Option key symbol ⌥

• Special characters: Option plus a key types symbols on the US layout. ⌥G gives ©, ⌥2 gives ™, ⌥8 gives • and ⌥⇧- gives the em dash —.
• Accented letters: ⌥E then a vowel gives é, ⌥U then a vowel gives ü, and ⌥N then n gives ñ.
• Hidden menu items: hold ⌥ while a menu is open and some items change; in many apps, Duplicate turns into Save As in the File menu.
• More detail: ⌥-click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar to see technical details about your connection.
• Force Quit: ⌥⌘Esc opens the Force Quit window.
• Apple logo: ⌥⇧K types the Apple logo, a private-use character that displays properly only on Apple devices.

Mac keyboards label the key “option” with the ⌥ symbol, and some also print “alt.” On a Windows keyboard connected to a Mac, the Alt key works as Option.

• ⎇ (alternative key symbol) is the symbol for an Alt key in the international standard for keyboard symbols. You may see it on some non-Apple keyboards and in Linux documentation.
• ⌘ (Command) and ⇧ (Shift) are the neighboring modifier symbols.

The ⌥ shape is often compared to a railroad switch, a track that splits into two paths, which fits a key that gives other keys an alternate function.

When you write shortcuts, Apple orders the modifiers Control ⌃, Option ⌥, Shift ⇧, Command ⌘: write ⌥⇧⌘V, not ⌘⇧⌥V.

No key combination types ⌥ itself.

• Mac: open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search “option key.” Add it to Favorites if you write keyboard guides often.
• Text replacement: in System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements, map something like “optkey” to ⌥ so it works in every app and syncs to your iPhone through iCloud.
• Windows: in Word, use the Alt+X code from the table above; elsewhere, copy and paste.
• Docs and tutorials: wrap shortcuts in the HTML kbd element and include the key name for readers who don’t know the symbols, as in “⌥ Option + ⌘ Command + Esc.”