How do you type a vertical bar (|)?
On QWERTY it is Shift with the backslash key. On Belgian AZERTY in Windows it is AltGr with the & and 1 key.
It is also called a pipe. You see it in code, in plain-text tables and as a divider in titles.
The keys on each keyboard
Belgian AZERTY (Windows)
- |
- AltGr+&(1)
Belgian AZERTY (Mac)
- |
- Option+Shift+L
US QWERTY
- |
- Shift+\
US International
- |
- Shift+\
UK QWERTY (Windows)
- |
- Shift+\
UK QWERTY (Mac)
- |
- Shift+\
Try it on your own keyboard
With an Alt code
On Windows with a numeric keypad: hold Alt, type 124 on the numeric keypad and let go of Alt. Then | appears.
Frequently asked questions
Is | the same as a lower-case L or a capital i?
No. They look alike in some fonts, but to a computer they are three different characters.
Never hunt for a key again
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