If you are typing a business email, a financial report, or simply chatting with a friend in Europe, you will eventually need to type the Euro symbol (€). Unlike the US Dollar ($) or the British Pound (£), which often have dedicated, clearly marked keys depending on your regional keyboard layout, the Euro symbol is frequently hidden.
If you are using a standard US or UK Mac keyboard, you won’t find the € symbol printed anywhere on the physical keys. However, macOS includes built-in keyboard shortcuts that allow you to type the Euro symbol instantly, without needing to open the character viewer or copy and paste it from a website.
This guide explains how to quickly type the Euro symbol on an Apple Mac keyboard.
Typing the Euro Symbol on a US Keyboard
If you purchased your Mac in the United States, or if your system settings are configured to use the standard “US” or “US International” keyboard layout, the shortcut relies on the Option key.
- Place your cursor where you want the symbol to appear.
- Press and hold the Option key (sometimes labeled as Alt).
- While holding Option, press the Shift key.
- While holding both Option and Shift, press the number 2 key.
- Release all keys.
Shortcut: Option + Shift + 2 = €
Typing the Euro Symbol on a UK Keyboard
If you are using a British layout Mac keyboard, the standard Shift + 3 shortcut types the Pound symbol (£). To get the Euro, the combination is slightly different and actually easier than the US layout.
- Place your cursor where you want the symbol to appear.
- Press and hold the Option key (Alt).
- While holding Option, press the number 2 key.
- Release both keys.
Shortcut: Option + 2 = €
Alternative Method: Using the Character Viewer
If you cannot remember the keyboard shortcuts, or if you are using a very unusual regional keyboard layout where the shortcuts do not work, you can always use the macOS Character Viewer.
- Place your cursor in any text field.
- Press the keyboard shortcut: Control + Command + Spacebar. This opens the Emoji & Symbols viewer.
- In the search bar at the top of the viewer, type Euro.
- The € symbol will appear in the results. Double-click it to insert it into your text.
While the Character Viewer works perfectly, learning the Option + Shift + 2 (US) or Option + 2 (UK) shortcut will save you a significant amount of time in the long run.