Accented letters: press and hold, or dead keys
For letters, the fastest route is to hold the key down. After about a second a small menu appears with the accented forms, for example holding E offers è é ê ë ē ė ę. Press the number under the one you want or click it. Add Shift first for a capital.
The five Option dead keys do the same job without lifting your hands. Press the dead key, release it, then type the letter:
| Dead key | Accent | Results |
|---|---|---|
Option+E | acute | á é í ó ú ý (Á É Í Ó Ú Ý with Shift) |
Option+` | grave | à è ì ò ù (À È Ì Ò Ù with Shift) |
Option+I | circumflex | â ê î ô û (Â Ê Î Ô Û with Shift) |
Option+N | tilde | ã ñ õ (Ã Ñ Õ with Shift) |
Option+U | umlaut / diaeresis | ä ë ï ö ü ÿ (Ä Ë Ï Ö Ü Ÿ with Shift) |
Pressing a dead key and then Space types the accent on its own (´ ` ˆ ˜ ¨). Carons, macrons, ogoneks and other marks are not on the US layout; switch to ABC Extended (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources) which has a dead key for each of them, or use the accent keyboard tool.
Character Viewer: anything that is not on a key
- Press Control+⌘+Space (on newer keyboards the 🌐 key also opens it).
- Type what you are looking for, such as "check", "arrow" or "degree".
- Double-click the character to insert it, or drag it into a document.
Click the icon in the top-right corner of the viewer to expand it into the full window with categories, a favorites list and the Unicode name of every character. Anything you insert is remembered under Frequently Used.
Unicode Hex Input: type any code point
This is the closest thing to a Mac Alt code. It is a keyboard layout that lets you hold Option and type a four-digit hex code.
- Open System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit, click +, choose Others → Unicode Hex Input and add it.
- Turn on Show Input menu in menu bar and switch to Unicode Hex Input from that menu (or press Control+Space to cycle input sources).
- Hold Option and type the code:
2713for ✓,2192for →,00B0for °,1F600is beyond four digits, so for emoji use the surrogate pair or the Character Viewer.
While this layout is active the regular Option symbols above are unavailable, so most people switch back afterwards. Every symbol page on this site shows the hex code you need.
Text replacement: your own shortcuts
For symbols you use daily, make macOS type them for you. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements, click +, put a short code such as ;deg in Replace and ° in With. The replacement syncs to your iPhone and iPad through iCloud, so it works there too. It applies in most apps; some, such as Terminal and some code editors, ignore it.
Common mix-ups
- • instead of °. Option+8 is a bullet; the degree sign needs Shift: Option+Shift+8.
- Nothing happens after Option+E. It is a dead key waiting for a letter. Type the letter, or press Space to get a bare ´.
- Different symbols than this page. Your input source is not "U.S.". British, Canadian and ABC Extended layouts move several symbols.
- The Apple logo shows as a box on other devices. Option+Shift+K types a private-use character that only Apple fonts include. Avoid it in anything sent to Windows or Android users.
Frequently asked questions
Do Alt codes work on a Mac? +
No. Alt codes are a Windows feature that reads a number from the numeric keypad. On a Mac the Option key produces symbols directly, for example Option+G types © and Option+Shift+8 types °.
What is the Mac equivalent of Alt codes? +
Option key shortcuts for about 90 common symbols, the press-and-hold accent menu for letters, the Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space) for everything else, and the Unicode Hex Input keyboard if you want to type a code point directly.
How do I type a degree symbol on a Mac? +
Press Option+Shift+8. Option+8 on its own gives a bullet (•), which is the most common mix-up.
How do I type an accented letter like é on a Mac? +
Either hold the E key and pick from the pop-up, or press Option+E, release, then press E. The same dead-key pattern gives grave (Option+`), circumflex (Option+I), tilde (Option+N) and umlaut (Option+U).
How do I type a Unicode code point on a Mac? +
Add the Unicode Hex Input source in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, switch to it, then hold Option and type the four-digit hex code (for example 2713 for ✓).
Why does my Option key type a different symbol? +
The map on this page is for the US layout. British, Canadian, ABC Extended and other layouts move a few symbols, for example # on the UK layout is Option+3. Check which input source is active in the menu bar.