Mac Keyboard Symbols (⌘ ⌥ ⇧ ⌃) Explained, and How to Type Them

Explainers · 4 min read · Published October 25, 2026

Quick answer: the symbols in Mac menus and shortcut lists stand for keys: ⌘ Command, ⌥ Option, ⇧ Shift, ⌃ Control, ⇪ Caps Lock, ⎋ Escape, ⇥ Tab, ⌫ Delete and ⏎ Return. So ⇧⌘4 means "hold Shift and Command, then press 4". To type the symbols themselves, use the Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space) or copy them from the table below.

Quick reference: every method

Every Alt code below is verified against the real Windows code pages — where none exists we say so, rather than list one that won’t work.

Every Mac key symbol

Click a symbol to open its page and copy it. The code point column is what you need for Word's Alt+X method on Windows.

The Fn key has no symbol of its own. On newer Macs it doubles as the Globe key and shows a 🌐 icon, and Apple writes it as "Fn" or with the globe. The arrow keys usually appear in shortcut lists as ←, →, ↑ and ↓, or as small triangles (▲ ▼ ◀ ▶) in Apple's own keyboard documentation.

How to read a Mac shortcut

The modifier symbols come first, then the final key. Hold all the modifiers, press the last key, then let go:

• ⌘C: Command + C (copy)
• ⇧⌘3: Shift + Command + 3 (screenshot of the whole screen)
• ⌃⌘Space: Control + Command + Space bar (open the Character Viewer)
• ⌥⌘⎋: Option + Command + Escape (Force Quit)

macOS menus always list the modifiers in the same order, ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ (Control, Option, Shift, Command). If you write instructions for Mac users, using the same order makes them easier to follow. Our Mac keyboard shortcuts list uses these symbols throughout.

Where the odd names come from

Unicode names characters by their shape or original purpose, not by the Mac key they ended up on. That is why the Command symbol is officially the Place of Interest Sign, Control is Up Arrowhead and Shift is Upwards White Arrow. Of the four modifier keys, only Option has a character named after it (⌥ Option Key); a few other keys do too, such as ⏎ Return Symbol and ⏏ Eject Symbol. These names are worth knowing because they are what you search for in a character picker.

How to type the symbols on a Mac

1. Character Viewer: press Control+Command+Space or Fn/🌐+E (or choose Edit → Emoji & Symbols), then search for the Unicode name, for example "place of interest" for ⌘. Double-click it to insert it.
2. Unicode Hex Input: add the "Unicode Hex Input" input source in System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, switch to it, then hold Option and type the code, for example 2318 for ⌘. Switch back to your normal layout afterwards.
3. Text replacement: for symbols you use often, set up a shortcut such as ;cmd → ⌘ once and type it anywhere. See our text replacement guide.

None of these key symbols has a built-in Option-key shortcut. For the Option shortcuts that type other symbols (© ® ™ € and more), see the Alt codes and Mac shortcuts finder, and the Mac's emoji and symbols picker shortcut.

How to type them on Windows

None of the Mac key symbols has a Windows Alt code, because they are far outside the 0–255 range Alt codes cover. Instead:

• Microsoft Word: type the code from the table and press Alt+X: 2318 gives ⌘, 2325 gives ⌥. See how to insert symbols in Word.
• Anywhere else: copy the symbol from this page and paste it.

iPhone and iPad

The iOS keyboard has no keys for these symbols. Copy them from this page, or create a text replacement in Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. If you use a hardware keyboard with an iPad, the same ⌘ ⌥ ⇧ ⌃ symbols appear in the shortcut overlay that shows when you hold ⌘.

Writing them on a web page

If you document shortcuts on a website, put each key in a <kbd> element and spell the name out the first time (for example "⌘ Command"). Screen readers may read the symbol by its Unicode name, "place of interest sign", which means nothing to most listeners. The numeric HTML codes are ⌘ for ⌘, ⌥ for ⌥, ⇧ for ⇧ and ⌃ for ⌃.

Sources

• Apple Support: Mac keyboard shortcuts
• Apple Support: Use emoji and symbols on Mac

Frequently asked questions