How to Enable and Use Unicode Hex Input on Mac to Type Any Special Symbol

Whether drafting technical documentation, entering mathematical formulas, or authoring multilingual text, finding special symbols—such as the infinity sign (\(\infty\)), en-dashes, arrows (\(\rightarrow\)), or currency glyphs—frequently interrupts your typing flow. While macOS provides the Character Viewer (Fn + E or Ctrl + Cmd + Space), scrolling through visual emoji palettes is slow. macOS includes a built-in keyboard input source called “Unicode Hex Input” that lets you type any Unicode character directly from your keyboard using its four-digit hexadecimal code point.

What Is Unicode Hex Input?

Unicode Hex Input is an alternative keyboard layout built directly into macOS. When enabled, holding down the Option key changes how macOS interprets numeric and letter keystrokes: rather than typing accented letters, it waits for a four-digit hexadecimal sequence (using digits 0–9 and letters A–F) and immediately produces the corresponding Unicode character.

Key advantages include:

• Universal Keystrokes: Works inside any macOS application, including Terminal, text editors, code environments, and web browsers.
• Zero Mouse Interaction: Eliminates the need to open character palettes or copy symbols from web searches.
• Complete Unicode Coverage: Access any character defined within the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) from U+0000 to U+FFFF.

How to Enable Unicode Hex Input in macOS

To add the Unicode Hex Input source to your system keyboard settings:

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings.
2. Scroll down the sidebar and select Keyboard.
3. In the Text Input section, locate Input Sources and click the Edit button.
4. Click the + (Add) button at the bottom of the left sidebar.
5. In the language search box, type Unicode or scroll to the bottom of the list and select Others.
6. Select Unicode Hex Input and click Add.
7. Ensure the tickbox labelled Show Input menu in menu bar is turned on.
8. Click Done.

How to Switch to Unicode Hex Input

You can toggle between your standard keyboard (such as British or US English) and Unicode Hex Input in two convenient ways:

• From the Menu Bar: Click the Input menu flag or icon in the top menu bar and select Unicode Hex Input.
• Via Keyboard Shortcut: Press Ctrl + Option + Space (or Globe key if configured) to cycle through active input sources instantly.

Typing Unicode Characters Using Hex Codes

With Unicode Hex Input active, inserting symbols is straightforward:

1. Position your cursor where you wish to insert the character.
2. Press and hold down the Option key.
3. While holding Option, type the four hexadecimal characters.
4. Release the Option key. The corresponding glyph appears instantly.

Frequently Used Unicode Codes:

Typing Characters Beyond the 4-Digit BMP (Surrogate Pairs)

For emojis or supplementary characters with codes above U+FFFF (such as 5-digit Unicode characters), you can type their UTF-16 surrogate pairs in sequence while holding Option, or switch back to standard keyboard mode and use the Character Viewer palette.