Mac keyboard symbols: what ⌘ ⌥ ⌃ ⇧ mean.
⌘ is Command, ⌥ is Option, ⌃ is Control, ⇧ is Shift. Press a shortcut, type one out, or paste symbols to see what they mean. Everything runs on this page.
1. Press a shortcut
Your Mac and browser keep a few shortcuts for themselves, like ⌘Tab, ⌘Q and ⌘W, so this box can’t see them. Type those in the next box. Tab still moves to the next box.
Try:
Use cmd or command, opt, option or alt, ctrl or control, shift and fn, joined with +, spaces or dashes.
Every Mac keyboard symbol
The symbols Apple uses in menus and on keys, with the names people also use.
| Symbol | Key | Also called | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⌘ | Command | Cmd. Older Macs also had an Apple logo on it. | |
| ⌥ | Option | Opt, Alt | |
| ⌃ | Control | Ctrl | |
| ⇧ | Shift | ||
| ⇪ | Caps Lock | ||
| 🌐︎ | Fn / Globe | Function key, fn | |
| ↩ | Return | Enter | |
| ⌤ | Enter | The Enter key on a number pad | |
| ⌫ | Delete | Backspace. Deletes to the left. | |
| ⌦ | Forward Delete | Del. Deletes to the right. Fn-Delete on laptops. | |
| ⎋ | Escape | Esc | |
| ⇥ | Tab | ||
| ⇤ | Back Tab | Shift-Tab | |
| ␣ | Space | Space bar | |
| ← | Left Arrow | ||
| → | Right Arrow | ||
| ↑ | Up Arrow | ||
| ↓ | Down Arrow | ||
| ⇞ | Page Up | Fn-Up Arrow on laptops | |
| ⇟ | Page Down | Fn-Down Arrow on laptops | |
| ↖ | Home | Fn-Left Arrow on laptops | |
| ↘ | End | Fn-Right Arrow on laptops | |
| ⏏ | Eject | Media Eject, on older keyboards | |
| ⏎ | Return | Another way to draw ↩ |
Common Mac shortcuts in symbols
| Shortcut | What it does | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| ⌘C | Copy | |
| ⌘V | Paste | |
| ⌘X | Cut | |
| ⌘Z | Undo | |
| ⇧⌘Z | Redo | |
| ⌘A | Select all | |
| ⌘F | Find | |
| ⌘S | Save | |
| ⌘W | Close the window | |
| ⌘Q | Quit the app | |
| ⌘⇥ | Switch apps (⌘Tab) | |
| ⌘, | Open the app’s settings | |
| ⌘␣ | Open Spotlight search | |
| ⌥⌘⎋ | Force Quit | |
| ⇧⌘3 | Screenshot of the whole screen | |
| ⇧⌘4 | Screenshot of part of the screen | |
| ⇧⌘5 | Screenshot and screen recording tools | |
| ⌃⌘Q | Lock the screen | |
| ⌃⌘␣ | Emoji & Symbols viewer |
How to read a Mac shortcut
- Hold the symbol keys. In ⌥⌘M, hold Option and Command.
- Press the last key. Tap M while you’re still holding them.
- Let go. The order you press the held keys in doesn’t matter.
Apple always writes them in the same order: ⌃ Control, ⌥ Option, ⇧ Shift, ⌘ Command, then the key. A capital letter doesn’t mean Shift: ⌘M is just Command and M. When Shift is needed, you’ll see ⇧.
Questions
What are the symbols on a Mac keyboard?
The four you see most in menus are the modifier keys: ⌘ Command, ⌥ Option, ⌃ Control and ⇧ Shift. Others name single keys, like ⇪ Caps Lock, 🌐︎ Fn/Globe, ↩ Return, ⌫ Delete, ⎋ Escape, ⇥ Tab and the arrows. The full list is in the table above.
What is the Command key symbol?
⌘. It’s on the key right next to the space bar, on both sides, labeled “command”. Press the copy button next to it in the table to copy it.
What does ⌥ mean on a Mac?
⌥ is the Option key, also called Alt. It sits between Control and Command. In menus, ⌥⌘M means hold Option and Command, then press M.
How do I tell ⌃ and ⇧ apart?
⌃ is a small caret, like a roof: that’s Control. ⇧ is a hollow arrow pointing up: that’s Shift. ⇪, the same arrow with a bar under it, is Caps Lock.
What order do the symbols go in?
Apple writes Control, Option, Shift, Command, then the key: ⌃⌥⇧⌘. Fn/Globe goes first when it’s used. You can press the keys in any order, as long as you hold them all before the last key.
How do I type the ⌘ symbol on a Mac?
Copy it from this page. Or press ⌃⌘Space (or 🌐︎E) to open the Emoji & Symbols viewer, search for “command”, and double-click ⌘. The same works for ⌥, ⌃ and ⇧: search “option”, “control” or “shift”.
Why can’t this page catch ⌘Tab or ⌘Q?
Your Mac and your browser handle a few shortcuts before any web page sees them, like ⌘Tab, ⌘Q, ⌘W and ⌘Space. Type them in the second box instead, for example “cmd+tab”.
Is Return the same as Enter?
Mostly. On a Mac the big key is Return (↩), and most people call it Enter. It does the same job. Keyboards with a number pad also have a separate Enter key, drawn as ⌤.
Want a hotkey for every app? Tilemode gives each app its own shortcut.