What is the Alt code for the pound sterling symbol?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 0163 on the numeric keypad (Alt+0163). This matches the pound sign's position in the Windows-1252 code page and its Unicode value.

What is the Unicode code point for the pound sign?

The pound sign is U+00A3, officially named POUND SIGN. It covers the British pound sterling as well as other currencies that use the same symbol.

How do I type £ on a Mac?

On a US keyboard layout, press Option+3. On a UK Mac layout, press Shift+3 instead, since the £ is printed directly on the 3 key.

How do I type £ on a UK keyboard?

Press Shift+3. UK physical keyboards print the pound sign directly above the 3 key, unlike US keyboards which print # in that position.

What is the HTML entity for the pound sign?

Use the named entity £ or the numeric entity £ (equivalently £ in hex). All three render the same £ character in HTML.

Is £ the same as GBP?

£ is the currency symbol, while GBP is the ISO 4217 three-letter code for British pound sterling. Both refer to the same currency; GBP is preferred in contexts where the symbol could be ambiguous with other pound currencies.

Pound Sterling Symbol

Name: Pound Sterling Symbol
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Copy the pound sterling symbol (£) and find its Alt code, Unicode value, and keyboard shortcut for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Pound Sterling Symbol

Click the symbol to copy it

Formats

Character £

Unicode U+00A3

HTML entity £

HTML decimal £

CSS escape \00A3

URL encoded %C2%A3

Click any row to copy that exact string.

Keyboard Shortcuts

System / layout	Shortcut	Notes
Windows (Alt code)		Hold Alt, type 0163 on the numeric keypad.
UK keyboard		The £ symbol is printed directly on the 3 key on UK layouts.
US keyboard		US layouts have no dedicated £ key, so use the Alt code instead.
Mac (US layout)		Produces £ directly on a US Mac keyboard layout.
Mac (UK layout)		No Option needed; £ is printed on the 3 key, same as Windows UK layout.
Linux (GTK)		Type the hex code, then press Enter or Space.
Microsoft Word		Type 00A3 then press Alt+X to convert it.

Try it: format a price

Enter an amount and pick a style to copy a formatted price in pounds.

£1,234.50

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Summary

Copy the pound sterling symbol (£) and find its Alt code, Unicode value, and keyboard shortcut for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

How it works

Click the large £ symbol to copy the plain character to your clipboard.
Or click any row in the Formats list to copy that exact encoded form (Unicode, HTML entity, URL encoding).
Check the keyboard shortcut table for your OS and keyboard layout — US keyboards need the Alt code since £ has no dedicated key.
Use the "Try it" box to format an amount as a price with the £ symbol, either prefix, suffix, or ISO code style.

Use cases

Insert £ into a price when your keyboard has no dedicated pound key.
Format a price for a UK audience with a leading £ symbol.
Paste the HTML entity £ when a raw £ gets mangled by legacy page encoding.
Escape £ as %C2%A3 in a URL query string or API request.
Look up the Alt code for pasting into legacy software that blocks copy-paste.
Type £ on a US keyboard, which has no pound key on the number row.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu