Mac keyboard symbols
What ⌘, ⌥, ⌃, and the other Mac key symbols mean. Press a shortcut to see how macOS writes it.
Click here, then press any shortcut
Some shortcuts, like ⌘⇥, ⌘Space, ⌘Q, and ⌘W, go to macOS or the browser before this page can see them.
Modifier keys
Menus list shortcuts with symbols, always in the same order: Control, Option, Shift, then Command.
| Symbol | Key | Also written |
|---|---|---|
| ⌃ | Control | Ctrl |
| ⌥ | Option | Alt |
| ⇧ | Shift | |
| ⌘ | Command | Cmd |
| fn | Function (Globe) | 🌐 |
| ⇪ | Caps Lock |
Other keys
| Symbol | Key | Also written |
|---|---|---|
| ↩ | Return | |
| ⌤ | Enter (numeric keypad) | |
| ⌫ | Delete | |
| ⌦ | Forward Delete | fn-Delete |
| ⎋ | Escape | |
| ⇥ | Tab | |
| ⇤ | Back Tab (Shift-Tab) | |
| ␣ | Space | |
| ← | Left Arrow | |
| → | Right Arrow | |
| ↑ | Up Arrow | |
| ↓ | Down Arrow | |
| ↖ | Home | fn-Left Arrow |
| ↘ | End | fn-Right Arrow |
| ⇞ | Page Up | fn-Up Arrow |
| ⇟ | Page Down | fn-Down Arrow |
| ⏏ | Eject |
Reading a shortcut
⇧⌘4 means hold Shift and Command, then press 4. On Windows keyboards, Command is the Windows key and Option is Alt. The fn key is marked with a globe on recent Mac keyboards; it turns the arrow keys into Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down, and Delete into Forward Delete.
Updated 25 September 2026