Fraction ALT Codes

When to use proper fraction symbols. In formal writing, recipes, manuals, or anywhere the visual quality of typography matters, the single-glyph fraction (½) reads noticeably cleaner than "1/2" typed as three characters. Word processors often render 1/2 with some automatic kerning, but it's never as compact as the real fraction character.

The three in Windows-1252. Only ½, ¼, and ¾ have classic Windows ALT codes. These date back to typewriter conventions and were baked into extended ASCII. All other fractions came later with Unicode and require more modern input methods.

Unicode fractions (U+2150 block). Unicode includes a range of vulgar fractions that aren't in Windows-1252: ⅓ ⅔ ⅕ ⅖ ⅗ ⅘ ⅙ ⅚ ⅛ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞. In Word, type the hex code (e.g., 2153 for ⅓) then press Alt+X to convert. Easier: just tap the character above to copy.

Not every fraction has a precomposed form. Things like ⅑ (one ninth) don't have dedicated characters — you'd have to build them with Unicode combining marks or use the "fraction slash" character (U+2044): 1⁄9. This is rarely worth the trouble for one-off use; just type "1/9" in those cases.

Word's automatic fraction substitution. Microsoft Word's AutoCorrect can automatically convert "1/2" to ½, "1/4" to ¼, and "3/4" to ¾. This is enabled by default but only covers those three. To enable: File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options → AutoFormat As You Type → check "Fractions (1/2) with fraction character."

Recipes are the #1 use case. If you're writing a recipe PDF or printing a recipe card, proper fractions make the ingredient list scan beautifully: "½ cup sugar, ¼ tsp salt" reads faster than "1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt." Same for measurements in woodworking, sewing, construction — anywhere imperial fractions appear.