If you are, like me, leaving the Windows world and just starting to learn how to use Mac using the MacBook (Pro), you would quickly arrive to a realization that some of the keys on the keyboard are not where they used to be.
One of these keys is, as a matter of fact, missing from the main configuration. This key is the Hash Symbol (#) or the Pound Sign (for some of our American friends). As I am a Programmer who uses the Hash Symbol extensively, the thought of not having this key readily available was enough to send me into a panic attack (so to speak)!
After I calmed myself down, I was thinking that this symbol must be there somewhere, hidden beneath one of these keys, the only think I need to do is to find out which one :) This thought led me to scour the net to find an equivalent of Windows’ Keymap in Mac, and I found it :)
It’s called the Keyboard Viewer, and you can access it from the drop-down menu off the Language Selector on the Mac Bar.
If you select the ‘Show Keyboard Viewer‘ menu item, it will open the Keyboard Viewer window.
On this Keyboard Viewer you can see the Mapping of the keys on the keyboard to the characters and symbols. Also if you hold one of the modifier keys, e.g. Command, Alt, Ctrl, Shift, etc, they Viewer will show alternate keys to which the keyboard maps to when the modifier key is use. After trying out the modifier key one by one, finally I found the Hash Symbol that I was looking for, which produced by holding the Alt (Option) Key and the Number 3 key :) It’s not perfect (normally it requires only one key), but at least it’s there. I’m back to normal :)
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Weird… the hash key is clearly marked above the number 3 key on my MacBookPro. So… shift-3 = #. Is this only the case in the US?
Probably yes :) In the UK, that spot is used for £ symbol :)
us centric that my uk keyboard has $ and no # …… hmmm
Thanks for this – possibly worth pointing out that 'alt + 'number'' can also be a direct selection to a 'Spaces' screen so if ' alt + 3' doesn't give a '#' then have a look at your spaces shortcuts…
How ridiculous. This is all very well if you're running OSX. I run Windows so I'm left having to copy and paste the hash tag.
Hi Paul, you are talking about running Windows on a Mac? Why would you want to do that? :) Sorry, couldn\’t help it.
I did run XP once, but I just can\’t recall if I had the same problem. What do you get if you type the key I\’m suggesting here?
thanks you saved me copying and pasting as I usually do.
Great I could help!
Thanks for this, I hate Apple and everything they make but my boss uses one and i have been trying to get him into twitter and this was yet another barrier that Apple have needlessly put up in there battle against compatibility and usability.
To Apple's defense, they been around long before Twitter had :) But yeah, it's quite annoying for us Developers too, since we use hash quite a lot. Glad that I can help.