How to type a heart symbol on a Mac
A Mac has no Option key for the heart symbol, but the Character Viewer gets you there in seconds: press Control + Command + Space, type “heart” and double-click ♥ for a text heart or ❤️ for the red emoji. A text replacement makes it a two-key habit.
Quick answer
Control + Command + Space → search heart → double-click ♥
Step by step
Open Emoji & Symbols
Press Control + Command + Space. On keyboards with a globe key you can also press Fn/🌐 + E.
Search “heart”
The results mix emoji hearts with text characters. The card-suit heart is named Black Heart Suit.
Pick the one you need
Double-click ♥ for a heart that matches your text colour, or ❤️ for a red one.
Text heart or red heart?
The two look alike in the search results but behave differently. ♥ (U+2665) is a text symbol: it takes your font colour and weight, so it sits nicely in a signature or a heading. ❤️ is a separate character with an emoji marker and always shows in red. If a heart you pasted changed colour in another app, that app chose emoji style for it. Our emoji vs text symbols guide explains why.
Set up ♥ as a shortcut
Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements and add one: Replace <3h, With ♥ (copy it from the heart suit symbol page first). Be careful with plain <3, because some apps already convert it to ❤️ and the two rules can clash. The shortcut syncs to your iPhone as well.
Option + 2665 with Unicode Hex Input
With the Unicode Hex Input source enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2665 for ♥ or 2661 for the outline ♡. It is the fastest route for people who already know code points, though it disables the usual Option shortcuts while active.
More hearts
For decorative hearts such as ❥, ❣ or ღ, and every coloured heart emoji, browse the heart symbols collection and click to copy. On a Windows PC the same text heart is simply Alt + 3; see heart symbol on Windows.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Option shortcut for ♥ on Mac?
No. Use the Character Viewer, Unicode Hex Input (Option + 2665) or a text replacement you create yourself.
How do I type a red heart on a MacBook?
Press Control + Command + Space, search “heart” and double-click ❤️.
Why does my heart look black in one app and red in another?
The black one is the text character ♥ or ❤; the red one is the emoji ❤️. Some apps also display text hearts in emoji style.