Delete

This article describes the ASCII control character. For the key on standard keyboards, see Remove (key) .

Delete ( DEL ) is a control character in the ASCII character set . It is in the last position in the character set and has the number 127 (decimal) / 0x7F (hexadecimal) / 1111111 (binary). Computer keyboards do not offer a standardized input option for this character. Originally it was used to overwrite incorrectly punched characters on punched tapes or punch cards , since any ASCII-coded character can be subsequently re- punched into a delete character by punching out all seven bits. Read-in delete characters were then simply ignored in the reader.

To make it easier to insert a new punched tape correctly, several delete characters were sometimes punched in advance of the actual characters in order to create a mechanical lead. This meant that the punched tape no longer had to be inserted exactly at the beginning, but only somewhere within the lead.