How Do I Insert a British Pound Symbol?

By Jenny Parker

North American computers don't have a key for the pound symbol.
i John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images

The keyboards of North American computers generally will have a key for the dollar sign, but not for a British pound sign (£). If you are typing a document or creating a spreadsheet that requires use of British currency, this can seem problematic. Fortunately, although it takes a bit of extra effort, the pound symbol can be inserted into your documents by using either the Character Map or special key codes.

Step 1

Open the Character Map. Click on the computer's Start button, then choose Accessories, followed by System Tools. Click on the Character Map option within the System Tools folder.

Step 2

Look through the available characters in the Character Map until you locate the British pound symbol. It is generally located in the fifth row, near the right side of the window. Click on the symbol and then click the Select button. The pound symbol will then appear in the "Characters to copy" box. Click the Copy button.

Step 3

Click on the spot within your document where you'd like the pound symbol to go. When the cursor is in the correct place, paste the pound symbol by pressing Control-V on your keyboard.

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