How to Type @ on Keyboard — Windows, Mac, UK, Laptop & Mobile

If you have ever wondered how to type @ on a QWERTY keyboard, you are not alone. The at sign (@) is one of the most used symbols online — it appears in every email address, social media handle, and many programming languages. Yet many people, especially those switching between keyboard layouts or using a laptop for the first time, cannot find the key straight away.

Table of Contents

This guide covers every situation: the standard US QWERTY layout, the UK layout, Mac keyboards, Windows laptops, Chromebooks, mobile phones, and what to do when the @ key simply refuses to work. By the end you will be able to type the at symbol on any device in seconds.

💡 Quick Answer: On a US QWERTY keyboard, press Shift + 2 to type @. On a UK keyboard, press Shift + ‘ (apostrophe). On Mac, press Shift + 2 or Option + 2 depending on your layout.

What Is the @ Symbol and Why Does Its Location Vary?

The @ symbol — officially called the at sign — has Unicode value U+0040 and HTML code @. It was originally used in commercial invoices to mean “at the rate of”, but today it is best known as the separator in every email address (user@domain.com) and as the mention character on social media platforms.

Its position on the keyboard is not fixed. Different countries place the at sign on different keys, which is why the same physical keyboard can behave differently depending on the operating system’s language setting. A computer configured for a US layout and one configured for a UK layout look identical on the outside, but pressing the same keys produces different characters.

Understanding this is the key to solving almost every “@” problem — it is almost always a keyboard layout mismatch, not a broken key.

Keyboard Symbols Explained — complete breakdown of every special character and how to type each one

How to Type @ on a US Keyboard (Windows)

On a standard US keyboard running Windows, the at sign is printed on the 2 key — above the number itself. This is the most common layout worldwide.

Main Shortcut — Shift + 2

Place your cursorwhere you want the @ symbol to appear.
Hold the Shift key(either left or right Shift).
Press the 2 keyat the top of the keyboard.
Release both keys. The@symbol appears.

💡 Finger position tip: Use your right pinky to hold Shift and your left middle finger to press 2. This keeps the movement comfortable during fast typing.

Alternative Method — Alt Code (Windows Only)

If your Shift + 2 combination is not working, you can use the numeric keypad method:

Turn on Num Lock(press the Num Lock key; the indicator light should turn on).
Hold the Alt keyon your keyboard.
Type 6 then 4on the numeric keypad (not the number row).
Release Alt. The@symbol appears.

⚠️ Laptop users: Most laptops do not have a dedicated numeric keypad. The Alt+64 method usually does not work unless your laptop has a Fn key that activates a hidden numpad. Use Shift+2 instead.

Quick Reference — Windows US Layout

Method	Keys to Press	Works On
Main shortcut	Shift + 2	All Windows keyboards (US layout)
Alt code	Alt + 64 (numpad)	Desktop keyboards with numpad
Copy & paste	Copy @ from browser	Any device, any layout

How to Type @ on a UK Keyboard

The UK keyboard layout is one of the most common sources of confusion. On a UK keyboard, Shift + 2 does not type @ — it types the " (double quote) character instead. The @ symbol has been moved to a different key.

Main Shortcut — Shift + ‘ (Apostrophe)

On most UK keyboards, the @ symbol is printed on the apostrophe key, which sits just to the left of the Enter key.

Hold Shift.
Press the ‘ key(apostrophe / single quote), to the left of Enter.
The @ symbol appears.

US vs UK Layout Comparison

Layout	Key Combination for @	Key Combination for "
US QWERTY	Shift + 2	Shift + '
UK QWERTY	Shift + '	Shift + 2
European (many)	AltGr + Q or AltGr + 2	Shift + 2

If you are unsure which layout your computer uses, open Notepad and press Shift + 2. The character that appears will identify your layout.

How to Type @ on a Mac Keyboard

Mac keyboards follow the US layout by default, so the shortcut is the same as Windows US for most users. However, language settings and regional keyboard variants change things.

Main Shortcut — Shift + 2 (Mac US Layout)

Hold Shift.
Press 2 on the number row.
The @ symbol appears.

Alternative — Option + 2 (Some Mac Layouts)

On Macs set to certain non-US layouts (for example, Spanish or French), the @ is reached with Option (⌥) + 2. The Option key on Mac is equivalent to Alt on Windows.

Hold Option (⌥).
Press 2.
The @ symbol appears.

Finding the Em Dash on a Mac Keyboard — type — and other special characters on macOS.

Checking Your Mac Keyboard Layout

If neither shortcut works, check your active layout:

Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
Go to Keyboard › Input Sources.
Check which layout is selected. Switch to S. for Shift+2 to work.
You can also enable the Keyboard Viewer (Show Input menu in menu bar) to see exactly which key produces which character.

Mac Layout	Shortcut for @
US English	Shift + 2
UK English	Shift + '
Spanish	Option + 2
French	AltGr + à
German	AltGr + Q

How to Type @ on a Laptop Keyboard

Laptops use the same layout as desktop keyboards, so the shortcuts above apply. However, laptops have some quirks worth knowing:

No numeric keypad: The Alt+64 method does not work on most laptops. Stick with Shift+2.
Fn key interference: Some laptops reassign keys with the Fn (Function) key. If Shift+2 produces something unexpected, check whether your Fn Lock is on.
Country of purchase matters: A laptop bought in the UK has a UK keyboard layout. If the operating system was set up in US English, there will be a mismatch — fix it in your language settings.
Sticky keys: If the Shift key is not registering, check that Sticky Keys (an accessibility feature) is not turned on.

Chromebook

Chromebooks use the US layout by default. Press Shift + 2 to type @. If you have changed the language settings, go to Settings › Advanced › Languages and inputs › Input methods to check your active layout.

How to Type @ on a Mobile Phone or Tablet

Mobile keyboards do not show the @ symbol on the default letter layout. Here is how to find it on the most common mobile operating systems:

iPhone / iPad (iOS)

Tap the text field to bring up the keyboard.
Tap the 123 button in the bottom-left corner.
The @ symbol appears directly on the number/symbol keyboard — tap it.
In email fields, iOS keyboards often show@automatically on the default layout.

Android

Tap the text field.
Tap ? 123 (the label varies by keyboard app).
The @ key is visible on the symbol layout — tap it.

💡 Email fields on mobile: When you are in an email address field, many mobile keyboards (both iOS and Android) show the @ symbol on the default layout automatically, saving you the step of switching to symbols.

How to Type @ on European Keyboards (AltGr Method)

Many European QWERTY and QWERTZ/AZERTY keyboards use a dedicated AltGr key (the right Alt key) to access symbols like @. The exact key that produces @ depends on the country layout:

Country / Layout	Shortcut for @	Key with @ Printed On It
Germany (QWERTZ)	AltGr + Q	Q key
France (AZERTY)	AltGr + à	à key (number 0 position)
Spain	AltGr + 2	2 key
Italy	AltGr + Q	Q key
Netherlands	AltGr + 2	2 key
Portugal	AltGr + 2	2 key

The general rule: look at your keyboard physically. The @ symbol will be printed (usually in a different colour) on one of the keys. Hold AltGr and press that key.

Copy and Paste the @ Symbol — and Other Quick Methods

If your keyboard shortcut is not cooperating, these universal fallback methods always work:

Copy and Paste

@ — copy this symbol and paste it anywhere using Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (Mac).

HTML and Unicode Reference

Method	Code	Use Case
HTML entity	@ or @	In HTML source code
Unicode point	U+0040	Reference / documentation
Alt code (Windows)	Alt + 64	Desktop keyboards with numpad
CSS content	content: '\0040'	In CSS ::before / ::after

On-Screen Keyboard (Windows)

PressWindows key + R, typeosk, press Enter.
The on-screen keyboard appears. Click Shift then click 2 (or ‘ for UK) to type @.
This also shows you exactly which key your current layout maps to @.

@ Symbol Not Working — Troubleshooting Guide

If pressing the expected keys does not produce @, one of the following causes is almost always responsible:

Problem 1: Wrong Keyboard Layout in Operating System

Symptom: Pressing Shift+2 types ” instead of @, or vice versa.

Fix (Windows): Go to Settings › Time & Language › Language & Region. Under your language, click the three dots and select Language options. Check which keyboard is listed under Keyboards. Remove the wrong one and add the correct layout (English US or English UK).

Fix (Mac): Open System Settings › Keyboard › Input Sources. Click the + button to add the correct layout. Select it from the menu bar input switcher.

Problem 2: @ and ” Are Swapped

Symptom: Shift+2 gives @ sometimes and ” other times, depending on which app is focused.

Fix: Some applications (particularly remote desktop or virtual machine software) override the keyboard layout. Check the language settings inside the remote session separately from your local settings.

Problem 3: The 2 Key Is Physically Broken

Symptom: The 2 key produces no input at all, or produces the wrong character consistently.

Fix: Use the on-screen keyboard (osk) as a temporary workaround. Press Windows+R, type osk, press Enter. For a permanent fix on a laptop, the key cap or the keyboard membrane may need replacing.

Problem 4: Fn Lock Is Active

Symptom: Keys on the number row produce function inputs (F1, F2…) instead of numbers/symbols.

Fix: Press Fn + Esc (or Fn + Fn Lock, depending on your laptop model) to toggle Fn Lock off. The number row should return to normal.

Problem 5: Sticky Keys or Filter Keys Are On

Symptom: Shift key does not seem to be held down when you press Shift+2.

Fix: Go to Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard (Windows) and make sure Sticky Keys and Filter Keys are turned off.

⚠️ Still not working? Open Notepad and try pressing every key on the keyboard systematically to understand what your current layout is actually producing. This tells you exactly whether it is a layout issue or a hardware issue

Quick Reference — How to Type @ on Every Device

Device / OS	Layout	Shortcut for @
Windows PC	US QWERTY	Shift + 2
Windows PC	UK QWERTY	Shift + '
Windows PC	European	AltGr + Q or AltGr + 2
Mac	US	Shift + 2
Mac	UK	Shift + '
Mac	Spanish / French	Option + 2
Laptop (US)	US QWERTY	Shift + 2
Laptop (UK)	UK QWERTY	Shift + '
Chromebook	US (default)	Shift + 2
iPhone / iPad	Any	Tap 123, then @
Android	Any	Tap ?123, then @
Any device	Any	Alt + 64 (numpad) or copy & paste @

Close Tab Shortcut — press Ctrl+W on Windows or Cmd+W on Mac to close tabs instantly

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Shift + 2 type ” instead of @?

Your operating system keyboard layout is set to UK English instead of US English. On a UK layout, Shift+2 produces the double-quote character. Switch your layout to US English in your language settings, or use Shift+’ (apostrophe) which is the UK shortcut for @.

Is there an @ key on a QWERTY keyboard?

Not as a dedicated key. On a US QWERTY keyboard, the @ symbol shares the 2 key and is accessed via Shift+2. It is a secondary character printed above the number 2.

How do I type @ without a working Shift key?

On Windows, use Alt+64 on the numeric keypad. Alternatively, open the on-screen keyboard (Windows key + R, type osk, press Enter) and click Shift then 2. You can also copy and paste the @ symbol from any web page.

How do I type the at sign in HTML?

You can type @ directly in HTML — it does not need escaping. If you prefer an HTML entity, use @ or @. Both produce the @ symbol when rendered in a browser.

Why is @ in a different place on my European keyboard?

European keyboard layouts (QWERTZ, AZERTY, and regional QWERTY variants) were designed for languages that use letters not present on US keyboards. To fit those extra characters, symbols like @ were moved to AltGr combinations. Look for @ printed on your keyboard and press AltGr (right Alt) + that key.

How do I type @ on a phone?

On both iPhone and Android, tap the ?123 or 123 key to switch to the symbols keyboard, then tap @. In email address fields, many mobile keyboards show @ on the default layout automatically.