How to type currency symbols on a Mac (€, £, ¥ and more)
Every currency symbol on a Mac has its own Option-key combo — and half of them move if your keyboard is UK instead of US. Here's the full map, plus the symbols with no shortcut at all.
How do I type the euro sign on a Mac?
On a US Mac keyboard, press Shift + Option + 2 to type €. On a UK Mac keyboard the combo is shorter — just Option + 2, no Shift. Both work instantly in any app, no setup required.
Why the keys aren't the same for everyone
Currency symbols are the one area where US and UK Mac layouts genuinely disagree about where symbols live. The physical key that types £ produces a different character depending on which layout macOS thinks you're using — which is exactly why one person's "Option+3" is another person's "Shift+3." Most other Option-key shortcuts (accents, math symbols, punctuation) stay put across layouts; currency is the outlier because £ and € each need a dedicated key somewhere, and different regions picked different keys for them decades before macOS existed. If you're not sure which layout is active, check System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources — or add the input menu to your menu bar so it's visible at a glance.
| Symbol | US keyboard | UK keyboard | Mojito shortcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| € | Shift + Option + 2 | Option + 2 | ::euro |
| £ | Option + 3 | Shift + 3 | ::pound |
| ¥ | Option + Y | Option + Y | ::yen |
| ¢ | Option + 4 | Option + 4 | ::cent |
The dollar sign is the one everyone already knows and it doesn't change between layouts: Shift + 4 types $ on both US and UK keyboards. Worth confirming here since it's easy to second-guess yourself once you've seen how much the others move around.
The symbols with no keyboard shortcut
₹ (rupee), ₩ (won), and ₿ (bitcoin) have no Option-key combination on macOS — Apple never assigned one, on either layout. Your only built-in route is the Character Viewer.
| Symbol | Keystroke | Mojito shortcode |
|---|---|---|
| ₹ | None — Character Viewer only | ::rupee |
| ₩ | None — Character Viewer only | ::won |
| ₿ | None — Character Viewer only | ::bitcoin |
Open it with ⌃ + ⌘ + Space, type the currency's name into the search box, and double-click the result to insert it. It works, but you're repeating the whole search every time — there's no muscle memory to build because there's no key combo to remember.
One shortcode, any layout
Mojito sidesteps the US/UK split entirely. Type ::euro, ::pound, ::yen, ::cent, ::rupee, ::won, or ::bitcoin anywhere and it autocompletes to the right character regardless of what layout macOS is set to. That matters more than it sounds: switch between a UK MacBook and a US external keyboard, or remote into a machine set up differently, and every Option-key habit you've built for £ stops working. A shortcode doesn't care what layout you're on.
::euro works the same on US, UK, or any other layout.Layout questions
Why does Option+3 give me # instead of £?
You're on a UK keyboard layout. On UK Mac keyboards, £ is Shift + 3 — Option+3 produces # instead. US layout does the opposite: Option+3 is £, and Shift+3 is #. Check System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources to confirm which one is active.
How do I type the dollar sign?
Shift + 4, no Option key needed. It's the one currency symbol that's identical on US and UK layouts, included here mostly for completeness.
Which currency symbols have no keyboard shortcut?
₹ (rupee), ₩ (won), and ₿ (bitcoin) — macOS never assigned Option-key combos for any of them. You'll need the Character Viewer (⌃ + ⌘ + Space) or a shortcode tool like Mojito.
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