12 July 2014

HOWTO: Use Keystrokes to create typographic symbols on a Mac

by Steven B. Combs, Ph.D.

I can NEVER remember the Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts that create the typographic symbols I need. Can you remember the keystroke to create a © symbol? Probably not, in which case you use the on screen keyboard method which, while useful, can really mess with your workflow.

To help me out, I created the quick reference below. It includes the typographic symbols I use most. While the chart includes some symbols readers may never use, such as the Ø symbol, I bet a few readers will find one or two.

I only include symbols I use frequently. The list is formatted as a quick reference clip-out. Simply print out this post, cut along the exterior lines and place somewhere next to your computer keyboard or monitor.

OS X Typographic Symbol Keyboard Reference

Key: ⌥ = option ⇧ = shift

Symbol	Keystroke
	⌥ ⇧ k
®	⌥ r
©	⌥ g
™	⌥ 2
¢	⌥ 4
≠	⌥ +
±	⌥ ⇧ +
ø	⌥ o
Ø	⌥ ⇧ 0
º	⌥ 0
π	⌥ p
“	⌥ [
”	⌥ ⇧ [
‘	⌥ ]
’	⌥ ⇧ ]
– ^(en-dash)	⌥ -
— ^(em-dash)	⌥ ⇧ -

Did I miss a commonly used symbol that I should include? Leave me a comment and let me know. It is an easy task to include it and together we can make a better reference.