Exciting Discovery for the Day – Character Viewer in my Mac
I’ve had Mac computers for years and never even saw the Character Viewer, or if I had, I never paid attention to it.
This morning I started looking for the best way to create a check-off list on my computer to note that I’ve scheduled a bill payment. (Click on Checklist Story to learn why.)The first thing I did was go on a search to find a checkmark symbol.
1. I happily discovered, for the first time, the “Character Viewer” in the bar at the very top of window on the right. (See the red “1” in the screen shot above.)
2. When I opened the “Viewer”, I saw there was a list of several categories on the left. They are “Punctuation, Symbols, European Scripts, African Scripts, Middle Eastern Scripts, Southeast Asian Scripts, South Asian Scripts, Miscellaneous Scripts and Archaic Scripts.”
All but Punctuation, have sub-menus, each with symbols that fit accordingly.
3. The check ✔ mark is in “Miscellaneous Symbols” listed in the drop down menu for “Symbols.”
To use, select your desired symbol and place your mouse in the spot in your document (email, doc, web post…..) creating the flashing cursor.
4. Go back to the Characters Viewer window and click on the Insert button.
UPDATE on Insertion – Thanks to Morgine Jurdan for sharing by email that to Insert all one needs to do is double click on the symbol in Character Viewer and it will land where you’ve placed the cursor.
Note: Morgine has another added informative comment below this post.
It’s as simple as that. If you have a Mac and, like I, were unaware of “Character Viewer”, you now countless possibilities for finding new and simple ways to add graphic details to images and documents.
In the Reply to this post below, please tell us about your experience with this or other computer finds that excite you. If you are a PC user, is there something similar in your computer?
Sheila,
very thorough article. Here is a detail that I would add. If you use multiple languages (i.e. multiple keyboards), the symbol viewer hides below the flag of whatever type of character you are using… 😉
Thanks, Sophie. I appreciate the acknowledgement and I’ll ‘fess up, I’m not sure what you mean by by “symbol viewer hides below the flag….” I’d actually never thought about different language keyboards. Before responding here I Googled keyboards and it looks like they all show our alphabet with the foreign language letters on each key also. I’m trying to wrap my brain around how it works.
Let’s say I wanted to write “dog” in Greek and I typed in “d o g” It would show up on the paper with the corresponding Greek symbols for each letter, I assume. But do those three Greek symbols actually translate to what “dog” is as we know it?
I appreciate your participation here in expanding our knowledge.
Sheila,
The first time I used this feature it was on Emoji which also has more Sub Categories..People, Nature, Objects, Places and Symbols.
There is a new page under each Sub Category. Then there are all the other ones on the left from Arrows and Parenthesis, Punctuation down through Bullets and Latin.
If you click on the GEAR at the Top with the arrow by it, you can Choose which Size you view it in: Small, Medium or Large. AND just under where the one you click on is shown.. in the box to the right, there is a Add to Favorites Button! So if there are ones you use all the time, you no longer have to Search for them. Just ADD them in the Favorites folder and they are always there for QUICK use!! Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks, Morgine. The gear on mine is at the bottom and I can’t find a size choice. I do appreciate your having shared about the simplicity of double clicking to insert out symbol of choice.