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£ How to Make GBP Symbol On Keyboard

In today’s article, you’ll learn how to use your keyboard to type the GBP Symbol anywhere like Word/Excel using Windows or Mac.

Just before we begin, I’ll like to tell you that you can also use the button below to copy and paste the GBP symbol into your work for free.

However, if you just want to type this symbol on your keyboard, the actionable steps below will show you how.

GBP Symbol [£] Quick Guide

To type the GBP symbol on Mac, press Option + 3 shortcut on your keyboard. For Windows users, simply press down the Alt key and type 0163 (i.e., GBP alt code) using the numeric keypad, then let go of the Alt key.

These keystrokes works everywhere in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, on both Windows and Mac.

Below table contains all the shortcuts you need to type the GBP symbol on keyboard.

Symbol NamePound sterling
Symbol£
Alt Code0163
Shortcut for WindowsAlt+0163
Shortcut for MacOption + 3
Shortcut in Word (Win)00A3, Alt+X

gbp symbol shortcuts

The above quick guide provides some useful shortcuts and alt code on how to type the GBP sign on both Windows and Mac. However, below are some other methods you can also use to insert this symbol into your work such as Word or Excel document.

How to type GBP [£] symbol in Word/Excel

Microsoft Office provides several methods for typing GBP or inserting symbols that do not have dedicated keys on the keyboard.

In this section, I will make available for you several different methods you can use to type or insert the GBP sign on your PC, like in MS Office (ie. Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) for both Mac and Windows users.

Without any further ado, let’s get started.

Using the GBP symbol [£] Alt Code (Windows Only)

The GBP Symbol alt code is 0163.

Even though the GBP symbol does not have a dedicated key on the keyboard, you can still type it on the keyboard with the Alt code method. To do this, press and hold the Alt key whilst pressing the GBP symbol Alt code (0163) using the numeric keypad.

This method works on Windows only. And your keyboard must also have a numeric keypad.

gbp symbol alt code

Below is a break-down of the steps you can take to type the GBP sign on your Windows PC:

  • Place your insertion pointer where you need the GBP symbol.
  • Press and hold one of the Alt keys on your keyboard.
  • Whilst holding on to the Alt key, press the GBP symbol’s alt code (0163). You must use the numeric keypad to type the alt code. If you are using a laptop without the numeric keypad, this method may not work for you. On some laptops, there’s a hidden numeric keypad which you can enable by pressing Fn+NmLk on the keyboard.
  • Release the Alt key after typing the GBP sign Alt code to insert the Symbol into your document.

This is how you may type this symbol in Word using the Alt Code method.

Using the GBP symbol Shortcut (Mac and Windows)

For Mac users, the keyboard shortcut for the GBP Symbol is Option + 3. For Windows users, use the Alt Code method by pressing down the [Alt] key whilst typing the GBP sign alt code which is 0163. You must use the numeric keypad to type the alt code. Also, ensure that your Num Lock key is turned on.

gbp symbol shortcuts

Below is a breakdown of the GBP symbol shortcut for Mac:

  • First of all, place the insertion pointer where you need to type the £ symbol.
  • Now, press Option + 3 simultaneously on your keyboard to insert the symbol.

Below is a breakdown of the GBP symbol shortcut for Windows:

  • Place the insertion pointer at the desired location.
  • Press and hold down the Alt key
  • While pressing down the Alt key, type 0163using the numeric keypad to insert the symbol.

These are the steps you may use to type GBP in Word or Excel.

Copy and Paste GBP £

Another easy way to get the GBP symbol on any PC is to use my favorite method: copy and paste.

All you have to do is to copy the symbol from somewhere like a web page, or the character map for windows users, and head over to where you need the symbol (say in Word or Excel), then hit Ctrl+V to paste.

Below is the symbol for you to copy and paste into your Word document. Just select it and press Ctrl+C to copy, switch over to Microsoft Word, place your insertion pointer at the desired location and press Ctrl+V to paste.

£

Alternatively, just use the copy button at the beginning of this post.

For windows users, obey the following instructions to copy and paste the GBP symbol using the character map dialog box.

  • Click on the Start button and search for Character Map. The Character Map app will appear in the search results, click to open.
search for character map on windows
  • The Character Map dialog will appear. Click to check the Advanced view check-box to expand the dialog box for more advanced options.
Check the Advanced view checkbox to expand the dialog
  • On the advanced view, type Pound Sign in the Search box.
  • You should now see the GBP on the character map dialog. If you can’t see it, then you should look through the library of symbols to spot it. When found, double click it to select. Alternatively, click on the Select button.
  • After you select the symbol by double-clicking it, it should appear in the Character to copy: field, then click on the Copy button to copy the symbol.
copy gbp symbol
  • Switch to your Microsoft Word or Excel document, place the insertion pointer at the desired location and press Ctrl+V to paste.

This is how you may use the Character Map dialog to copy and paste any symbol on Windows PC.

Using insert Symbol dialog box (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

The insert symbol dialog box is a library of symbols from where you can insert any symbol into your Word document with just a couple of mouse clicks.

Obey the following steps to insert the GBP Symbol in Word using the insert symbol dialog box.

  • Open your Word document.
  • Click to place the insertion pointer where you wish to insert the symbol.
  • Go to the Insert tab.
Click on the Insert tab
  • In the Symbols category, click on the Symbol drop-down and select the More Symbols button.
Go to Symbols>More Symbols
  • The Symbol dialog box will appear. Type 00A3 in the Character code: box. The symbol will appear selected.
  • Click on the Insert button. Alternatively, double click on the symbol to insert it into your Word document.
insert gbp symbol in Word
  • Close the dialog.

The symbol will then be inserted exactly where you placed the insertion pointer.

These are the steps you may use to insert the GBP symbol in Word.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several different methods you can use to type the GBP sign in Microsoft Word.

Using the shortcuts for both Windows and Mac makes the fastest option for this task. Shortcuts are always fast.

Thank you very much for reading this blog.

If you have anything thing to say or questions to ask concerning the GBP symbol, please drop it in the comments.

2 Comments

  1. There’s another way to do this, which may be useful for those who have laptops without dedicated number keypads. It requires a bit of setting up, but not difficult and you only need to do it once.

    The trick is to install additional keyboard languages. For British pounds, install the British keyboard as an option: Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region. Assuming the British keyboard is not already installed, click Add a Language, choose English (United Kingdom) and follow the prompts.

    Once installed, you can switch between keyboards easily by pressing Win + Space. If you have only two keyboard layout options, pressing once will toggle between them. Also, if you continue to hold down the Win key after pressing Space, a list of the installed options will stay open and you can use Space to move between them (useful if you have more than two keyboard layouts installed or just want to see which is currently active).

    With the UK keyboard active, the £ sign is Shift + 3 (where # usually is). And the euro sign € is also on the UK keyboard: Ctrl + Alt + 4.

    Then simply hit Win + Space to switch the language back again.

    In Word and Excel and other Office apps, you can also set it using AutoCorrect: for example, you can make the letters GBP auto correct to £ (no matter which keyboard layout is active). Just copy the desired symbol to the clipboard before opening the AutoCorrect dialog. Remember, AutoCorrect is case sensitive. In my case, I sometimes have to use the currency code (GBP) rather than the symbol, so my AutoCorrect is set to lowercase gbp (which is not likely to occur in regular text!). Likewise, the euro symbol: there, I use eu$ since “euo” is too common.

  2. hello,

    Is there a way to change this permanently on my laptop so when I press SHIFT & 4 it will always use the GBP symbol?

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