How to type a check mark on a Mac

Make a permanent shortcut

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements, click +, and enter a code such as ;ok under Replace with ✓ under With. From then on, typing the code followed by a space inserts the tick in Mail, Notes, Pages, Safari and most other apps, and the replacement syncs to your iPhone and iPad. Pick a code you would never type by accident; a leading semicolon works well.

Unicode Hex Input: Option + 2713

If you type many special characters, add the Unicode Hex Input keyboard (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit → + → Unicode Hex Input). While it is active, hold Option and type 2713 to get ✓, or 2714 for the heavy ✔. The trade-off is that the normal Option shortcuts, such as Option + G for ©, stop working until you switch back, so many people keep it as a second input source and toggle with Control + Space.

Plain tick or emoji?

The Character Viewer shows both. ✓ and ✔ are text characters that take the colour of your font, which suits documents and spreadsheets. ✅ and ☑️ are emoji and always appear in colour. For a to-do list in Notes, the built-in checklist button (Shift + Command + L) gives tappable circles instead of characters. The full set of ticks, crosses and boxes is in the check mark symbols collection.

In Word and Excel for Mac

Alt + X is a Windows-only Word feature, so on a Mac use Insert → Advanced Symbol, or the Character Viewer. In Excel for Mac, =UNICHAR(10003) produces ✓. See the check mark symbol page for the HTML entity ✓ and every other code, and the check mark in Excel guide for conditional ticks.