A copyright notice is meant to protect your intellectual property from being copied by others without your permission. That is why it’s important to use the copyright symbol to let people know that you have the exclusive right to your work.
Let’s say that you are writing a novel with the intention to publish and distribute it to the public. You wouldn’t want it to get copied and plagiarized by random strangers, would you? To deter potential theft, you can type the copyright symbol (©) to indicate that you are the exclusive copyright holder of your work.
However, using the copyright sign is not really necessary to establish copyright over your intellectual property. You still own the copyright to your work even if you didn’t include a copyright symbol. It’s only meant to show that your work is copyrighted as well as to indicate the year it was created and the name of the copyright holder.
Using the copyright symbol in your book, website or any other intellectual property doesn’t actually prevent others from copying or plagiarizing your work. Nevertheless, it’s still a good idea to include the copyright sign so as to let other people know who the copyright holder is. It’s also useful in cases where you have to legally enforce your rights to your work.
If you really want to legally protect your work from potential infringement, a trademark is the better option. Getting a trademark usually involves signing and submitting paperwork, so it’s advisable to consult a trademark attorney to help you with the process.
If you’re interested to learn to type the copyright symbol on your computer or mobile device, we’ve come up with this guide to teach you how to do it in platforms such as Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, as well as applications like Microsoft Word.
Copyright Symbol Keyboard Shortcuts and Character Codes
The following are the keyboard shortcuts and codes for the copyright symbol (©) in various platforms such as Windows and Mac.
| Platform | Shortcut or Code |
|---|---|
| Windows PC | Alt + 0169 |
| Macintosh | Option + G |
| Linux | Ctrl + Shift + U, 00A9 |
| Microsoft Word | Alt + Ctrl + C |
| Android | 123, =\<, © |
| iOS | 😊, © |
| HTML | © |
| LaTeX | \copyright |
| ASCII code | 169 |
| Unicode | U+00A9 |
Type the Copyright Symbol on a Windows Keyboard
On Windows, you can easily type the copyright symbol using a combination of keys on your keyboard. The beauty of the keyboard shortcut is that it works with any application such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Notepad and Google Docs.
The Windows keyboard shortcut for the copyright symbol is Alt + 0169.
Follow these steps to type the copyright symbol on your Windows keyboard:
- Activate the numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard by tapping Num Lock.
- Place the mouse cursor where you want the symbol to be inserted (e.g. Word document or Excel spreadsheet).
- Press or hold down the Alt key.
- While holding down the Alt key, press 0169 on the numeric keypad in quick succession.
- Check that the copyright sign was properly inserted in your document or application.
Keep in mind that you should only use the number pad (or numeric keypad) on the right side of the keyboard to type the number keys (0169). The keyboard shortcut will not work if you use the number keys on the upper row of the keyboard.
Type the Copyright Symbol on a Mac Keyboard
Using a Mac? It’s easy to type the copyright symbol in Mac using the keyboard shortcut Option + G.
Follow these steps to type the copyright symbol on your Mac keyboard:
- Place the cursor where you want to put the copyright sign.
- Hold the Option key and then tap the G key.
- Check that the copyright symbol has been inserted in your document.
Type the Copyright Symbol on a Linux Keyboard
Using a Linux computer? The keyboard shortcut to type the copyright symbol in Linux is Ctrl + Shift + U, 00A9.
Here’s how to type the copyright symbol on a Linux keyboard:
- Press the Ctrl, Shift and U keys simultaneously.
- Type 00A9.
- Confirm that the copyright symbol has been inserted.
Insert the Copyright Symbol in Microsoft Word
You can easily type the copyright symbol in Microsoft Word using the keyboard shortcut, but if you don’t want to use it, you can still insert the symbol into your document. Word has a built-in symbol insertion feature that allows you to search and insert any symbol or special character.
First, click the Insert tab on the menu bar in Word.
Place the cursor where you want to insert the copyright sign in your document, and then click the Symbol on the right side of the menu.
Chances are, the copyright sign © will show up on the dropdown menu. Just click it to insert the symbol into your document.
However, if the copyright sign can’t be found in your recently used symbols, then click More Symbols on the dropdown menu.
The Symbol dialog will appear containing all the symbols and special characters you can insert in Word. Find the © symbol and click on it to highlight it. Afterwards, click Insert to insert the symbol into your document.
If you have trouble finding the © symbol, select “Latin-1 Supplement” in the Subset field to narrow down your choices.
Aside from Alt + 0169, you can also use the shortcut key Alt + Ctrl + C to type the copyright symbol in Microsoft Word. You can change this shortcut to something more memorable by clicking the Shortcut Key button on the Symbol dialog, and then assigning a new shortcut.
Insert the Copyright Sign in Google Docs
Google Docs has gained popularity over recent years because of its ease of use and portability. Inserting the copyright symbol in Google Docs can be done with just a few clicks.
Follow these steps to insert the copyright sign in Google Docs:
- Click Insert on the main menu.
- Select Special characters.
- On the “Insert special characters” dialog, select “Symbol” and “Miscellaneous” on the dropdown fields.
- Find the copyright sign © and click it to insert into your Google Docs document.
If you can’t find the copyright sign, you can quickly search for it by typing “copyright” on the “Search by keyword” field.
Take note that you can also use the Windows keyboard shortcut Alt + 0169 to type the copyright sign in Google Docs.
Insert the Copyright Sign Using Character Map
The Character Map is a useful application that allows you to select and insert any character that is available in Windows 10. Use this handy utility if you have trouble typing the copyright sign using other methods.
Here’s how to insert the copyright symbol using Character Map:
- Click the Windows Start button on the bottom-left corner of the screen, select Windows Accessories and then click Character Map.
- On the Character Map application, find the © symbol and click it. If you have difficulty finding the symbol, check “Advanced view” and search for “copyright.”
- After selecting the © symbol, click Select and the symbol will appear on the adjacent field.
- Click Copy.
- Go to your document and paste the symbol by right-clicking and selecting Paste, or by typing Ctrl + V.
Type the Copyright Symbol in Android
The Android stock keyboard Gboard comes with the copyright sign key. To type the copyright symbol in your Android smartphone, switch to the symbols keys by tapping ?123 and then selecting =\<. You will see the copyright © key on the third row, so tap it to insert into your text message or mobile application.
Type the Copyright Symbol on the iPhone
iPhone and iPad users can type the copyright symbol, too. The iOS keyboard supports several commonly used symbols including the copyright sign.
Here’s how to type the copyright symbol on the iPhone:
- On the iOS keyboard, tap the emoji 😊 key just before the space bar.
- Switch to the symbols keypad by tapping the key with the ampersand (&) and percentage (%) symbols.
- Find the copyright (©) symbol and tap it to insert.
For some users, this method may not be ideal as the copyright sign may look like an emoji. If you don’t like it, just copy the symbol instead on this page and paste it to your document or application.
Insert the Copyright Symbol as HTML
If you want to include the copyright symbol in your website, simply type © as the HTML code and it will appear as © when viewed on a web browser.
Copyright Symbol Copy and Paste
Do you want to copy the copyright symbol and paste it into your document or application? We’ve provided a quick and easy way to do so. Simply click the box below and the symbol will be copied to your clipboard.
After copying the symbol, go to your document and paste it by right-clicking (or long-pressing if you’re on mobile) and selecting Paste. You can also type Ctrl + V. If you’re on your mobile phone, just long press and select Paste.
Key Takeaways
By using the copyright symbol, you inform others that you have the right to your work and it also allows them to contact you for permission to use your work. Although it’s not necessary to use the international copyright sign to establish your copyright, it doesn’t hurt to use it either. It only takes a few seconds to type or insert it into your document, but the benefits are manifold.
If you have difficulties using any of the methods in this article, you can just simple copy (Ctrl + C) the © symbol here and paste it (Ctrl + V) into your document.
