Why is the key called Alt Gr?

On a French keyboard, the Alt Gr key is at the very bottom, to the right of the space barIt provides access to special characters and symbols, ready to enrich your writing.

But why was the name chosen for this fingerboard? Read this article to discover the mysteries of the key. Alt Gr and discover all the possibilities it offers.

What is the meaning of the Alt Gr key?

"Alt Gr" or "Alt graph" is short for "Alternate graphic” or alternative graphic. It can also be called "Alt Car" (alternate character) on French-Canadian keyboards. Alt Gr is also a shortcut to Ctrl + Alt.

• She is a Alternative button which was originally introduced as a means of producing semi-characters for box design.
• Today, it mainly provides quick access to various special characters. In fact, it helps to obtain the third character located on certain keys.

What is the Alt Gr key for?

The Alt Gr key is generally used to obtain graphic symbols, accented characters or currencies. In combination with other keys, it can also be used to perform certain actions.

Here's an overview of the characters you can obtain by combining Alt Gr with other keyboard keys :

• Alt Gr + E = €
• Alt Gr + M = µ
• Alt Gr + 2 = ²
• Alt Gr + 3 = ³
• Alt Gr + < = 1
• Alt Gr + 8 = \
• Alt Gr + 7 = {
• Alt Gr + 5 = [
• Alt Gr + 9 = ^
• Alt Gr +Q = @
• Alt Gr + T = ™
• Alt Gr + C = ©
• Alt Gr + R = ®

Here are some key combinations to use with Alt Gr for Word :

• Alt Gr + D: insert a footnote with a Roman numeral ;
• Alt Gr + F: insert a footnote with an Arabic numeral ;
• Alt Gr + N: open the "draft" page layout ;
• Alt Gr + V: open the "special paste" dialog box;
• Alt Gr + Y : go to next page ;
• Alt Gr + G: open map mode ;
• Alt Gr + H ; activate text highlight color ;
• Alt Gr + K: insert a comment ;
• Alt Gr + I: print open document.

For special characters, discover how to place an accent on a capital letter in our article on the subject.

What's the difference between Alt and Alt Gr?

The Alt key is located to the left of the space bar. Although the Alt and Alt Gr appear similar, they offer different possibilities. In general, the Alt key is used for general functions, while Alt Gr is used to display special characters and language.

In conclusion,

• The Alt Gr key, short for “Alternate graphic ", allows you to access rare symbols and special characters in combination with other keys.
• The key also offers practical shortcuts in software such as Word, facilitating actions such as opening specific dialog boxes.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you encounter any problems using this key, please feel free to leave a comment. comment.