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ASCII code for Enter

ASCII codes for Enter: CR (13), LF (10), and CRLF (13+10). Learn how different operating systems represent line breaks and how to type them.

Enter / line-break ASCII specification

Version 1.0.0 · Last reviewed 2026-07-28

Definition
Enter/newline uses ASCII control codes LF (10) and/or CR (13). Windows typically uses CRLF; Unix and modern macOS use LF.
What it calculates
Documents ASCII control codes for Enter/line breaks: LF (10), CR (13), and CRLF (13+10) across OS conventions.
Inputs
  • Reference lookup for Enter / newline control characters
Outputs
  • LF \n = 10 / 0x0A
  • CR \r = 13 / 0x0D
  • CRLF \r\n = 13,10 (Windows)
Formula
Unix/macOS: LF(10); Windows: CR(13)+LF(10); classic Mac: CR(13)

Pressing Enter inserts a line break. ASCII defines two control characters involved: LF (Line Feed, 10) and CR (Carriage Return, 13). Different systems combine them differently.

ASCII codes

Name Character Decimal Hex Description
LF \n 10 0A Line Feed — move to next line
CR \r 13 0D Carriage Return — move to start of line
CRLF \r\n 13, 10 0D 0A Windows/DOS line ending
LF only \n 10 0A Unix/Linux/macOS line ending
CR only \r 13 0D Old Mac (pre-OS X) line ending

Line ending conventions

System Line ending Bytes
Windows CRLF \r\n (13, 10)
Linux / macOS LF \n (10)
Classic Mac OS CR \r (13)

How to type / represent

Context Enter / new line
Keyboard Enter or Return key
C/C++ string \n (LF) or \r\n (CRLF)
HTML new line <br> (not an ASCII control char in HTML text)
HTML entity (LF) &#10;
HTML entity (CR) &#13;
Escape sequences \x0A (LF), \x0D (CR)

FAQ

What is the ASCII code for Enter?

Enter typically sends CR (13) or CRLF (13+10) depending on the terminal or OS. In C strings, \n (LF, 10) is the standard newline escape.

Why do Windows and Linux text files differ?

Historical convention: Windows uses CRLF (\r\n); Unix/Linux uses LF (\n) only. Tools like dos2unix convert between formats.

What is \r\n in code?

Carriage Return + Line Feed — the two-byte Windows/DOS line ending sequence.

Can a file mix CR and LF line endings?

Yes, though it causes inconsistent behavior in some editors. Normalize with dos2unix or your editor's line-ending setting.

What ASCII code does the Enter key send?

Terminals often send CR (13) or LF (10). Raw keyboard scan codes differ from the ASCII character stored in a text file.

Assumptions
  • LF and CR are ASCII control characters (not printable glyphs).
  • Modern macOS uses LF like Unix; classic Mac OS used CR alone.
  • Reference page; conventions follow common text-file practice.
Units
  • Dec / Hex control codes
  • Escape: \n / \r / \r\n
Boundary conditions
  • Enter is not a single universal ASCII printable code.
  • Mixed line endings can break parsers that expect one convention.
Example
Windows Enter → CRLF (13,10); Unix Enter → LF (10)
Validation cases
  • LF → 10 / 0x0A / \n
  • CR → 13 / 0x0D / \r
  • Windows line ending → CRLF 13,10
  • Unix/macOS line ending → LF 10
Sources
  • ANSI X3.4 ASCII control codes CR/LF
  • Common text-file line-ending conventions (CRLF / LF / CR)
Last reviewed
2026-07-28
Calculation version
1.0.0
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