How to Type ā (A with macron) on Mac

Published July 17, 2026, 2 min read

Need ā on Mac for a name, an address or a word in another language? You do not have to copy it from a website every time. The fastest method is Option + 0101 (Unicode Hex Input), and there are a few backups below for when that one is not available.

ā on Mac: Option + 0101 (Unicode Hex Input)

Ā on Mac: Option + 0100 (Unicode Hex Input)

Or copy it:

Method 1: Press and hold

Hold down the A key.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If ā is in the row, press the number under it or click it.

If nothing appears, press-and-hold is turned off. Run defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true in Terminal and log out and back in.

Method 2: Unicode Hex Input

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, click +, and add Unicode Hex Input.
Switch to it from the input menu in the menu bar.
Hold Option and type 0101. ā appears when you release Option.

This works for every letter on this site, including ones with no Option shortcut.

Method 3: Character Viewer

Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space, search for "latin small letter a with macron", and double-click ā.

How to type the capital Ā

The uppercase form works the same way with Shift added where a letter is typed.

Press and hold

Hold down the A key with Shift.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If Ā is in the row, press the number under it or click it.

If nothing appears, press-and-hold is turned off. Run defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true in Terminal and log out and back in.

Unicode Hex Input

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, click +, and add Unicode Hex Input.
Switch to it from the input menu in the menu bar.
Hold Option and type 0100. Ā appears when you release Option.

This works for every letter on this site, including ones with no Option shortcut.

About the letter ā

ā is Unicode U+0101, named LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH MACRON. It is used in Latvian, Mandarin Pinyin, Māori and Hawaiian. A flat bar above a vowel, used for long vowels in Latvian, Lithuanian, Māori, Hawaiian and Latin textbooks, and for the first tone in Pinyin. See the ā character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

If holding a key repeats the letter, press-and-hold is off. Turn it back on with the Terminal command above.
Option shortcuts depend on the keyboard layout. They work on US and ABC; other layouts move them.
If Option+E shows a highlighted ´ but no letter appears, you pressed a letter that cannot take that accent.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ā on Mac?

Option + 0101 (Unicode Hex Input).

Can I just copy and paste ā?

Yes. Click the copy button above, then paste with Ctrl+V on Windows and Chromebook, Cmd+V on a Mac, or touch and hold and choose Paste on a phone.

What is the Unicode code for ā?

U+0101. In HTML it is ā.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Mac