How to Insert Special Characters on macOS 13

The macOS 13 Character Viewer provides a fast, built-in way to search for and insert thousands of unique symbols, emojis, accented letters, and mathematical notations into any text field. This guide walks you through enabling the viewer, expanding it for advanced symbols, and inserting special characters directly into your documents and applications.

1. Open the Character Viewer

Position your cursor where you want to insert the special character, then open the viewer using either of the following methods:

  • Keyboard Shortcut: Press Control + Command + Space.
  • Menu Bar: Click Edit in the top menu bar of your active app, then select Emoji & Symbols.

2. Expand to the Full Character Viewer

By default, macOS may display a compact emoji picker. To access technical symbols, currency signs, and non-standard characters:

  1. Look at the top-right corner of the pop-up window.
  2. Click the Character Viewer icon (a small rectangular icon resembling a window with a key symbol).
  3. The window will expand into the full-featured Character Viewer.

3. Locate Your Desired Character

You can find characters in two ways:

  • Search: Type the name of the character (such as "degree," "copyright," "arrow," or "euro") into the search bar at the top-right corner.
  • Browse Categories: Click through the categories listed in the left sidebar, such as Math Symbols, Currency Symbols, Punctuation, or Pictographs.

Note: If specific categories are missing, click the three dots (or action menu) in the top-left corner of the window, choose Customize List, select the character categories you need, and click Done.

4. Insert the Character

  1. Ensure your text cursor is blinking in your target document or input box.
  2. In the Character Viewer, double-click the character you want to use.
  3. Alternatively, you can click and drag the character directly into your text field.

5. Save Characters for Quick Access

If you frequently use specific symbols, select the character in the viewer and click Add to Favorites located under the character preview on the right sidebar. This creates a dedicated Favorites section in the left panel for faster access in the future.