How to Make Symbols on a Mac

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Hold down certain letter keys to see related symbols.

   In text documents and some online text fields, holding down a letter will open a pop up listing similar symbols in other alphabets.While holding down the key, click on the symbol you want, or press the number key corresponding to the number under the symbol.
   
   Here are a few examples:
   Hold down a to type à á â ä æ ã å ā.
   
   Other vowels have similar options.
   
   Hold down c to type ç ć č.
   
   Hold down n to type ñ ń.
   
   Note that many letters do not have a popup menu.
   
   This popup menu will not appear if you have the Key Repeat slider set to Off in System Preferences → Keyboard.
2. 2

   Step 2: Hold down the ⌥ Option key.

   While holding down ⌥ Option (or Alt on some keyboards), pressing another key will result in a special symbol.
   
   This allows you to type dozens of symbols, mostly used in mathematics or currency.
   
   For example: ⌥ Option + p = π ⌥ Option + 3 = £ ⌥ Option + g = © Check the end of this article for a full list of these keyboard shortcuts.
   
   Alternatively, follow the keyboard input instructions below to view an onscreen keyboard that displays these symbols. , For even more symbols, hold down both these keys while pressing any other key on the keyboard.
   
   You can refer to the list at the end of this article for all options, or get started with these: ⌥ Option + ⇧ Shift + 2 = € ⌥ Option + ⇧ Shift + / = ¿
3. 3

   Step 3: Hold down ⌥ Option and ⇧ Shift.

Detailed Guide

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