There are three main ways to type special characters on a Mac:
1. Using Keyboard Shortcuts:
Many accented letters and symbols have dedicated keyboard shortcuts that you can use by pressing specific keys in combination. Here are some examples:
- Acute accent (´): Hold down the Option key and press the corresponding letter key. For example, Option + E for é.
- **Grave accent (
)**: Hold down the **Option** key and press the **grave accent key** (), then the desired letter key. For example, Option + ` + E for è. - Umlaut (¨): Hold down the Option key and press the U key, then the desired letter key. For example, Option + U + A for ä.
- Common symbols:
- Copyright (©): Option + C
- Registered trademark (®): Option + R
- Degree symbol (°): Option + Shift + 8
2. Using the Character Viewer:
- Open the Character Viewer in one of these ways:
- Press Control + Command + Space
- Click on Edit in the menu bar and choose Emoji & Symbols
- A window will appear displaying various categories of characters and symbols.
- You can browse through the categories or use the search bar to find the specific character you need.
- Click on the desired character to insert it into your document.
3. Using the Input Menu:
- This method works for adding accents to letters that don’t have dedicated keyboard shortcuts.
- Hold down the Option key while typing the letter you want to accent.
- A small menu will appear above the letter with various accent options.
- Use your arrow keys to choose the desired accent and press Enter to insert it.
These methods should allow you to type most special characters on your Mac. For a more comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts and character codes, you can refer to the Apple Support article: https://support.apple.com/guide/pages/accents-and-special-characters-tanec2c2fdfd/mac
