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Option key symbols on a Mac

Hold Option, or Option and Shift, and press a key. These tables list all 87 characters those combinations type with the U.S. keyboard layout, read from the layout in macOS itself. Tap a symbol to copy it.

Symbols

Symbol	Name	Keys
	Partial differential	`Option`+`D`
	Copyright sign	`Option`+`G`
	Almost equal to	`Option`+`X`
	Square root	`Option`+`V`
	Lozenge	`Option`+`Shift`+`V`
	Integral	`Option`+`B`
	Summation sign	`Option`+`W`
	Double low-9 quotation mark	`Option`+`Shift`+`W`
	Registered sign	`Option`+`R`
	Per mille sign	`Option`+`Shift`+`R`
	Yen sign	`Option`+`Y`
	Dagger	`Option`+`T`
	Inverted exclamation mark	`Option`+`1`
	Fraction slash	`Option`+`Shift`+`1`
	Trademark sign	`Option`+`2`
	Euro sign	`Option`+`Shift`+`2`
	Pound sign	`Option`+`3`
	Single left-pointing angle quotation mark	`Option`+`Shift`+`3`
	Cent sign	`Option`+`4`
	Single right-pointing angle quotation mark	`Option`+`Shift`+`4`
	Section sign	`Option`+`6`
	Infinity	`Option`+`5`
	Not equal to	`Option`+`=`
	Plus-minus sign	`Option`+`Shift`+`=`
	Middle dot	`Option`+`Shift`+`9`
	Pilcrow	`Option`+`7`
	Double dagger	`Option`+`Shift`+`7`
	En dash	`Option`+`-`
	Em dash	`Option`+`Shift`+`-`
	Bullet	`Option`+`8`
	Degree sign	`Option`+`Shift`+`8`
	Single low-9 quotation mark	`Option`+`Shift`+`0`
	Left single quotation mark	`Option`+`]`
	Right single quotation mark	`Option`+`Shift`+`]`
	Left double quotation mark	`Option`+`[`
	Right double quotation mark	`Option`+`Shift`+`[`
	N-ary product	`Option`+`Shift`+`P`
	Not sign	`Option`+`L`
	Increment (delta)	`Option`+`J`
	Horizontal ellipsis	`Option`+`;`
	Left guillemet	`Option`+`\`
	Right guillemet	`Option`+`Shift`+`\`
	Less than or equal to	`Option`+`,`
	Division sign	`Option`+`/`
	Inverted question mark	`Option`+`Shift`+`/`
	Greater than or equal to	`Option`+`.`

Letters

Symbol	Name	Keys
	Latin small letter a with ring above	`Option`+`A`
	Latin capital letter a with ring above	`Option`+`Shift`+`A`
	Latin small letter sharp s	`Option`+`S`
	Latin capital letter i with acute	`Option`+`Shift`+`S`
	Latin capital letter i with circumflex	`Option`+`Shift`+`D`
	Latin small letter f with hook	`Option`+`F`
	Latin capital letter i with diaeresis	`Option`+`Shift`+`F`
	Latin capital letter o with acute	`Option`+`Shift`+`H`
	Omega	`Option`+`Z`
	Latin small letter c with cedilla	`Option`+`C`
	Latin capital letter c with cedilla	`Option`+`Shift`+`C`
	Latin small letter dotless i	`Option`+`Shift`+`B`
	Latin small ligature oe	`Option`+`Q`
	Latin capital ligature oe	`Option`+`Shift`+`Q`
	Latin capital letter a with acute	`Option`+`Shift`+`Y`
	Caron	`Option`+`Shift`+`T`
	Latin small ligature fl	`Option`+`Shift`+`6`
	Latin small ligature fi	`Option`+`Shift`+`5`
	Feminine ordinal indicator	`Option`+`9`
	Masculine ordinal indicator	`Option`+`0`
	Latin small letter o with stroke	`Option`+`O`
	Latin capital letter o with stroke	`Option`+`Shift`+`O`
	Modifier letter circumflex accent	`Option`+`Shift`+`I`
	Pi	`Option`+`P`
	Latin capital letter o with grave	`Option`+`Shift`+`L`
	Latin capital letter o with circumflex	`Option`+`Shift`+`J`
	Latin small letter ae	`Option`+`'`
	Latin capital letter ae	`Option`+`Shift`+`'`
	Latin capital letter u with acute	`Option`+`Shift`+`;`
	Micro sign	`Option`+`M`
	Latin capital letter a with circumflex	`Option`+`Shift`+`M`

Accent marks on their own

Symbol	Name	Keys
	Dot above	`Option`+`H`
	Double acute accent	`Option`+`Shift`+`G`
	Cedilla	`Option`+`Shift`+`Z`
	Ogonek	`Option`+`Shift`+`X`
	Acute accent	`Option`+`Shift`+`E`
	Diaeresis	`Option`+`Shift`+`U`
	Ring above	`Option`+`K`
	Macron	`Option`+`Shift`+`,`
	Small tilde	`Option`+`Shift`+`N`
	Breve	`Option`+`Shift`+`.`

Accent keys

Five combinations type nothing at first. They wait for the next letter and put an accent on it. Press Space instead of a letter to get the accent on its own.

Press	Then a letter
`Option`+`E`	á é í ó ú
`Option`+`U`	ä ë ï ö ü
`Option`+`I`	â ê î ô û
`Option`+`N`	ã õ ñ
`Option`+`	à è ì ò ù

Other keyboard layouts

These combinations belong to the U.S. layout, and other layouts move some of them. With the British layout, for example, Option+2 types € and Option+Shift+2 types ™, the reverse of the U.S. layout, and Option+3 types #. Apple's Keyboard Viewer shows the combinations for the layout you use: open it from the Input menu in the menu bar, then hold Option, or Option and Shift. If the Input menu is missing, turn on “Show Input menu in menu bar” in the Text Input part of Keyboard settings.

Symbols with no Option key

For everything else, use the Character Viewer: press Fn+E (Globe+E on newer keyboards) or choose Edit › Emoji & Symbols, then search by name, such as “star” or “check mark”. For a symbol you type often, add a text replacement in System Settings › Keyboard › Text Replacements, for example “:deg” for °, and macOS swaps it in as you type.

Each symbol page here lists every way to type its symbol. Start from all symbols, or see Alt codes for the Windows equivalent.