How to Enable and Use the OS X Character Viewer on Your Mac
If you’re an Apple user, you might be familiar with the Character Viewer feature available on your Mac. This is a tool that allows you to access and use special characters and symbols in your documents and text fields. Whether you need to insert special characters in a document or simply wish to take advantage of the powerful emoji options, you can learn how to enable and use this feature on your Mac quickly and easily.
Enabling the Character Viewer
The first step to using the Character Viewer is to make sure it is enabled on your Mac. By default, this option may be hidden or disabled, but you can easily activate it by following these steps:
Step 1. Click on the Apple Menu icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
Step 2. Select System Preferences from the dropdown menu.
Step 3. Choose the Keyboard option.
Step 4. Select the “Show Keyboard and Emoji Viewers in menu bar” checkbox.
Step 5. Close the keyboard preferences window, and you should now see a new icon in your menu bar, resembling a smiley face.
Using the Character Viewer
Now that you have enabled the Character Viewer, it’s time to start using it! To do so, simply click the Emoji icon in the Menu Bar or use the keyboard shortcut “Control + Command + Spacebar.” You will then be presented with a pop-up window showing all of the available characters and symbols available.
From here, you can search for the symbol that you need using the search bar at the top of the window, or you can scroll through the list of options until you find the symbol you need. When you have found the symbol you want to use, you can simply click on it to insert it into your document or text field.
The Character Viewer also includes an emoji tab, where you can find and use all of the newest emojis available on your Mac. Simply click on the Emoji tab to access the list, and click on any emoji to insert it into your document.
In addition to the basic symbol options, you can also explore the Special Characters tab to access numerous other symbols, including currency signs, mathematical symbols, and more. Just like with the previous tabs, simply click on the symbol you wish to use to insert it into your current document or text field.
Final Thoughts
Enabling and using the Character Viewer on your Mac is a great way to enhance your typing experience and make your documents and messages more professional and engaging. With a few clicks, you can easily access a wide range of symbols, including emojis, letters from different languages, and special characters. So make sure to enable this powerful tool on your Mac and start using it today!