The British pound sterling (£) is the official currency of the United Kingdom and its associated territories.
If you want to type the British pound sterling (£) on your computer or mobile device, this guide will show you how.
On Your Computer
The correct way to enter the British pound sterling symbol (£) on your computer depends on its operating system.
On Windows PCs, there are several ways to insert the pound sterling symbol, but they only work in certain situations. In contrast, on the Mac there is only one way to do this—and it works every single time, in all applications.
On a Windows PC
With a Keyboard Shortcut
If your keyboard has a UK layout, the British pound symbol (£) is located on the number 3 key. To insert the pound sterling symbol on such a keyboard, simply press and hold Shift + 3.
With Alt Codes
If your keyboard has a US layout, it won’t have a dedicated key for the pound sterling symbol. To type it, hold down the Alt key, then press 0 + 1 + 6 + 3.
(Type the numbers one after the other, without holding them down. For this key combination to work, you need to use the number pad with NumLock enabled.)
With Character Map
If you’re on a Windows laptop that doesn’t have a number pad, you won’t be able to use Alt codes. However, there is a workaround:
Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box, type “charmap” (without the quotes), and press Enter. Locate the pound sterling symbol (£) and then click the “Copy” button. You can now paste the symbol into any application.
In Microsoft Office
If you’re in a Microsoft Office app, like Word, PowerPoint, or Excel, you can type the pound sterling symbol (£) by typing “00A3” (without the quotes), then pressing the Alt + X keys.
On a Mac
To type the pound sterling symbol (£) on a Mac, press and hold the Alt + 3 keys on your keyboard. (This key combination will insert the pound sterling symbol into any application.)
On a Linux PC
In Linux, every character has its own Unicode number. You can type it by holding Ctrl + Shift, then typing U followed by the Unicode number for the character in question.
The Unicode number of the pound sterling symbol (£) is U00A3.
So, to type the pound sterling symbol in Linux, hold Ctrl + Shift + U, then release and type in 0 + 0 + A + 3.
On Your Phone or Tablet
The ways to insert the pound sterling symbol (£) on Android and iOS devices are strikingly similar. To find out what they are, read on.
On Android Devices
To type the pound sterling symbol (£) on your Android phone or tablet, tap the ?123 button in the lower-left corner of the keyboard, then tap and hold your finger over the dollar ($) symbol.
A list of currency symbols will pop up. Without lifting your finger from the touch screen, move it over to the pound sterling symbol and then release it.
On iOS Devices
To type the pound sterling symbol (£) on your iPad or iPhone, tap the 123 button in the lower-left corner of the keyboard, then tap and hold your finger over the dollar ($) symbol.
A list of currency symbols will pop up. Without lifting your finger from the touch screen, move it over to the pound sterling symbol and then release it.