Mac and PC keyboard symbols: what each one means
Mac menus and shortcut lists write keys as symbols, and Apple says so itself: Keyboard shortcuts use one or more of these modifier keys, which in menus are abbreviated using symbols
Apple Support, Mac keyboard shortcuts, Using keyboard shortcuts So “⇧⌘Z” means Shift-Command-Z. Pick the shape you can see, then the symbol. 16 symbols, each with its name on a Mac and on a Windows PC, the PC key only where Apple or Microsoft names one, and the Unicode character to copy.
Tap a shape — the symbols that use it appear here.
An arrow — 8 symbols
A caret or a bent line — 2 symbols
Loops or a circle — 3 symbols
A pointed box with an X — 2 symbols
A triangle on a bar — 1 symbol
All the symbols at a glance
| Symbol | On a Mac | On a Windows PC | Unicode |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⌘ | Command (or Cmd) | No Command key. Apple: press Ctrl or the Windows logo key instead | U+2318 |
| ⌥ | Option (or Alt) | Alt (Apple states it) | U+2325 |
| ⌃ | Control (or Ctrl) | Ctrl, but Apple maps most PC Ctrl shortcuts to Command, not Control | U+2303 |
| ⇧ | Shift | Shift | U+21E7 |
| ⇪ | Caps Lock | Caps lock | U+21EA |
| ⎋ | Esc (Escape) | Esc | U+238B |
| ⇥ | Tab | Tab | U+21E5 |
| ⌫ | Delete | Backspace (Apple states it) | U+232B |
| ⌦ | Forward Delete (or Fn-Delete) | Del or Delete (Apple states it) | U+2326 |
| ⏎ | Return | Microsoft’s lists name an Enter key; neither Apple nor Microsoft pairs the two in the pages we read | U+23CE |
| ⏏ | Eject (Media Eject) | No equivalent stated | U+23CF |
| ⇞ | Page Up (or Fn–Up Arrow) | Page up or PgUp | U+21DE |
| ⇟ | Page Down (or Fn–Down Arrow) | Page down or PgDn | U+21DF |
| ⇱ | Home (or Fn–Left Arrow) | Home (Apple states the Mac equivalents) | U+21F1 |
| ⇲ | End (or Fn–Right Arrow) | End (Apple states the Mac equivalents) | U+21F2 |
| 🌐 | Fn (Function) or Globe | No equivalent stated | U+1F310 |
Apple’s list also writes the arrow keys as filled triangles: Up Arrow ▲ Down Arrow ▼ Left Arrow ◀ Right Arrow ▶
Apple Support, Mac keyboard shortcuts, list of modifier-key symbols under Using keyboard shortcuts
The Windows key
PC keyboards have a key with the Windows logo between Ctrl and Alt. We describe it by name and do not draw the logo. Microsoft calls it the Windows key:
- Windows key
Open or close the Start menu.
Microsoft Support, Keyboard shortcuts in Windows, Windows key keyboard shortcuts
A Mac has no Windows key. Apple’s advice for a PC keyboard used with a Mac, and its table of equivalents:
On keyboards made for Windows PCs, press the Alt key instead of Option, and the Ctrl key or Windows logo key instead of Command.
Apple Support, Mac keyboard shortcuts, note under the modifier-key list- Windows key → Control, Command
Control and Command are used on Mac as modifier keys, similar to the Windows key.
Apple Support (Mac User Guide), Windows keys on a Mac keyboard, table row Windows key
The ISO symbols for the same keys
ISO/IEC 9995-7 standardises symbols for keyboard functions. Some match the Mac’s, some do not. From the Unicode names list, which marks the characters taken from that standard: ⌘ is annotated operating system key (ISO/IEC 9995-7)
, ⇧ level 2 select (ISO/IEC 9995-7)
, and ⎋ (escape) sits in its block of keyboard symbols from ISO/IEC 9995-7, as do ⎇ ALTERNATIVE KEY SYMBOL, ⎈ HELM SYMBOL (annotated control
) and ⎆ ENTER SYMBOL. Unicode Consortium, NamesList.txt, The Unicode Standard 18.0.0 (character names and annotations), U+2318, U+21E7 and the blocks “Keyboard symbols from ISO/IEC 9995-7”
ISO/IEC 9995-7 is a paid standard and its catalogue page shows no drawings. What these pages say about it comes from the Unicode names list, which marks the characters taken from ISO/IEC 9995-7 and quotes the function name the standard gives them. ISO/IEC (catalogue entry), ISO/IEC 9995-7:2009 Information technology — Keyboard layouts for text and office systems — Part 7: Symbols used to represent functions, catalogue entry
What these pages cannot do
- They cover the symbols Apple’s shortcut list uses and the editing keys around them, not every key on every keyboard. Brightness, volume and media keys on the top row are not here.
- Key names and layouts vary by country and model. A UK or German keyboard can label a key differently from the US names Apple and Microsoft use.
- Where Apple and Microsoft do not state a PC equivalent for a Mac key, we do not invent one.
Sources
Each line in quotation marks is copied from the page named, read on the date shown. Each symbol’s own page cites the Unicode code chart for its character.
- Apple Support: Mac keyboard shortcuts (published September 14, 2026). Used here: Using keyboard shortcuts; list of modifier-key symbols under Using keyboard shortcuts; note under the modifier-key list. support.apple.com Checked 2026-09-29.
- Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Windows (applies to Windows 11 and Windows 10). Used here: Windows key keyboard shortcuts. support.microsoft.com Checked 2026-09-29.
- Apple Support (Mac User Guide): Windows keys on a Mac keyboard (Mac User Guide for macOS 27). Used here: table row Windows key. support.apple.com Checked 2026-09-29.
- Unicode Consortium: NamesList.txt, The Unicode Standard 18.0.0 (character names and annotations) (Unicode 18.0.0). Used here: U+2318, U+21E7 and the blocks “Keyboard symbols from ISO/IEC 9995-7”. www.unicode.org Checked 2026-09-29.
- ISO/IEC (catalogue entry): ISO/IEC 9995-7:2009 Information technology — Keyboard layouts for text and office systems — Part 7: Symbols used to represent functions (2009, with Amendment 1 of 2012). Used here: catalogue entry. www.iso.org Checked 2026-09-29.