How to Make the Copyright Symbol on Windows and Mac Computers

The copyright symbol (©) is a special character commonly used by photographers and other content creators. While copyright law does not require its use, the symbol is easily recognizable and lends an air of credibility to your intellectual property, so knowing how to type the copyright symbol on Windows and Mac can come in handy.

On computers running Windows, you can add the copyright symbol anywhere text can be entered with a few simple keystrokes.

For keyboards with a numeric keypad, hold down the Alt key and type 0169 using the keypad to create the copyright © symbol.

For most laptops and other compressed keyboards, the process is different. Look for tiny numbers above the 7, 8, 9, U, I, O, J, K, L, and M keys. They act as 0-9 when Num Lock is turned on. To create the copyright system without a numerical keypad:

For Mac computers, you add the copyright symbol anywhere text can be entered with just two keystrokes. Simply hold down the Option key and type g to create the © symbol.

If the keyboard shortcut seems like too much work for you, you can always copy a copyright symbol from elsewhere and paste it into your text. The © symbol is included in the character maps on most machines.

In Windows 10, type map in the taskbar's search box and then choose Character Map from the search results.

Then, select the symbol to make it appear in the text field so that you can copy it.

You can also access the Character Map under Windows Accessories in the Start Menu.

On MacOS, simply click Edit on the menu bar and select Emoji & Symbols. Type Copyright into the search bar to bring up the symbol for you to copy.