Plus

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope

Plus may refer to any of the following:

Plus symbol

1. With a keyboard or symbol, the plus ( + ) is found on the same key as the equal sign. As pictured here, it is depicted as a horizontal and vertical line that crosses exactly at the center.

Where is the plus key on the keyboard?

Below is an overview of a computer keyboard with the plus key highlighted in blue on the main keyboard and numeric keypad.

Plus key

How to create the + symbol

Creating the + symbol on a U.S. keyboard

To create a plus using a U.S. keyboard, hold down Shift and press + keyboard key. It is on the same key as the equals sign ( = ), next to the backspace key.

Tip

The plus is easier to use on the numeric keypad with math formulas.

Tip

Doing the Alt code Alt+43 can also create a plus.

Creating the + symbol on a smartphone or tablet

To create a plus on a smartphone or tablet, open the OSK (on-screen keyboard). Tap the numbers (123) button, then (#+=) or symbols (sym) key. Then tap the + symbol.

What is a plus used for on a computer?

The plus key is used in programming and mathematics to add two or more numbers or as a programming operator.

Plus in a math formula

In a math formula, a plus represents addition. For example, in the below formula, you can see that 2 <plus> 1 equals 3.

2 + 1 = 3

A plus in a URL

In a URL (uniform resource locator), the + is a common method used to represent a space because spaces are not allowed in URLs.

Plus in a keyboard shortcut

When describing a keyboard shortcut, the plus symbol indicates two or more keys pressed at the same time. For example, Ctrl+A indicates pressing Ctrl and A at the same time to select all text. The plus may also be used as a shortcut. For example, in your browser, press Ctrl++ at the same time to zoom in on text or an image.

A plus in a regular expression

With a regular expression, a plus is used to match one or more times. For example, in the below regular expression, all occurrences of the letter "z" in the $example variable would be replaced with a single letter "a." In other words, the "z" would become "a," "zz" would become "a," "zzz" would become "a," etc.

$example =~ /z+/a/g;

Increment a variable in programming

Two pluses next to each other in programming is a shorthand method of incrementing a variable's value. For example, if you had a variable called $count equal to "10" and you wrote $count++; in many different programming languages, it would increment by one and become "11."

What is the other symbol on the plus key?

On U.S. keyboards, the plus key is shared with the equals key, which may be next to or above the equals symbol. To create a plus, hold down Shift while pressing =.

2. Plus is also an abbreviated version of Google+.

3. Short for Microsoft Plus!

Computer abbreviations, Hyphen, Keyboard terms, Typography terms