How to Enter the Pound Sign ( £ ) on Linux

How to Enter the Pound Sign ( £ ) on Linux

by | Nov 13, 2025 | Useful Tech

You’re trying to invoice a British client or just moved to Ipswich and your Linux keyboard is stubbornly refusing to produce the pound sign ( £ )? Find out here how to effortlessly enter the pound sterling symbol on Linux using key combinations, the “Compose” key or good old copy/paste — all without switching keyboards.

First, a Buck for Every Kitten

Rabbits are known for their thumping feet, sudden changes in direction — and, oddly enough, their offspring called kits or kittens. Meanwhile, mother and father rabbit go by doe and buck. Well, so it goes.

Speaking of bucks: pounds — originally libra in Latin — measure not just weight, of course, but also money. The ‘£’ symbol, with its charmingly cute curl, stands for the British pound sterling. On Linux, typing it is simple: just three fingers and one key combination (or two fingers if you’re British) are all you need.

How to Enter the Pound Sign ( £ ) on Linux

Using the Keyboard to Type £ on Linux

Time needed: 1 minute

To type the currency symbol for the pound ( £ ) on Linux:

  1. Position the text cursor where you want to insert the symbol for pound.

    Here’s where: Place the pound sign in front of the numerical amount, separated by a (ideally narrow) non-breaking space or no whitespace at all.

  2. Add and switch to the US-English International keyboard layout.

    Here’s why: The regular US-English keyboard layout does not include a shortcut for the ‘£’ symbol.
    Other layouts: You can also use the Macintosh English keyboard layout or the UK-English layout. of course.

  3. Press AltGr Shift 4 (or Right Alt Shift 4).

    Mac-English: Using the Macintosh layout, press AltGr 3 (or Right Alt 3)
    UK-English: With the UK-English keyboard layout, press Shift 3 to insert the pound symbol.
    The pound sterling symbol { £ } on the Linux US-International English keyboard layout

£ the pound key?

⇆ Tip me a tea

Tips help fuel these email and tech how-tos.

Using a Character Picker to Insert the Pound Sign

To find and produce the pound sign using a Linux character picker:

  1. Open Characters (Gnome) or KCharSelect (KDE).
  2. Search for pound.
  3. Copy the ‘£’ symbol in the character picking app.
  4. Paste the character anywhere on Linux.

Also has a character picker: How to Insert the Pound Currency Symbol ( £ ) on a Mac
On Windows? How to Type the Pound Symbol ( £ ) on a Windows PC

Inserting the Pound Sterling Symbol with the Linux “Compose” Key

To produce the £ symbol for pounds on Linux no matter the keyboard layout using the “Compose” key:

  1. Specify and enable the “Compose” key for Linux.
  2. Press Compose.
  3. Now type L- (Shift L followed by -, minus).
    Shift does not have to happen: You can also type l- instead.
    What does happen: The key combination you’ve chosen will be replaced with the (regular-width) pound symbol.

How to Enter the Pound Sign ( £ ) on Linux: FAQ

Can I enter the pound sign directly using Unicode?

Yes.

To use the Unicode code point to insert the pound sign on Linux:

  1. Position the text cursor where you want to input the ‘£’ sign.
  2. Press Ctrl Shift U.
  3. Type 00A3 for a (regular-width) pound symbol.
    Full-width: For a full-width pound sign, type FFE1.
    Producing the pound symbol using Unicode input on Linux
  4. Now press Space or Enter.
    Here’s what happens: The Unicode code point is replaced with the respective pound symbol.

Can I also copy and paste the pound sign?

Certainly.

Use the following table to copy the desired pound symbol for pasting anywhere on Linux:

Pound sign £
Full-width pound sign ￡

(Tested with Gnome 48 and KDE Plasma 6; first published June 2025, last updated November 2025)

Home » Useful Tech » How to Enter the Pound Sign ( £ ) on Linux