MacOS Tilde: How to write the special character

The tilde is a special character that is used, for example, in the Spanish language, in mathematical formulas, but also in the terminal under MacOS. While you can find a dedicated key for the wavy symbol on a Windows keyboard, on the Mac keyboard the search is unsuccessful.

The right key combination for the tilde on macOS

The tilde fulfills several functions on macOS. On the keyboard, however, you will not find the special character specially noted. Nevertheless, you write the tilde with the help of a simple key combination.

1. First bring the mouse pointer to the place in the text or in the command line where you want to insert the tilde.
2. Then hold down the Alt key and also press N.
3. Then enter a space so that the tilde appears in the appropriate place.

On the Mac, there are many more shortcuts that not only insert characters, but make tasks like copying, pasting, and more easier.

When do I need the tilde?

The tilde is essential, for example, when you write a text in Spanish. If you want to write the ñ, then first insert the tilde as described above. After that, simply tap N again and the letter will automatically be formatted correctly.Furthermore, the tilde can also be found in the terminal. If you open the command line via the Spotlight search, for example, the tilde is already in the middle of some other cryptic characters in the white window. It stands there as a place folder for the current directory.