How to Type æ (Ae ligature (ash)) on Mac

Published August 26, 2026, 2 min read

æ is ae ligature (ash), a letter used in French, Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic. On Mac, the quickest way to get it is Option+'. This guide covers every method that works, including the capital Æ and fixes for common problems.

æ on Mac: Option+'

Æ on Mac: Option+Shift+'

Or copy it:

Method 1: Option key shortcut

Press Option+'. It is a single key combination. This works in every app on the standard US and ABC keyboard layouts.

Method 2: Press and hold

Hold down the A key.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If æ 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 3: 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 00E6. æ appears when you release Option.

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

Method 4: Character Viewer

Press Ctrl+Cmd+Space, search for "latin small letter ae", and double-click æ.

How to type the capital Æ

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

Option key shortcut

Press Option+Shift+'. It is a single key combination. This works in every app on the standard US and ABC keyboard layouts.

Press and hold

Hold down the A key with Shift.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If Æ 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.

About the letter æ

æ is Unicode U+00E6, named LATIN SMALL LETTER AE. It is used in French, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic and Faroese. See the æ 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 æ on Mac?

Option+'.

Can I just copy and paste æ?

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 æ?

U+00E6. In HTML it is æ.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Mac