Everyone has been there. You are typing a quick message or an email, and you want to add a little flair—specifically a heart. But suddenly, your fingers freeze. You realize you don't actually know how to do a heart with the keyboard without hunting through a giant menu of emojis that takes way too long to load. Honestly, it shouldn't be this hard to be nice.
Hearts are everywhere. From 1980s BBS boards to modern Slack channels, that little symbol carries a lot of weight. It’s the universal shorthand for "I like this" or "I'm not actually mad at you despite my short text."
Why the Classic Alt Code Still Wins
If you are on a Windows machine, the old-school Alt code is basically magic. It's been around since the early days of IBM PCs. Hold down the Alt key and tap 3 on your number pad. Boom. ♥.
Wait. There is a catch.
If you are using a laptop without a dedicated number pad, this probably didn't work for you. You can't just use the numbers at the top of your keyboard; those are mapped differently in the system's character encoding. For those with a full keyboard, the Alt+3 trick uses the Windows-1252 character set, which is a legacy thing that still survives because it’s so fast.
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Many people get frustrated because their "Num Lock" isn't on. If you hit Alt+3 and nothing happens, or your cursor jumps around, check that light on your keyboard. It's a tiny detail, but it's usually why the "how to do a heart with the keyboard" search exists in the first place.
The Mac Way is Actually Faster
Apple users have it a bit easier, or at least more intuitive. You don't have to memorize numbers. You just hit Control + Command + Space. This pops up the character viewer. You type "heart" into the search bar, and you get every variation imaginable: red hearts, sparkle hearts, even that weird anatomical one if you're feeling medical.
But what if you want a plain text heart? Not an emoji?
That's where things get tricky. Text symbols and emojis are different beasts. Emojis are colorful graphics defined by the Unicode Consortium. Text symbols are just... text. If you want the old-school black heart symbol on a Mac, you still use that same shortcut, but you look for the "Pictographs" section.
How to do a Heart with the Keyboard in Modern Apps
Most apps like Discord, Slack, or even GitHub have built-in "shortcodes." This is probably the most common way people type hearts now without realizing they are using a specific system.
Just type :heart: and hit space or enter.
The software sees those colons and automatically swaps the text for an image. It's convenient. It’s fast. But it's also "fake" in a way because if you copy and paste that into a Notepad document, it might just stay as the word "heart" surrounded by dots.
The Linux Struggle
I can't forget the Linux crowd. If you're on Ubuntu or another distro, you usually use the "Compose Key." You'd press the Compose key (which you might have to map to something like the right Alt or the Windows key) and then type <3.
It feels very 2004, but it works flawlessly.
Actually, the <3 symbol is the ancestor of everything we’re talking about. It’s the "sideways heart." Before smartphones, this was the only way to do it. It’s still the most reliable method because it works in every single text field on the planet, from a high-end coding IDE to a 1990s terminal.
Why Does Unicode Make This So Complicated?
Unicode is the global standard for how computers handle text. It’s run by a non-profit, and they have to decide which symbols get a "seat at the table."
Currently, there isn't just one heart. There are dozens.
- U+2665 is the Black Heart Suit (♥)
- U+2764 is the Heavy Black Heart (❤)
- U+1F494 is the Broken Heart (💔)
When you ask how to do a heart with the keyboard, you're actually tapping into a massive database of human expression. The reason Alt+3 works is that "3" was assigned to the heart symbol in the original "Code Page 437" used by DOS. It’s a fossil of computer history living inside your modern PC.
Microsoft kept it there for backward compatibility. That's kinda cool when you think about it. Your $2,000 gaming rig is still following rules written when Reagan was in office.
Laptop Users: The Fn Key Workaround
Since most laptops ditched the number pad to save space, they hidden the numbers inside the letter keys. Look at your keyboard. Do you see small, differently colored numbers on the M, J, K, L, U, I, and O keys?
To do a heart here, you usually have to hold Fn + Alt and then hit the key that has the small "3" on it (usually the 'L' or '.' key).
It feels like playing a chord on a piano. It’s awkward. Honestly, most people just give up and copy-paste one from Google. There is no shame in that. In fact, keeping a "cheat sheet" in a sticky note on your desktop is a pro move used by social media managers everywhere.
Chromebooks and the Secret Menu
Chromebooks are a bit of an outlier. Since they run ChromeOS, they rely heavily on browser-based shortcuts.
Press Ctrl + Shift + U.
You'll see a little "u" appear with an underline. This is the prompt for a Unicode hex code. Type 2665 and hit Enter.
Magic.
It’s not as fast as Alt+3, but it’s universal for any symbol you could ever want. If you want a music note, or a degree symbol, or a weird Greek letter, the Ctrl + Shift + U method is your best friend.
Social Media Shortcuts You Might Not Know
Instagram and TikTok have their own internal logic. Often, they don't want you using the keyboard at all; they want you using their sticker trays. But if you type <3 in a comment on some platforms, they’ll trigger a special animation.
Facebook used to do this a lot. Typing the heart code would make little hearts float up the screen.
Does it affect SEO?
Surprisingly, yes. If you’re a content creator, using a heart symbol in a title tag or meta description can sometimes increase your Click-Through Rate (CTR). It stands out in a sea of plain text. However, don't overdo it. Google’s algorithms are smart, and if your title looks like a middle-schooler’s diary, it might get suppressed.
One or two symbols can be a nice touch. Twenty is spam.
Moving Beyond the Basic Heart
Once you've mastered the basic heart, you'll probably want the "hollow" heart or the "suit" heart.
- The Hollow Heart (♡): Alt + 9825 (on some systems) or find it in the Windows Emoji Panel (Windows + Period).
- The Floral Heart (❦): This is part of the "Dingbats" set. It’s very fancy and usually requires the character map tool.
To open the Character Map on Windows, just hit the Start button and type "charmap." It’s an old-looking utility, but it lets you see every single character hidden in your fonts. Most people forget this tool exists, but it’s the most reliable way to find symbols without an internet connection.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"I tried Alt+3 and I got a weird 'C' with a tail."
This happens when your keyboard is set to a different language or region, like French or Spanish. The "Code Pages" change depending on your language settings. If you’re having this issue, the best bet is to switch to the Windows + Period (.) shortcut.
This shortcut opens the modern emoji and symbol picker in Windows 10 and 11. It’s the "new" way to do things, and it works regardless of your keyboard layout. It even has a search bar so you can just type "heart" and pick the one you want.
The Mobile Experience
On iPhone or Android, you don't really "type" a heart with a code. You use the emoji keyboard. But, did you know you can create a text replacement?
Go to your settings, find "Keyboard," then "Text Replacement." Set it up so that every time you type "hrt," it automatically changes to "❤️."
It’s a huge time saver for people who send a lot of texts. You can do the same thing on Mac under System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements.
Actionable Steps for Your Keyboard
If you want to be a heart-typing pro, here is what you should do right now:
- Memorize your OS shortcut: Windows + Period (.) for PCs or Control + Command + Space for Macs. This is the single most important tool in your kit.
- Test the Alt+3: If you have a number pad, try it in a document now. If it works, you have the fastest heart method available.
- Set up a Text Replacement: On your phone, map
<3orhrtto a real heart emoji so you never have to switch keyboards again. - Keep the Unicode hex in mind: If you're on a Chromebook or Linux,
2665is the magic number for the classic heart.
Learning how to do a heart with the keyboard is one of those small digital literacy wins. It saves you three seconds every time you do it, and over a lifetime of typing, those seconds add up to a lot of extra time. Plus, it just looks better than a clunky <3 in a professional-yet-friendly email.
Stop hunting through menus. Use the shortcuts, save time, and keep your hands on the home row. It makes everything you type just a little bit more expressive with zero extra effort.