Mac keyboards can type over 150,000 Unicode characters. A standard Mac keyboard has about 80 keys, but combining them with modifier keys — Option, Command, and Control — unlocks access to the full Unicode character set.
Open Character Viewer with Fn + E. This built-in tool gives you access to every emoji, symbol, currency sign, arrow, and special character organized by category, right from any app.
Press and hold a letter key to access accented versions. After a second, macOS shows an accent picker — just press the number for the variant you need. Alternatively, use two-key Option shortcuts (e.g., Option + E, then a letter for an acute accent like é).
Create your own shortcuts for symbols you use often. Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements to set a trigger phrase that auto-expands to any character. For longer text snippets, Rocket Typist handles full paragraphs and complex formatting — available on Setapp with 270+ Mac apps on a single subscription. Start your free 7-day trial.
There are a few ways you can type special characters on Mac: with the help of existing shortcuts or by creating new custom ones, through the Keyboard Viewer or Emoji and Symbols Viewer, or by pressing and holding the base key letter to see the accent menu.
Below, I’ll walk you through each method in detail.
What are all the Mac keyboard symbols?
A standard keyboard has around 80 keys — but you can use it to input all Unicode characters, of which there are over 150,000 according to the Unicode Consortium. To start, simply explore how face-value characters change when you combine them with modifier keys — Control, Option, and Command. You can even combine multiple modifiers together.
To see all Mac keyboard shortcut symbols clearly, you need to turn on the full keyboard layout.
Quick reference for common symbols
Here's a summary of the most-used special character shortcuts on Mac. Detailed instructions for each alternative method follow below:
For instant access to any special character without memorizing shortcuts, try PopChar. It shows all available symbols in a floating window and even reveals the keyboard shortcuts for each one. I keep PopChar in my menu bar for the moments I need an em dash or another symbol mid-sentence — it's faster than any shortcut I've tried to memorize.
Once you've got special characters covered, it's worth bookmarking the full list of Mac keyboard shortcuts — they follow the same modifier key logic.
Show all Mac keyboard symbols
The fastest way to see every symbol your Mac can type is to open Keyboard Viewer and Emoji & Symbols from the Input menu in the menu bar.
If you don’t see the Input menu, here’s how to enable it:
Open System Settings > Keyboard.
Go to Text Input > Click Edit next to Input Sources.
3. Enable Show input menu in menu bar.
Now you can click on the language flag in your menu bar and choose Show Keyboard Viewer. The interactive display will appear, showing all keyboard symbols. It updates in real time when you use modifier keys.
Even with all modifier key combinations, you can't fit every character into that limited space. To see all Mac key symbols, click Show Emoji & Symbols from the same language flag menu. Or use the shortcut Fn + E.
Here, in the Character Viewer, you'll see all kinds of categories on the left: Emoji, Arrows, Currency Symbols, and more. The center shows all characters within a category. On the right, you can pick font variations of the same symbol.
To type a trademark symbol (™), for example:
Open your word processor of choice.
Call up the Mac symbols menu with Fn + E.
Navigate to Letterlike Symbols on the sidebar.
Double-click on ™ to paste it into your editor.
The Character Viewer gives you access to nearly all Unicode characters you'll ever need.
How to create custom keyboard shortcut symbols on Mac
You can add symbols you frequently use to your favorites in Character Viewer, which saves some time. But there's a much better way.
Mac lets you create shortcuts for all keyboard symbols so you can type them easily whenever you need. For example, to create a shortcut for the copyright symbol:
The default shortcut method works well for individual characters or emoji. It falls short when you need to expand longer strings of text — like email templates, boilerplate responses, or recurring phrases. That's where Rocket Typist can help you.
Rocket Typist is a full-featured text expansion app that cuts down on repetitive typing. You build a personal library of snippets — anything from a single phrase to full paragraphs — and trigger them instantly with a short abbreviation in any app. I use Rocket Typist for everything I type more than twice: email sign-offs, my address, and so on. You just set up an abbreviation once and never have to think about it again.
Still retyping your email sign-off, your address, your standard replies? That's fixable in two minutes. Rocket Typist turns any repeated phrase into a short abbreviation — included in Setapp, free for 7 days. Try Rocket Typist Free. Or get Rocket Typist standalone for $19.99 USD.
For everything beyond individual symbols — full phrases, templates, and repeated text — it's also worth knowing how clipboard history works on Mac and which tools extend it.
Quickly switch between keyboard languages
Sometimes, the Mac keyboard symbols you need are only available in another language — they might be Cyrillic-based, for instance. To access them, you need to enable another keyboard layout on your Mac.
Here's how to add a new keyboard layout:
Go to System Settings > Keyboard.
Navigate to Input Sources > Click Edit.
Click the plus sign.
4. Choose the language you need and press Add.
The second keyboard layout is now activated. The standard shortcut to switch between layouts is Fn or Control + Space.
Type special character variations
In some cases, you just want to access a variation of a symbol that's already on your keyboard, such as an accented letter. The fastest trick is to press and hold the base letter key; after a second, macOS pops up the accent menu so you can hit a number key to pick the version you need.
Another way is to use a keyboard shortcut:
Symbol
Shortcut
Example
acute accent
Option + E, then letter
é, ó, á
grave accent
Option + backtick, then letter
è, ò, à
circumflex
Option + I, then letter
ê, ô, â
tilde
Option + N, then letter
ñ, õ, ã
umlaut
Option + U, then letter
ö, ä, ï
You can also find character variations in the Keyboard Viewer, as described above.
Search anything instantly
The next best thing is having a smart search tool that surfaces the answer the moment you need it. Because there's a lot to take in here, and you won't always have these shortcuts memorized — that's completely fine.
Lacona is an intelligent search for your Mac that contextually analyzes the query and outputs a range of possible solutions. Whether it's launching an app, looking it up online, or performing a pre-defined action.
So when I can't remember a combo, I just type the question in natural language, say “how do I type a copyright symbol?” and it points me in the right direction without breaking my focus or opening a new tab.
Can't remember which Option combo does what? Just ask Lacona. Type a natural language question in the menu bar — Lacona finds the shortcut, launches the app, or runs the action. Free for 7 days with Setapp. Try Lacona Free.
Master Mac keyboard symbols effortlessly
Mac keyboard symbols go far beyond what's visible on the keys — and once you know the shortcuts, you'll wonder how you ever typed without them. For everything else, Rocket Typist lets you trigger any symbol or text snippet with a short abbreviation, while Lacona surfaces the right shortcut the moment you need it.
Bothapps are available on Setapp — a subscription that gives you access to 270+ Mac and iOS apps. Try it free for 7 days and see what fits your workflow.
Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources and enable Show Input menu in menu bar. Click the language flag in your menu bar and choose Show Keyboard Viewer to see all symbols. For the complete Unicode character set, choose Show Emoji & Symbols or press Fn + E.
How do I create custom keyboard shortcut symbols on Mac?
How do I quickly switch between keyboard languages?
Add languages in System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources. Press Fn or Control + Space to switch between layouts. Enable Show Input menu in menu bar to see the active layout. This is essential for accessing language-specific characters like Cyrillic or Greek symbols.
How do I type é or other accented letters on a Mac?
Press and hold the base letter key (like E) for one second to see accent options, then press the number for your choice. Alternatively, use Option key combinations: Option + E then E for é, Option + I then A for â, Option + N then N for ñ, Option + U then U for ü.
What is the shortcut to open Emoji & Symbols on Mac?
Press Fn + E to open the Character Viewer (Emoji & Symbols). This gives you access to all emojis, symbols, arrows, currency signs, and special characters. You can also access it from the language flag menu in your menu bar if you've enabled it in System Settings.
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3. Enable Show input menu in menu bar.
4. Click the plus sign.
5. Type your desired trigger phrase (like "ccopy") in the Replace field above.
