The percent sign % is at Shift+5 on a US keyboard. It means "per hundred", and its shape came from a contraction of the Italian per cento. It also has a second life in computing, where it marks the modulo operator, a format placeholder, and an escaped character in a URL.
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard US keyboard | Press Shift+5 directly, it's a printable key, no code needed |
|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "Percent Sign" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 0025, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 0025, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | % · \0025 (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Any device (US keyboard)
- Press Shift+5, it's printed on the keycap.
- On other layouts (AZERTY, QWERTZ) the key may be in a different position or need a modifier, use the picker methods below if you can't find it.
Windows
- Open Character Map: Win+R, type charmap, press Enter.
- Search or scroll for Percent Sign (U+0025).
- Select it, click Copy, then paste where you need it.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "Percent Sign" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 0025.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to %.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ‰ (U+2030) | Per mille sign, parts per thousand | Use it for very small proportions. It has an extra zero in the denominator circle. |
| ٪ (U+066A) | Arabic percent sign | For Arabic text. It usually arrives by accident through a keyboard layout switch. |
| %20 in a URL | A percent-encoded space | Not a literal percent. To put a real one in a URL, encode it as %25. |
05 FAQ
What is the Unicode code point for the percent sign?
It is U+0025, decimal 37. It is an ASCII character and available everywhere.
Should there be a space before the percent sign?
It depends on the standard. Most English style guides close it up, as in 50%. The SI standard and many European conventions put a space before it, as in 50 %. Be consistent within a document.
What does % mean in programming?
In most languages it is the modulo operator, giving the remainder of a division. In C-style format strings and in Python it also introduces a placeholder, as in %s for a string.
Why do URLs contain %20?
URLs cannot carry raw spaces, so a space is percent-encoded as %20 using its hexadecimal byte value. Any reserved character can be encoded the same way, and a literal percent becomes %25.
What is the difference between percent and percentage point?
A rise from 10% to 12% is a rise of two percentage points, but a 20% increase. Mixing the two is a common and genuinely misleading error in reporting numbers.