How to Type the At Symbol (@): Windows, Mac, International Keyboards & Mobile Shortcuts

At Symbol Keyboard Shortcut Matrix (All Keyboards & Layouts)

The at sign or commercial at symbol (@) is one of the most critical digital characters in the world. Essential for writing email addresses, mentioning usernames on social media platforms, creating programming annotations, and structuring spreadsheets, its keyboard position varies significantly depending on your national keyboard layout. Below is your master shortcut reference table:

How to Type the At Symbol on Windows (5 Methods)

On Windows personal computers and laptops, there are several hardware and software methods to input the at sign:

Method 1: Standard Key Combination (Shift + 2 or Shift + ')

On standard US English keyboards, hold down the Shift key and press the 2 key on the top number row. If your computer is set to the UK English layout, hold Shift and press the single quote key (') located to the right of the semicolon key.

Method 2: Windows Alt Code (Alt + 64)

The universal ASCII hardware Alt code for the at sign is Alt + 64 (or Alt + 064). This works in all Windows applications regardless of your active keyboard layout or regional language:

Method 3: Windows Emoji & Symbol Panel (Win + .)

For ultra-slim laptops without a physical numeric keypad:

• Press Win + . (Windows Key + Period) or Win + ;.
• Click the Symbols (Ω) icon at the top.
• Select the General Punctuation tab and click the @ symbol.

Method 4: Windows On-Screen Keyboard (OSK)

• Press Win + R, type osk, and press Enter.
• Click Shift and then click 2 (or the key showing @) on the virtual on-screen keyboard.

How to Type the At Symbol on Mac (macOS)

Apple macOS computers (MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini) provide straightforward ways to type the at symbol:

Method 1: Mac Universal Keyboard Shortcuts

• US English Mac Layout: Press Shift + 2.
• UK British Mac Layout: Press Option + 2 or Shift + '.
• European / ISO Mac Layouts: Press Option + G (on French Macs), or Option + L (on German Mac keyboards).

Method 2: macOS Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space)

• Press Ctrl + Cmd + Space to launch the Character Viewer.
• Type at in the search bar.
• Double-click the @ symbol to insert it into Pages, Safari, Mail, or Notes.

Why is Shift + 2 Typing Double Quotes (") Instead of @? (How to Fix It)

One of the most frequent technical frustrations encountered by computer users worldwide is pressing Shift + 2 and getting double quotation marks (") instead of the at symbol (@).

How to Fix on Windows 10 & Windows 11

How to Fix on Mac (macOS)

• Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit Input Sources.
• Ensure U.S. is selected at the top of the list, and remove British or other conflicting layouts.

How to Type the At Symbol on International Keyboard Layouts

Because typewriter manufacturers in the 19th and 20th centuries designed national keyboard layouts around local linguistic frequencies, the @ key occupies very different physical coordinates across global keyboards. Below is the comprehensive international typing guide:

Spanish & Latin American Keyboards

On Spanish (Spain) and Latin American keyboards, the at sign is accessed via the AltGr (Alternate Graphic) key:

• Spain Spanish Layout: Press AltGr + 2.
• Latin American Spanish Layout: Press AltGr + Q.
• Note: If your keyboard does not have an AltGr key, press Ctrl + Alt + 2 (or Q).

French & Belgian AZERTY Keyboards

On standard French AZERTY keyboards, numbers on the top row require the Shift key by default, so special punctuation uses AltGr:

• France (French AZERTY): Press AltGr + à (the key sharing zero 0).
• Belgium (Belgian AZERTY): Press AltGr + 2.
• Canadian French (QWERTY): Press Ctrl + Alt + 2 or AltGr + 2.

German, Austrian & Swiss QWERTZ Keyboards

On German, Austrian, and Swiss QWERTZ keyboards:

• German / Austrian Layout: Press AltGr + Q (or Ctrl + Alt + Q).
• Swiss German / Swiss French Layout: Press AltGr + 2 (or Option + G on Swiss Macs).

Italian & Portuguese Keyboards

• Italian Layout: Press AltGr + ò (or AltGr + ç). On Italian Mac, press Option + ò.
• Portuguese (Portugal & Brazil ABNT2): Press AltGr + 2 (or AltGr + Q).

Nordic Keyboards (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish)

• On all Scandinavian and Nordic layouts, press AltGr + 2.
• On Nordic Mac keyboards, press Option + ' (or Option + 2).

How to Type the At Symbol on iPhone, iPad & Android

iOS (Apple iPhone and iPad)

• Email Fields: When typing in an email input field, iOS automatically shows a dedicated @ key next to the spacebar.
• Standard Text: In messaging and social apps, tap the 123 key in the bottom-left corner and tap the @ key.

Android (Google Gboard & Samsung Keyboard)

• Gboard: Tap ?123 in the bottom-left corner, and tap @. In many layouts, long-pressing the period (.) or A key also brings up @.
• Samsung Keyboard: Tap !#1 or 123 to access the at symbol directly.

Modern Digital, Social & Programming Applications of the At Sign

Beyond standard commercial accounting, the at symbol plays a central syntactic role across modern computing, internet protocols, software architecture, and social media platforms:

Why Email Syntax Relies on the At Sign (RFC 5321 & RFC 5322)

Under internet standard RFC 5322, every standard email address consists of a local-part, an @ delimiter, and a domain-part. The at symbol tells Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs) and SMTP servers to route the packet to the mail exchanger specified by the DNS MX records of the domain name on the right-hand side of the symbol, depositing it into the specific mailbox mailbox specified on the left-hand side.

Developer & Technical Reference (Unicode, HTML, CSS & ASCII)

For software developers, web engineers, and database architects, below is the complete character specification for the at symbol:

History & Global Nicknames of the At Sign

The historical origins of the at sign date back centuries before the invention of the internet. In medieval Europe, monastic scribes wrote books entirely by hand. To save valuable parchment space and ink, scribes combined the Latin preposition ad (meaning "at", "to", or "toward") into a single stylized cursive ligature: an "a" wrapped inside the extended loop of a "d".

In 1971, American computer programmer Ray Tomlinson was developing the world's first networked electronic messaging system on ARPANET. He needed a character that could separate the name of an individual user from the name of their host machine without colliding with any valid character in a person's name. His eyes fell upon the commercial @ key on his Model 33 Teletype machine:

• "I looked at the keyboard and thought, 'What can I choose here that won't be confused with a username?' The at-sign made sense: it indicated the user was 'at' some other host rather than local." — Ray Tomlinson

Fascinating Cultural Nicknames Around the Globe

Because the at symbol visually resembles various animals and food items, different cultures around the world have given it delightful and affectionate nicknames:

• Italian: Chiocciola (meaning "snail").
• French: Arobase (derived from the old Spanish unit of weight, the arroba).
• German: Klammeraffe (meaning "spider monkey" or "clinging monkey").
• Hebrew: Strudel (after the spiral-rolled Austrian pastry).
• Dutch: Apestaartje (meaning "little monkey's tail").
• Russian: Sobaka / собака (meaning "dog").
• Danish & Swedish: Snabel-a (meaning "elephant's trunk A").
• Greek: Papaki / παπάκι (meaning "little duck").
• Hungarian: Kukac (meaning "worm" or "maggot").
• Korean: Golbaengi / 골뱅이 (meaning "sea snail").

Frequently Asked Questions About the At Symbol