If you are photographer who does a lot of social media posts knowing where to find the hash key on an Apple Mac Keyboard is essential. This post is for anyone who is searching for the hash # key on a British apple keyboard. I’m a commercial photographer based in Surrey and thought this might be useful to anyone new to Apple Mac keyboard layouts. Photographers tag images all the time with hash tags especially on Instagram and if you cannot find the Hash Key it can be very important or something you just lose track of how to find it.
Hold down the “alt/option” key then press “3”
On a U.S. Keyboard it will most likely be “Shift + 3”
If you don’t get a hash appear when you press alt > 3; open the Keyboard Viewer (you will find this on the top right of your screen next to the date and time. It is usually the country flag icon.) Or
Open system preferences > Keyboard > Select ‘Input Sources’ make sure British is selected. You will see the different keyboard characters change when you press alt, shift etc.
For anyone who is an avid Twitter user the # hash key is an important character. As a photographer I post many images via twitter and instagram using the hashtag.
If you found this useful please consider following me on instagram. https://www.instagram.com/alexorrow.photography/
This doesn’t work, I have done everything, my keyboard is on British but when you look at the keyboard viewer the hash is nowhere to be seen. It is beyond frustrating
Are you pressing the alt button combined with the number 3?
Yes I am , but I have tried alt then three, alt and the three pressed together. If teh keyboard viewer is to be believed there simply is no hash on my keyboard, when you press alt and three, it highlights the number three.
Does the hash appear in your text when your typing in twitter or any document?
I can read the hash, ie it shows on my screen on twitter, but it doesn’t appear when I’m typing. I tried to call my local apple shop, sat on hold for 12 minutes and gave up.
My husband suggested copying and pasting teh hash from elsewhere and then creating a shortcut. I have had my mac for just over a year and I truly hate it!
Kate, When I open the Keyboard viewer and press the alt key I can see the number three change to a #. If you do the same do you see any changes to the keyboard viewer?
NO! That’s what I said at the beginning, the number 3 remains a number three, there is definitely no hash key on this keyboard. The keyboard viewer is really cool though…. just doesn’t help me with the missing hash key
Kate, does any other key change apart from the the number 3? or does any number change to a different character when you press the alt key when viewing the keyboard viewer?
If when using the keyboard viewer you don’t see any other character changing when you press the alt ket. Try this:
Open system preferences > Keyboard > Select the ‘Modifier Keys’ button at bottom right > you will see a list with the Option key and a drop down list next to it. It should say ‘Option’. If it says ‘No action’ change this to ‘Option’
Hope this helps? Otherwise I cannot suggest anything else to help you except speaking to Apple.
All of the numbers remain, all of the letters go ie their tiles become blank, def have it on British keyboard. I am a bit glad you don’t know what to do because it means it’s not obvious and therefore can’t be me being stupid!
Have you looked at the preferences as I suggested?
# # # # # # # #1
you my friend, are a genius! Thanks so much for your help, in my view you are a legend.
Thank You xxx
It was a big help
I tried all the methods that have been suggested, without any luck… I then held down the fn key and tapped the ‘backward slash’ key and the ‘Hash’ symbol appeared… It was also produced by simply tapping the backwards slash key…
I’m set to use the British keyboard…
This is all quite ‘mind-boggling’….
Robbie….
Robbie, Have you tried opening the keyboard viewer and checking what happens when you press the alt/option key as described in my post?
I too have tried everything suggested here to get a hashtag, the only thing that is working for me is to find a hashtag & copy paste it. I even tried to change § into a # but it hasn’t worked. When I bring up the keyboard viewer & hold the option key the layout changes to capitals etc.
I’m hoping this is a clue!
Sounds like your using the shift key instead of the alt key. The alt key is located on the very bottom row of keys between the ctrl and command key.
@Robbie Dalziel…..it worked for me too!…i was about to throw my mac into a trash bin!…#Thanks a lot bro!!!
On my computer the alt/option key doesn’t do it, but the Up Arrow shift key does. Shift + 3 = #