Keyboard symbols ⌘ ⌥ ⇧ and what they mean

Symbol	Key	Official Unicode name
⌘	Command	PLACE OF INTEREST SIGN
⌥	Option (Alt)	OPTION KEY
⇧	Shift	UPWARDS WHITE ARROW
⌃	Control	UP ARROWHEAD
⇪	Caps Lock	UPWARDS WHITE ARROW FROM BAR
⇥ / ⇤	Tab / Shift-Tab	RIGHTWARDS / LEFTWARDS ARROW TO BAR
↩ or ⏎	Return	hooked arrow / RETURN SYMBOL
⌫	Delete (backspace)	ERASE TO THE LEFT
⌦	Forward Delete	ERASE TO THE RIGHT
⎋	Escape	BROKEN CIRCLE WITH NORTHWEST ARROW
⏏	Eject	EJECT SYMBOL
⇞ / ⇟	Page Up / Page Down
↖ / ↘	Home / End

Note the Mac's naming: the key labeled delete erases to the left, like Backspace on a PC. Forward delete ⌦ is Fn + Delete on compact Mac keyboards.

Mac menus list the modifier keys in a fixed order: ⌃ Control, ⌥ Option, ⇧ Shift, ⌘ Command, followed by the key. Read them left to right and hold them together:

• ⌘C – Command-C, copy
• ⇧⌘4 – Shift-Command-4, screenshot of a selected area
• ⌥⌘⎋ – Option-Command-Escape, Force Quit
• ⌃⌘Space – Control-Command-Space, emoji and symbols viewer

If you write instructions for a mixed audience, add the key names in words too, for example ⇧⌘4 (Shift-Command-4). Not everyone recognizes ⌃ or ⌥, and screen readers announce them by their Unicode names, such as “up arrowhead”. In HTML, wrapping each key in a <kbd> element marks it as keyboard input.

The Command symbol ⌘ is far older than computers. Its Unicode name, PLACE OF INTEREST SIGN, reflects its traditional use on signs in the Nordic countries for sights and landmarks. Apple adopted it for the Command key of the original Macintosh, and it has been on Mac keyboards ever since.

The Apple logo is a special case. It isn't a standard Unicode character: Apple places it at U+F8FF in the Private Use Area, a range that each company can fill however it likes. On Apple devices it shows as the logo (with a US layout, Option + Shift + K types it). On Windows, Android and Linux the same code shows as an empty box or a completely different symbol. Avoid it in anything that people outside Apple devices will read.

The Windows key has no Unicode character of its own. The logo is a trademark, so documentation usually writes Win or Windows key. ⊞ (SQUARED PLUS) is a common visual approximation, and ⎈ (HELM SYMBOL) marks Control on some keyboards.

Power symbols come from the international standard IEC 60417 and appear on almost every device:

Symbol	Unicode name	Meaning
⏻	POWER SYMBOL	Power or standby button
⏼	POWER ON-OFF SYMBOL	Button that toggles on and off
⭘	HEAVY CIRCLE	Power off (the O of on/off)
⏾	POWER SLEEP SYMBOL	Sleep mode

⏻ ⏼ and ⏾ were added in Unicode 9.0, while ⭘ already existed and was designated as the power-off sign. Because they're relatively new, some older fonts can't draw them.

None of these symbols has a Windows Alt code, and macOS has no Option shortcut for ⌘ itself. The quickest options:

• Copy from this page: click a symbol and paste it.
• Microsoft Word: type the code and press Alt + X, for example 2318 for ⌘ or 2325 for ⌥.
• Mac: Control + Command + Space opens the Character Viewer; search for command or option.
• Linux: Ctrl + Shift + U, the code, then Space.
• HTML: ⌘ for ⌘, ⌥ for ⌥, ⇧ for ⇧.

The page also has ␣ (OPEN BOX), the visible-space symbol used in guides to show where to press the space bar, plus arrow keys ← → ↑ ↓ and ⌨ keyboard and 🖱 mouse. Collect a shortcut in the text box at the bottom, such as ⌥⌘⎋, and copy it in one go.