! or . . . for a change (!)
• Strong mental attitudes – “Hardly!” he thought

When to Omit Exclamation Points

But there are many other instances where you should omit exclamation points, as in this example from “The Little Seagull Handbook.”

“It was so close, so low, so huge and fast, so intent on its target that I swear to you, I swear to you, I felt the vengeance and rage emanating from the plane.”
– Debra Fontaine, “Witnessing”

Bill Walsh, the late copy chief for the Washington Post, noted in “The Elephants of Style: A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English” that you should omit exclamation points (and other punctuation marks) when they are, essentially, gimmicky “decorations” for company names. So, says Walsh, you would write Yahoo, not Yahoo!

“The Associated Press Stylebook” also notes that you place exclamation points within quote marks when they are part of the quoted material, as in:

• “How wonderful!” he exclaimed.
• “Never!” she shouted.

But place exclamation points outside of quotation marks when they are not part of the quoted material:

• “I hated reading Spenser’s “Faerie Queene”!

And never use other punctuation marks, such as a comma, after an exclamation point:

• Wrong: “Halt!”, the corporal cried.
• Right: “Halt!” the corporal cried.

So, when using exclamation points remember that less is more. Use this punctuation mark—whether it be one, two, or three exclamation points—only when the context calls for it. Otherwise, let your prose speak for themselves and save the mighty exclamation point for extreme circumstances, for heaven’s sake!!!

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