The pound symbol (also known as the number sign/number, and which looks like this: #) was one of the most rarely used special characters until the advent of Twitter and Instagram. Now you can barely avoid the symbol widely known as a hashtag and omnipresent on social media.
But how do you type a hash symbol or hashtag on a Mac? Well, it depends on your keyboard layout. For readers using the standard American layout, this is pretty straightforward, and we’ll cover these types later in this article. But we’ll mainly focus on the UK, where things are a little trickier.
How to type a hashtag sign (#) in the UK
Let’s not joke. To enter a hashtag on a Mac keyboard with a UK layout, press Option + 3.
On modern editions of this keyboard layout, you’ll see the # symbol on the 3 key, but instead of appearing above the 3, which would tell you to press the Shift key, it’s hidden to the right. This means you should use Option. (By the way, the Option key is sometimes called Alt.)
Apple
However, on some older keyboards, you will find that the number 3 key only has the pound sign. Don’t be discouraged: press Option + 3 will still work on such keyboards. It’s just that at that time the pound sign was not considered such an important character. (You may also find that your old Mac keyboard labels the Option key as Alt.)
Want to update your keyboard? Take a look at our detailed buying guide to the best Mac keyboards and you’ll soon have access to correctly labeled option and hash keys.
But my Mac keyboard has a hash key… and it doesn’t work!
He types a backslash symbol (or \), right? And when you hold Shift it types a vertical line (or |)? In this case, we suspect you are inadvertently using a PC keyboard.
David Price / Foundry
Some PC keyboards in the UK have a dedicated hash key to the right, above Shift and to the left of Return. If this keyboard were connected to a Windows machine, pressing this button would generate a # (and a ~ when used with Shift). But because you’ve connected a PC keyboard to a Mac — which is possible and will work fine most of the time — the layout differences confuse macOS.
Unfortunately, your Mac misinterprets the pound symbol on the keyboard as a backslash. We recommend getting a proper Mac keyboard, but in the meantime you can enter hashtags using the PC/Mac keyboard combo by pressing Alt+3.
How to type a hashtag sign (#) in the United States
If you’re using a Mac with a US keyboard layout, things are simpler. To enter a hashtag sign, tap Shift + 3.
Because US readers need the pound sign less, the pound sign is charged more: it is the secondary option for the 3 key. (On UK keyboards, as we’ve seen, typing Shift + 3 would give you £.)
Apple
For more keyboard tips, see How to enter Æ, $, #, @, ©, and other special characters on a Mac.
