About HowToType.org

Why This Site Exists

We've all been there: you need to type an em dash, a copyright symbol, or a degree sign, and you can't remember the keyboard shortcut. You search Google, click a result, and land on a page drowning in ads, cookie banners, newsletter popups, and ten paragraphs of SEO fluff before you finally find the answer buried halfway down the page.

HowToType.org exists to fix that experience. Every page is designed to give you the answer in the first screen—no scrolling, no clicking through slideshows, no mandatory video tutorials. Just the shortcut you need, organized clearly, and explained concisely.

This site is built for people who type for a living: writers, developers, students, journalists, researchers, designers, and anyone who spends hours at a keyboard. If you've ever lost time hunting down a special character or fumbling through menus to insert a symbol, this site is for you.

How It's Built

HowToType.org is intentionally simple. There's no framework, no build process, no client-side rendering. Every page is hand-written HTML with vanilla CSS and minimal JavaScript for search functionality. This approach ensures the site loads instantly, works without JavaScript (except for search), and remains maintainable by a single person.

Technical details:

• Vanilla HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript—no frameworks or libraries
• CSS custom properties for theming and dark mode support
• Semantic HTML with proper ARIA labels for accessibility
• Optimized fonts (DM Mono and Source Serif 4) loaded asynchronously
• Minimal HTTP requests and zero external tracking scripts
• Static site generation for instant page loads

The entire site is optimized for performance. Pages load in under a second on most connections, and the total size of a typical page (HTML + CSS + fonts) is less than 100KB. That's not an accident—it's a deliberate choice to respect your time and bandwidth.

Who It's For

This site serves anyone who needs quick, reliable answers for typing special characters and keyboard shortcuts:

• Writers and editors who need em dashes, en dashes, accent marks, and typographic symbols
• Developers and programmers who want Vim shortcuts, Markdown syntax, and IDE keyboard commands
• Students and academics writing papers with mathematical symbols, citations, and special characters
• Professionals drafting emails, reports, and presentations who need copyright symbols, bullet points, and currency signs
• Anyone learning to type faster or improve their ergonomic setup

If you type regularly and value efficiency, HowToType.org is designed to save you time.

Content & Licensing

All content on HowToType.org is freely available for personal and educational use. You can bookmark pages, print cheat sheets, share links, and reference the guides in your own work without asking permission.

If you find an error or want to suggest an improvement, please get in touch (see contact info below). The goal is accuracy and usefulness, and corrections are always welcome.

The content is written to be evergreen—keyboard shortcuts don't change often, and when they do, the guides are updated to reflect current best practices. Each guide includes shortcuts for Mac, Windows, and Linux where applicable, along with HTML entities and Unicode codes for web developers.

No Ads. No Tracking. No Nonsense.

HowToType.org doesn't use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party tracking scripts. There are no ads, no affiliate links, and no newsletter signup forms. Your visit is private, and your data stays yours.

The site is funded personally and has minimal hosting costs due to its lightweight design. There's no business model here—just a useful resource that respects your attention and privacy.

Contact & Feedback

Have a suggestion, correction, or question? The best way to get in touch is through GitHub issues or by email:

Responses may take a few days, but all genuine feedback is read and considered.

The Philosophy

The web has become bloated, slow, and user-hostile. Many reference sites prioritize ad impressions over user experience, burying useful information under layers of distraction. HowToType.org is a small attempt to push back against that trend.

Good design is invisible. A well-crafted reference site should load instantly, answer your question immediately, and get out of your way. It should work on any device, respect your privacy, and remain accessible to everyone—regardless of connection speed, browser choice, or assistive technology.

That's the standard HowToType.org aims for. It won't always be perfect, but the commitment is to clarity, speed, and respect for your time.

Thanks for using the site, and happy typing.