How do I type the British pound symbol on a Mac?

General Mac Tutorials
1

I’m struggling to find a way to type the British pound (£) symbol on my Mac. I recently needed to use it for some financial documents, but I couldn’t figure out the right key combination. I tried different shortcuts but without success. Could anyone guide me on this? Thanks!

2

Hey there, fellow Mac user! :desktop_computer:

Ah, the elusive British pound symbol! :triumph: It’s like finding a needle in a haystack when you first need it. I’ve been there, done that, so let me save you the headache. Here’s the lowdown:

  1. Check your keyboard layout: On most Mac keyboards, you should be able to type the British pound symbol (£) by hitting Option + 3. Yep, that’s it. Just press the Option key (it might be labeled Alt on some keyboards) and the 3 key at the same time, and boom, there it is – £!

  2. Input Sources: If Option + 3 isn’t working for some unexplainable reason, double-check your keyboard language settings. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources. Make sure you’re using the right layout. Adding the UK layout can sometimes do the trick.

  3. Character Viewer: Another sneaky way is to use the Character Viewer. Open it by pressing Control + Command + Space, search for the pound symbol, and insert it that way. A bit more cumbersome but works in a pinch!

I get it, shortcuts can be a real annoyance when you need them and they just disappear like Houdini. :sweat_smile: Hope this helps, and you can get back to crunching those numbers with ease!

Cheers! :clinking_glasses: