How to Type ż (Z with dot above) on Mac

Published June 24, 2026, 2 min read

ż is z with dot above, a letter used in Polish and Maltese. On Mac, the quickest way to get it is Option + 017C (Unicode Hex Input). This guide covers every method that works, including the capital Ż and fixes for common problems.

ż on Mac: Option + 017C (Unicode Hex Input)

Ż on Mac: Option + 017B (Unicode Hex Input)

Or copy it:

Method 1: Press and hold

Hold down the Z key.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If ż 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 017C. ż 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 z with dot above", and double-click ż.

How to type the capital Ż

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

Press and hold

Hold down the Z key with Shift.
A row of accented versions appears above the cursor.
If Ż 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 017B. Ż appears when you release Option.

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

About the letter ż

ż is Unicode U+017C, named LATIN SMALL LETTER Z WITH DOT ABOVE. It is used in Polish and Maltese. A single dot above a letter, used in Polish (ż), Lithuanian (ė), Maltese (ċ, ġ, ż) and Turkish (İ, the dotted capital I). See the ż 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 ż on Mac?

Option + 017C (Unicode Hex Input).

Can I just copy and paste ż?

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 ż?

U+017C. In HTML it is ż.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Mac