How to create your own characters with the Private Character Editor from Windows

You probably know that you can use special symbols and characters from fonts installed on your Windows computer or device. Character Map is the best tool for finding and selecting those. But what about making your own special characters in Windows instead of using symbols created by others? Yes, you can do that. In this guide, we will show you how to create and save your unique symbols using Private Character Editor. They can be inserted into any document, whenever you need, as long as you intend to use them for your own use only. If you are curious to see how it works, read this tutorial: NOTE: You can run Private Character Editor only if you are an administrator.

Step 1. Start the Private Character Editor

If you use Windows 10, the easiest way for you to open the Private Character Editor is to use Cortana's search feature. Enter the word "private" in her search box from the taskbar, and then click or tap on the Private Character Editor shortcut. In Windows 7, you can write the word "private" in the Start Menu search box and then click on Private Character Editor. Alternatively, in Windows 7, you can also find a shortcut for Private Character Editor in the Start Menu. If you prefer this method, open the Start Menu, go to All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools and then click on the Private Character Editor shortcut. In Windows 8.1, there is no Private Character Editor shortcut in the All Apps list on the Start screen. However, you can use search to find it. While on the Start screen, type the word "private" and then click or tap on the Private Character Editor search result. In all modern Windows versions - Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 - you can also use File/Windows Explorer to launch Private Character Editor. Start by opening the partition where the operating system is installed (in most cases it is the "C:" drive). Then, navigate to "C:WindowsSystem32" and look for a file named eudcedit.exe. Double-click or double-tap on it and the Private Character Editor opens. Note that, if you want to, you can even create a shortcut for the eudcedit.exe file on your desktop or taskbar (in all Windows versions). You could also pin the eudcedit.exe file to the Start Menu in Windows 10 or to the Start screen in Windows 8.1, or even pin it to the taskbar for faster access. Finally, another method to open Private Character Editor that works in all Windows versions is to open the Run window, enter the command eudcedit and then press Enter or OK. Regardless of the operating system that you have and the method that you use to launch Private Character Editor, once it opens you should see a window similar to the one in the screenshot below. The Private Character Editor looks and works the same in all versions of Windows, so to keep things simple, from now on we will only use screenshots taken in Windows 10.

Step 2. Select the code for your new character

The first thing that you are requested is to choose a hexadecimal code that will be assigned to the new symbol that you are about to create. You have to do this because each character in a font has a hexadecimal code that is used to identify it uniquely. Therefore, the new character that you are about to create must also be identified by a code. If you choose the first box, the code will be E000, if you choose the box from the second column and the first row, the code will be E001 and so on. It is up to you what code you choose for your new character. When you open the Private Character Editor for the first time, the whole grid is empty. However, after you create a character, you will see it in the corresponding box. For example, we have previously created 2 symbols: one with the code E040 and the other one with E041. Now each box shows the associated character. Once you have chosen the hexadecimal code, you are free to create your own character.

Step 3. Use the available tools to draw a new character

Your canvas is a 50x50 grid in which you can draw anything you like, just like you do in Paint. Private Character Editor gives you ten different tools that you can use to create characters. The tools can all be found on the left side of the window, or by opening the Tools -> Item menu. The default tool is the Pencil. Using it, you can only draw on one square at a time. If you want to draw 2 x 2 squares, use the second tool, which is named Brush. For lines, just like those in Paint, use the Straight Line tool. Hold down the left mouse button to the point where you want the line to start and release it at the line's end. If you have a touchscreen, you can simply drag your finger on the canvas. To draw rectangles of any type and size, use the Hollow Rectangle or the Filled Rectangle tool. Obviously, the Hollow Rectangle draws empty rectangles, while the Filled Rectangle draws filled rectangles. The Hollow Ellipse and the Filled Ellipse are the tools you need when you want to draw circles or any other rounded shape figures. The Eraser tool, which you can find at the end of the tools list, simply removes 2 x 2 blocks from the drawing, no questions asked.

Step 4. Edit your new character

Sometimes you might also need to edit the character. For example, you might want to move a selection from one place to another, or you might want to delete entire parts of the character that do not look as you want them to. For that, use the next tools: The Rectangular Selection tool from the left side of the window allows you to select a rectangle shaped area. Click or tap in the middle of the selected area to move it or drag its corners and sides to change its shape. The Free Form Selection works similarly to the Rectangular Selection tool, but you can choose any shape you want to be selected. As you would expect, you can also cut, copy, paste or delete any selection from the character. To do so, open the Edit menu at the top of the window and choose the option you want to use.

Step 5. Link the character with one or more fonts

Private Character Editor allows you to link your character to either all fonts or a specific font. By doing this, the character is added to the selected font(s). To do this, open the File menu and click or tap on Font Links. You are first asked if you want to save your character. Click or tap on Yes. If you want to link the character with all fonts, select the "Link with All Fonts" option and press OK. If you want to link your character to only one or more specific fonts, choose "Link with Selected Fonts," in the Font Links window. Select the fonts one by one and then click or tap "Save as" and choose a name for your custom character. After you have chosen the name, it will be displayed as a character available with the font(s) you have selected. Press OK, and you are done.

Step 6. Save your character

Now that you linked your character to a font, it is time to save it. Open the Edit menu and click or tap on "Save Character." Alternatively, you can also simultaneously press the Ctrl + S keys on your keyboard. If you want to save it using a different hex code, go to Edit -> "Save Character As." Choose the new hexadecimal code as its identifier and click or tap on OK.

Step 7. View and use your custom character

To see and then copy the new character you created into a document, open Character Map. However, before you do that, make sure that you close Private Character Editor before searching for your symbol in Character Map. Otherwise, the search will not work. In Character Map, open the Fonts drop-down list and select "All Fonts (Private Characters)." To find your new symbol in the Character Map, you can also select the Private Characters associated with the font to which it is linked. For example, we have saved the character from the next screenshot in the Arial font so that we will find it under Arial (Private Characters). Now you can copy and paste it to any document, as shown in our Character Map guide. Turn the page to learn how to use existing characters to create your own characters and how to also how to edit previously created private characters.

How to use existing characters to create your own characters

The Private Character Editor also allows you to select a pre-existing symbol to be used as a reference for your new character. Start by opening the Window menu and click or tap on Reference. Click or tap the Font button to choose the font. Select the font and the font style and then press OK. Then, select the character you want to use as a reference and press OK. The reference symbol is opened in a new 50x50 grid, on the right-hand side. You can select any part of the reference character and copy it to your symbol. Select the area you are interested in and drag it on your canvas. You should also be aware of the fact that you cannot modify the reference symbol. Once you have finished working with a reference character, open the Window menu again and click or tap on "Close reference" to close the symbol. If you want your new character to be based on an existing character, the Private Character Editor gives you the option to copy it on the canvas. This will replace completely what you already have drawn. Open the Edit menu and click or tap on "Copy Character." Click or tap on the Font button and select the desired font and font style. Then, select the character you want to copy and click OK. The character you chose is loaded on your canvas, and you will now be able to edit it. Once you have made your edits, you can save it as a new character, just like we have shown you on the previous page of this guide.

How to edit a previously created character

To edit a character you previously designed, open the Edit menu and click or tap "Select Code." From the grid, pick the box associated with the character and click or tap on OK. The character is now opened, and you can use the tools mentioned in the sections above to edit it. This is it!

Frequently asked questions from readers

Some of our readers asked if you can associate a keyboard shortcut to private characters that you create using Private Character Editor. The answer is no; Windows does not offer a built-in feature for that. However, if you need such a feature, you could try looking at third-party alternatives such as AutoHotkey. Others also asked about how to use the new characters they create in documents which they intend to send to other people. Unfortunately, the Private Character Editor is, first and foremost, a Private Character Editor: the symbols you create with it are intended only for personal use, not for distributing. You cannot use private characters on other computers, at least not by ordinary means.

Conclusion

Now you are free to test your designer skills and creativity by creating new symbols with the Private Character Editor. Play with each of the tools and options available and see how easy it is to make a new character. Next, insert your new characters into documents and give them a touch of originality.