The Alt key on the Mac keyboard: functions and special characters

Have you ever pressed the Alt key on your Apple keyboard and wondered why nothing happened? Normally, pressing [Alt] by itself will not execute a system command. However, by combining it with other keys, you can access the third assignment of keys and many common special characters. The Alt key on Mac devices can also be used to perform hidden functions. Below you will find the most important keyboard shortcuts and functions which use the Alt key on Macs.

You can identify the Alt key (also referred to as the Option key) on Apple keyboards by the following symbol: ⌥. This symbol represents an alternative and indicates the function of the key. By combining the Alt key with other keys, you can use hidden options and select the alternative assignment of keys allowing you to display special characters. On some keyboards, the key is labelled with the term “alt”. On English-language keyboards, the key is also labelled with the term “option”.

When you combine the Alt key with other keys on a Mac keyboard, you gain access to a wide variety of functions that are otherwise only accessible via indirect means. What commands are available varies depending on the active window or program. For example, the Alt key performs different functions in the Finder than in an open text document. If your mouse cursor is in an input field or word processing program, the Alt key can be used to access the third assignment of keys and thus special characters.

Depending on whether you are using the Finder, a program or an input field, you will have different commands and functions available to you via the keyboard shortcuts using the Alt key on Macs. Below you will find some useful shortcuts that can be used to access functions and special characters quickly and easily.

If you are looking to use an Apple system application or macOS, you can use the Alt key to quickly access a variety of options. There are even shortcuts to hibernate your computer. The following table is an overview of the most important shortcuts:

Using the appropriate keyboard shortcut, you can show or hide the Dock. If you select an app in the Dock by left-clicking on it while pressing the Alt key, you can perform additional functions:

Using the following shortcuts, you can control various settings. You can also adjust the brightness of the display and the keyboard in smaller increments. If needed, you can set additional individual shortcuts in the keyboard settings.

Using the following Alt key shortcuts, you can execute common commands faster and simplify your daily work:

If the Finder application is open in the foreground, use its dedicated shortcuts to show and hide additional functions or to execute commands for the selected file.

On Windows keyboards, many common special characters are displayed on the keyboard itself. If you press a key while holding [Alt Gr], you can access its third assignment. On macOS, you can use the Alt key to access these sub-functions. However, the available special characters are not displayed on Apple keyboards. The following is an overview of the most important characters and how to access them: