@ Shortcut Key: Typing the At Sign

@ shortcut key on each keyboard layout

How to type @ on a laptop

1. Find the 2 key on the top row, above Q and W. It also shows the @ sign.
2. Hold Shift.
3. Press 2 once and let go of both keys.

Laptops sold in India normally use the US style layout, so @ is above the 2. If the key shows @ but types something else, Windows is using a different layout from the one printed on the keys.

When Shift + 2 types a double quote

That is the UK layout. Either press Shift + ' (the key next to Enter) for @, or change the layout: click the language letters on the taskbar, such as ENG UK, and choose ENG US or English (India), or press Win + Space to cycle through layouts. Remove layouts you do not use in Settings, Time and language, Language and region, so they do not switch by accident. Switching layouts is covered step by step in our keyboard language guide.

Typing @ with the Alt code

Hold Alt, key in 64 using the separate numeric keypad, then let Alt go. This works with any layout, which is handy on a borrowed computer. Compact laptops lack that keypad, so pick @ from the Win + . symbol window instead. On phones, the email keyboard shows @ directly, and on a Mac it is Shift + 2 as well.

When @ does not appear

The @ sign in email, chat and spreadsheets

In an email address, @ separates the name from the domain, so a missing or wrong symbol means the mail bounces. In chat and team apps, typing @ followed by a name mentions that person and notifies them. In Excel, a formula may show @ as the implicit intersection operator in newer versions; it is added automatically and is not a typing mistake. In passwords, @ is a common special character, so knowing where it is on your layout helps when a site rejects your login.

Other symbols

The rupee sign and other common symbols are on rupee symbol shortcut and symbol shortcut keys. Emoji and special characters can also be picked from the emoji panel.