The guide to legal symbols keyboard shortcuts

Need a handy guide for legal symbols shortcuts for your keyboard? Then you’ve come to the right place!

Legal professionals, students, and anyone dealing with legal documents often find themselves needing to input various legal symbols and characters into their documents.

These symbols can include copyright signs, trademark symbols, section symbols, and more.

Whether you’re using a Mac or Windows computer, knowing how to access and use these symbols efficiently can save you time and effort.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to input keyboard legal symbols on both Mac and Windows. This will serve as a quick reference guide for you to come back to, so don’t forget to bookmark it and use this resource whenever you need it.

Okay, let’s jump in.

Legal symbols keyboard shortcuts for Mac and Windows

Below is a table featuring some of the most used legal symbols and the keyboard shortcuts for them.

Note that for Windows users, a number pad is required for the

Keyboard legal symbols on Mac

If, for whatever reason, you are unable to use the shortcuts, Mac users have a variety of methods to input legal symbols and special characters:

Character viewer

You can access the Character Viewer from within any application using one of the following methods. First, place the cursor in the location where you wish to insert the symbol:

• Navigate to the “Edit > Emoji & Symbols” menu, or;
• Use the shortcut keys “Command + Control + Space.”

This will bring up the Character Viewer as a pop-up, where you can then search for the legal symbol you require.

Double-click on the symbol within the app to insert it. Once inserted, you can close the Character Viewer and continue your work.

This functionality is available in all default apps as well as in third-party applications like Microsoft Office.

Keyboard legal symbols on Windows

Windows users also have several methods for inputting legal symbols and special characters:

Character Map

Windows provides a built-in tool called Character Map. To access it, press the Windows key, type “Character Map,” and press Enter. You can browse or search for legal symbols, select them, and then click “Copy” to insert them into your document.

Windows users with keyboards without a number pad (tenkeyless keyboard)

In the event that you are using a keyboard that does not have a number pad, then you will be able to enter the legal symbol shortcuts using just the keyboard.

Luckily, you can use a virtual keyboard to help:

1. Press the “Windows” key
2. Type “osk” and hit “Enter” and the on-screen keyboard will be launched
3. Turn on the numeric keypad using the “Options” button (if the numpad isn’t already present)
4. Hold down the “ALT” key on your keyboard while using your mouse to select the numbers in sequence on the on-screen keyboard

Using this method, you can still use the Windows shortcuts for legal symbols without a dedicated number pad on your keyboard.

Step-by-step guide of how to type every legal symbol on Mac and Windows

Let’s go through how to create each symbol for both Windows and Mac. Simply scroll down to the symbol you wish to use and follow the steps.

How to make the copyright symbol (©) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + G.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 0, 1, 6, 9 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the section symbol (§) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + 6.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 0, 1, 6, 7 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the paragraph symbol (¶) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + 7.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 2 and 0 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the registered trademark symbol (®) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + R.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 0, 1, 7, 4 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the trademark symbol (™) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + 2.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 0, 1, 5, 3 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the Em Dash symbol (—) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Shift + Option + Minus.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 0, 1, 5, 1 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the En Dash symbol (–) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + Minus.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 0, 1, 5, 0 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the plaintiff symbol (Π) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + P.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 2, 2, 7 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

How to make the defendant symbol (Δ) on Mac and Windows

Mac

1. Press Option + J.

Windows

1. Press the Num Lock key to turn the number lock on
2. Hold down the ALT key
3. Press the keys 3, 0 in sequence on the number pad
4. Release the ALT key

Conclusion

Efficiently inserting legal symbols and special characters into your documents is essential for anyone working in the legal field or dealing with legal documents.

Both Mac and Windows offer various methods to make this task easier. Whether you prefer using Character Viewer, keyboard shortcuts, or Alt codes, using these shortcuts will save a lot of hassle in your work and ensure your documents can be finished just that little bit quicker.

So, go ahead and bookmark this page to come back whenever you please to use these legal symbols on your preferred platform.