While it may not be strictly necessary for copyright protection, the copyright sign still lets you connect author and publication year to a work in universally recognized a manner. Find out here how to make the copyright symbol ( © ) on a Mac.
First, a Man Looks for a Key in Papua New Guinea
On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 12, 2009, everybody in an acutely angled building in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, was looking for a key. Those not looking for the key looked increasingly desparate.
For it was the key to silver and gold they were seeking, silver and gold in the form of Papua New Guinea’s Mace of Parliament.
Without the mace, parliament would not sit—and, as the key to the mace room was not found in time on that day, it did not.
So, in general terms at least, the story goes.
Unlike ceremonial maces (of the UK and Papua New Guinea parliaments, for instance), the copyright symbol is not essential. Still, here’s the key to adding it on macOS:
How to Make the Copyright Symbol ( © ) on a Mac
Using the Copyright Sign Keyboard Shortcut
Time needed: 2 minutes
To type a copyright symbol (‘©’) on a Mac with macOS using the keyboard:
- Position the text cursor where the copyright sign is to appear.
Here’s where: If you use the copyright symbol in a copyright notice, put it before the year of first publication followed by the copyright owner.
What next: Separate the copyright symbol and the publication year with a non-breaking space. - Press Option G.
Other keyboards: The key combination above works for the Mac’s U.S-American keyboard layout; see below for a few other languages as well as an alternative.
Using Word? How to Insert the Copyright Symbol in Word
Find the Copyright Symbol on Your Mac’s Keyboard
To find the key combination for the copyright symbol on your keyboard:
- Open the on-screen keyboard on the Mac.
- Press the Option key.
- Look for the @ sign on the keyboard to find the key combination to enter it.
Other keys: If the Option key alone does not reveal the copyright sign, try Option Shift, for instance.
Example Key Combinations for the Copyright Symbol
| Language | Copyright Symbol |
|---|---|
| French | Option C |
| German | Option G |
Using Text Replacement
To enter the copyright symbol using macOS text replacement:
- Type
(c). - Follow up with a punctuation mark (such as a full stop or comma) or Space to have
(c)replaced with©.
Auto-complete menu: Make sure © appears in the auto-completion menu; if it does not, add the copyright symbol text replacement (see below).
Selection from menu: You can also press ↓ (down) to highlight © and press Enter to pick it, of course.
Add a Copyright Symbol Text Replacement
To set up a shortcut to insert the copyright symbol on a Mac:
- Open System Settings on the Mac.
Here’s how: Select System Settings… from the Apple menu (), for example. - Open the Keyboard category.
- Click Text Replacements….
macOS Monterey and earlier: Go to the Text tab. - Click +.
- Type (c) under Replace.
- Now enter the copyright symbol under With.
Paste: See below for an easy way to copy the copyright symbol for pasting. - Press Enter.
Using a Copy and Paste Copyright Symbol
To paste the copyright symbol anywhere on a Mac swiftly, copy it using the following:
Copyright symbol © |
How to Make the Copyright Symbol ( © ) on a Mac: FAQ
What alternative is there to the copyright symbol?
If, say, the font you use does not include the copyright symbol, you can use the following alternatives:
- Change the font just for the copyright symbol.
- Use (c) in place of the copyright symbol.
- Write the full word copyright.
(How to make the copyright symbol on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.3, Ventura 13.3 and Monterey 12.3; updated February 2024)