Mac keyboard symbols

What do ⌘, ⌥, ⇧ and ⌃ mean? Here’s every symbol you see in Mac menus, with its name. Click one to copy it, for docs, tutorials or a message to a friend.

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Clacky

Hi! It’s all free 👋Click an app to open it. Drag a window by its top bar.

Clacky Island

It runs right here, on the little Mac. Drag the window, open other apps from the Dock.

The four modifier keys

⌘ Command: the main shortcut key (⌘C copy, ⌘V paste).
⌥ Option: alternatives and special characters (⌥ + e then e gives é).
⇧ Shift: capitals, and “the other way” (⇧⌘Z redo).
⌃ Control: extra shortcuts; Control-click is a right click.

Reading a shortcut

Mac menus list modifiers in a fixed order: ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ ⌘, then the key. So ⌥⇧⌘V means hold Option, Shift and Command, then press V.

Typing the symbols yourself

Open the Character Viewer with ⌃⌘Space (or 🌐 + E) and search for “command”. The Apple logo is ⌥⇧K on a US keyboard, and only shows on Apple devices.

Questions

What is the ⌥ symbol on a Mac?

It’s the Option key (also labelled alt). It changes what a shortcut does or types special characters.

How do I type the ⌘ symbol?

Click it here to copy it, or open the Character Viewer (⌃⌘Space) and search for “place of interest”, its Unicode name.

Why does the Apple logo show as a box?

The logo is a private character that only Apple fonts include, so on Windows or Android it shows as a box or nothing.