WinCompose

Keyboards can only hold so many buttons for different characters. Besides the symbols that are used most commonly, there is a wealth of other characters and while they are not used by everyone, some people may actually need them. If you don't want to jump through too many hoops to get the symbols you want, you can opt for a simpler solution, like WinCompose. This lightweight utility makes it much easier to type special characters and symbols. It places a vast array of unicode characters, emoticons and icons at your disposal, each with its own unique keyboard combination.

You can have WinCompose up and running in no time, on any popular Windows platform. The setup package is small and there are no advanced settings to be made during the installation process. Furthermore, you don't need powerful hardware to run the application.

WinCompose's functionality is quite simple. While the application is running quietly in the background, you can use various keyboard combinations, to type all sorts of special characters. Of course, some symbols only work in advanced word processors, while others work anywhere, even in Notepad.

You can find a full list of supported characters, with their corresponding shortcuts, neatly organized on a panel, which can be accessed through the application's system tray icon. There are numerous categories to explore, but if you know what characters or symbols you are after, you can use the application's built-in search function.

The best thing about WinCompose is that it doesn't interfere with your normal routine. Each keyboard combination begins by holding down the application's own activation key, which can be defined in the general settings menu, where you can make many other tweaks and even try out the supported symbols. What's more, if you want to make absolutely sure you won't type a special character by mistake, you can simply disable the application, without shutting it down.

Regardless of what special character or symbol you want to type, WinCompose will make this task much easier.