A computer has more keyboard symbols than just letters and numbers. This guide shows the names and location of each special keyboard symbol beyond the letters (A-Z) and numbers (0-9).
Windows Keyboard Symbols
Here are the Windows keyboard symbols in the U.S. Windows adds a Windows Key (Win Key) and a Menu key on the bottom row. See the names for all the Windows symbols below.
Mac Keyboard Symbols
Here are the Mac keyboard symbols in the U.S. The Mac keyboard adds the Command ⌘ key and the Control and Option keys on the bottom row. The names of all the Mac symbols are below.
Here is the list of common keyboard symbols and their names. First, let’s look at the symbols on the top row where the number keys are located.
Keyboard Symbols on the Top Row
| Symbol | Name |
|---|---|
| ` | grave accent, back tick, back quote |
| ~ | tilde |
| ! | exclamation mark, exclamation point |
| @ | at, at sign, at symbol |
| # | pound, hash, number |
| $ | dollar sign, generic currency |
| % | percent sign |
| ^ | carat |
| & | and, ampersand |
| * | asterisk |
| ( | open parenthesis, left parenthesis |
| ) | close parenthesis, right parenthesis |
| ( ) | parentheses, round brackets |
| – | hyphen, minus sign, dash |
| _ | underscore |
| = | equal sign |
| + | plus sign |
Symbols on the Right Side
There are also special characters on the right of the keyboard. These include punctuation and other symbols.
| Symbol | Name |
|---|---|
| [ ] | brackets, square brackets |
| [ | open bracket |
| ] | close bracket |
| { } | braces, curly brackets |
| { | open brace |
| } | close brace |
| \ | backslash, backward slash |
| | | vertical pipe, pipe |
| ; | semicolon |
| : | colon |
| ‘ | apostrophe, prime, single quote |
| “ | quotation mark, double quotes |
| , | comma |
| . | period, decimal, dot |
| / | slash, forward slash |
| <> | angle brackets |
| < | less than |
| > | greater than |
| ? | question mark |
Additional Symbols
There are additional symbols on international keyboards. Some of the following characters are accessed by either keyboard keys, shortcuts, or inserting symbols.
| Symbol | Name |
|---|---|
| £ | pound sign, pound sterling |
| ¢ | cent sign, cents |
| € | euro sign |
| ¥ | yen sign |
| ∞ | infinity |
| § | section |
| ¶ | paragraph |
| ™ | trademark |
| © | copyright |
| ® | registered trademark |
| º | degree |
| ≠ | not equal sign, inequality |
| ≈ | approximately symbol |
Modifier Keys for Mac and Windows
There are several modifier keys for both Mac and Windows. These keys perform special functions such as copy, paste, save, and print.
The command key or ⌘ symbol on the Mac was first introduced in 1980. It allows many shortcuts on the Mac. The control key or Ctrl has a similar function in Windows.
| Special Key Name | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Alt or Option | ⌥ | Alt |
| Caps Lock | Caps Lock | Caps Lock |
| Command | ⌘ | Cmd |
| Control | ⌃ | Ctrl |
| Delete or Backspace | Delete | Backspace |
| Escape or Cancel | Esc | Esc |
| Enter or Return | ⏎ | Enter |
| Function | fn | Fn |
| Shift | ⇧ | Shift |
| Tab | Tab | Tab |
Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Excel
Once you know the symbols, you can use these for keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can save lots of time over using a mouse. One of the best examples is using Excel. The following Excel keyboard shortcuts relate to opening, saving, and printing files.
| Excel Action | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| New workbook | ⌘ N | Ctrl N |
| Open workbook | ⌘ O | Ctrl O |
| Save workbook | ⌘ S | Ctrl S |
| Save as | ⌘ ⇧ S | F12 |
| ⌘ P | Ctrl P | |
| Close workbook | ⌘ W | Ctrl F4 |
| Quit Excel | ⌘ Q | Alt F4 |
For more keyboard shortcuts in Excel, see Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows and Mac.
