What are the Keyboard Symbol Names?

A computer keyboard has more symbols than just letters and numbers. This guide shows the name and location of each special keyboard symbol.

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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.

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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.

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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

Symbol	Name
`	grave, grave accent, backtick, back quote
~	tilde
!	exclamation mark, exclamation point, bang
@	at, at sign, at symbol
#	pound, hash, number
$	dollar(s)
%	percent, percent sign, parts per 100
^	carat, hat, circumflex, exponent symbol
&	and, ampersand
*	asterisk
(	open parenthesis, left parenthesis
)	close parenthesis, right parenthesis
( )	parentheses, round brackets
–	hyphen, minus, minus sign, dash
_	underscore
=	equals, equal sign
+	addition, plus sign
[ ]	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

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Special Symbols Using Shortcuts

There are special symbols on U.S. keyboards. The following characters are accessed by shortcuts or special symbols.

This table shows the special symbol names and how to show them with Mac shortcuts.

Special Symbol	Name	Mac
£	pound(s), pound sterling	Option + 3 (US) Shift + 3 (UK)
$	dollar(s)	Shift + 4
¢	cent(s)	Option + 4
€	euro(s)	Option + Shift + 2 (US) Option + 2 (UK)
¥	Japanese yen, Chinese yuan	Option + y
∞	infinity	Option + 5
§	section	Option + 6
¶	paragraph	Option + 7
™	trademark	Option + 2
©	copyright	Option + g
®	registered trademark	Option + r
•	bullet	Option + 8
º	degree	Option + Shift +8
±	plus or minus	Option + Shift + =
≠	not equal sign, inequality	Option + =
≈	approximately	Option + x
∑	upper case sigma, summation	Option + w
π	lower case pi	Option + p
∏	upper case pi	Option + Shift + p
√	square root, radical	Option + v
%	percent, parts per 100	Shift + 5
‰	per mille, parts per 1000	Option + Shift + r
÷	division	Option + /
≤	less than or equal to	Option + ,
≥	greater than or equal to	Option + .
†	dagger, cross	Option + t
‡	double dagger, double cross	Option + Shift + 7
…	ellipsis	Option + ;
–	en dash	Option + –
—	em dash	Option + Shift + –
∆	upper case delta, change	Option + j
Ω	upper case omega	Option + z
µ	lower case mu, population mean	Option + m

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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

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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
Print	⌘ P	Ctrl P
Close workbook	⌘ W	Ctrl F4
Quit Excel	⌘ Q	Alt F4

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For more keyboard shortcuts in Excel, see Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

Jeff Mankin

Jeff Mankin teaches financial literacy. His website is FinallyLearn.com.

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