Mac generating ∆˚¬ characters instead of executing VSCode shortcuts that involve alt / option key

Question

Problem
When I type alt+j, I always get the character ∆, even if I've assigned alt+j to a keyboard shortcut within VSCode.

The same is true for any other alphanumeric keys, but non-character-generating keys work fine with alt, like alt+upArrow.

Therefore, I can't use the alt key as a modifier for many keyboard shortcuts.

I realize this is normal MacOS behavior for text input, but I'm wondering:

Question
Can VSCode override / takes-precedence-over the OS, so that I can use the alt key for keyboard shortcuts?

Tried so far
I've searched for settings within VSCode and MacOS, but haven't found anything obvious. I've also edited keybindings.json, to no effect.

Answer 1

Solved this as follows with no complicated keybinding file changes:

⟶ System preferences
⟶ Keyboard
⟶ Input Sources Tab
⟶ + at bottom left
⟶ add and select Unicode Hex Input from panel on right

 ✓  Mac no longer prints anything on alt+letter|number
 ✓  enter unicode characters via alt+[code]
 ✅ Keyboard shortcuts are assignable to alt key!