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Pound Symbol Alt Code and Shortcuts for Windows and Mac

The Pound Symbol Alt code is 0163.

The below table contains more information you need to know about Pound sign alt code including shortcuts for both Windows and Mac.

NamePound sign
Symbol£
Alt Code0163
Windows ShortcutAlt+0163
Mac ShortcutOption + 3

To get the Pound symbol using the alt code:

  1. Place your insertion pointer where you need to insert the Pound sign (£).
  2. Press down the Alt key.
  3. While holding the Alt key, type the Pound Alt code (0163) using the numeric keypad.
  4. Then release the Alt key to insert the symbol (£).
pound alt code

Related Post: How to Type Pound symbol in Word/Excel

More About Alt Codes

Alt codes are used to type symbols and characters that do not have a dedicated key on the keyboard in personal computers running the Microsoft Operating systems. You can do this by pressing and holding the Alt key while typing the alt code with the numeric keypad.

To type £ using the Pound Alt code of 0163: first, ensure that your NumLock is turned on, then press and hold the alt key while you type the code on the numeric keypad. Then release the Alt key.

Other operating systems like the Mac OS have a similar or extended form of this Alt code feature which I’ll explain soon.

Rules for using the Pound Alt Code

  • You must press and hold the Alt key before typing the Alt code.
  • You must use the numeric keypad on the right of the keyboard to type the alt code.
  • Since you are using the numeric keypad, the NumLock must be turned on. Turning off the NumLock means the numeric keypad is disabled, and hence no numbers can be typed using the num pad.
  • If you are using a laptop without the numeric keypad, you should first turn on the hidden numeric keypad. On most laptops, you can turn this on by pressing Fn+NmLk keys simultaneously. Not all laptops have the hidden numeric keypad. If it seems missing in yours, then you cannot use the alt code method to type the Pound (£) symbol with your laptop unless you connect an external keyboard that has a numeric keypad.
  • You should also understand that not all symbols can be typed with the alt code depending on the document you are working on. Some of the alt codes work only in Microsoft Word. However, the Pound (£) alt code works anywhere on Windows such as text editors, on the web, forms, and so on.

Pound (£) Symbol alt code for Mac

The Pound alt code shortcut for Mac is Option + 3.

Obey the following steps to type £ on Mac:

  • First of all, place your insertion pointer where you need the Pound symbol.
  • Then press Option + 3 simultaneously on your Mac keyboard.

These keystrokes will give the £ symbol.

pound shortcut for Mac

The alt code method of typing symbols is very popular on the Windows operating system.

However, the way you use alt codes on Windows is very different from that of Mac. Most people even think that it’s impossible to use alt code shortcuts in Mac.

As you may already know, the standard apple keyboard also has two alt keys. They are named as Options or with a small “alt” label. Though, some of the newest Apple keyboards such as the Magic Keyboard no longer include the “alt” label. But the Option key is also the Alt key on the Mac keyboard, which means that it can be used as an Alt key with non-Mac software.

Does it mean that you can press down the Option key while you type the Pound alt code on your Mac keyboard?

No please. It doesn’t work this way with Mac.

Apple has its way of doing things. So instead of using the Alt or Option key with difficult-to-remember number codes like Microsoft Word, they combined the alt key with some other keys that will make shortcuts easy to remember.

So, if you want the Pound Alt code for Mac, it is the shortcut you may already know, which is Option + 3.

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