How to Type the British Pound Sign (£) Like a Pro

As a fellow entrepreneur, I want to share with you some helpful tips on how to easily insert the British pound currency symbol into your financial documents, reports and invoices on a Mac.

Being able to access the £ sign seems simple, but it can be surprisingly tricky on Mac keyboards. However, mastering this skill is vital for conducting business and working with British and UK-based clients or vendors.

In this article, we will discuss the importance of the £ sign for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and two easy methods to type it on any Mac computer:

Why the Pound Sign is Essential for Businesses

The £ symbol is the official currency marker for the Great Britain pound sterling – used across the United Kingdom as well as British territories and dependencies.

• According to 2022 statistics from the Bank of England, the British pound holds the 4th highest proportion of world currency reserves at 4.4% or $704 billion.
• The UK also has the 5th largest economy globally, with a GDP of $3.12 trillion in 2021.

This means that many entrepreneurs have vendors, partners or customers transacting business in GBP. Being able to type and display £ properly in your invoices, budget sheets and reports is crucial for:

• Maintaining financial accuracy when dealing in GBP currency
• Conveying professionalism and trust
• Avoiding confusion between the pound sign and other currency symbols

Now let‘s get into the two handy methods for accessing £ on your Mac, no matter what keyboard you have.

Method 1: Option (Alt) + 3 Keyboard Shortcut

The fastest and easiest way type a £ sign is by using the Option+3 keyboard shortcut:

1. Press and hold either Option (⌥) or Alt key on your keyboard
2. While holding Option/Alt, press the number 3 key
3. Release both keys, and £ pound symbol should appear!

Here‘s a 60 second video demonstrating the shortcut in action:

This works exactly the same on both US and British English Mac keyboards.

The Option/Alt + 3 shortcut is reliable and fast. I recommend adding it to your muscle memory if you deal with British pounds frequently!

Next, let’s look at accessing £ through your Mac‘s Character Viewer as well.

Method 2: Character Viewer

All Mac computers also come equipped with the Character Viewer that houses a huge library of currency symbols, emojis, letters and special characters to insert:

To open it:

1. Click Edit > Emoji & Symbols in your app menu bar
2. Or press the keyboard shortcut: Control + Command + Space

This will pull up the Character Viewer. Next:

1. Go to the Currency Symbols tab
2. Scroll down and double click on the British Pound sign to insert it

The main benefit of using the Character Viewer is that you can browse thousands of special characters all in one place.

So whether you need the British pound, European euro, Japanese yen or other uncommon currency signs, the Character Viewer has you covered!

Conclusion: Type Pounds Faster for Better Business

Understanding how to properly type the £ pound symbol is an easy yet essential skill for entrepreneurs regularly conducting business with British clients and companies.

With either the handy Option+3 keyboard shortcut or the Mac Character Viewer, you can quickly access and insert £ pound signs into important documents and invoices.

I hope you found these tips useful! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions on working more efficiently with British pounds on your Mac.