The angstrom is written with Å, the ordinary Latin capital A with a ring above at U+00C5. It measures one ten-billionth of a metre, the scale of atoms and bond lengths. Unicode has a separate angstrom sign at U+212B but recommends the plain letter instead. Type it with Alt+0197.
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (Alt code) | Hold Alt, type 0197 on the numpad |
|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "Latin Capital Letter A With Ring Above" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 00C5, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 00c5, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | Å · \00c5 (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Windows
- Make sure Num Lock is on.
- Hold Alt and type 0197 on the numeric keypad.
- Release Alt, Å appears.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "Latin Capital Letter A With Ring Above" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 00C5.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to Å.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Å (U+212B) | The deprecated angstrom sign | Kept only for legacy conversion. Normalisation maps it to U+00C5. |
| å (U+00E5) | Lowercase a with ring above | The Scandinavian letter in lowercase. The unit symbol is always capital. |
| A with a degree sign | Two characters imitating the ring | Never. It will not copy, search or normalise as the unit symbol. |
05 FAQ
Which character should I use for the angstrom?
The Latin capital A with ring above at U+00C5, which Alt+0197 produces on Windows. The dedicated angstrom sign at U+212B is a compatibility character that Unicode advises against.
How big is an angstrom?
One ten-billionth of a metre, or 0.1 nanometres. A hydrogen atom is roughly one angstrom across, which is why the unit persists in chemistry and crystallography.
Is the angstrom an SI unit?
No. It is a metric unit accepted alongside SI in some fields, but SI itself prefers nanometres and picometres. Many journals now require nanometres.
Where does the name come from?
From Anders Jonas Ångström, the Swedish physicist who mapped the solar spectrum in the 1860s using a unit of this size. The ring above the A is a Swedish letter, not a decoration.
How do I type it on a Mac?
Option+Shift+A gives the capital Å directly. Alternatively hold the A key on a modern macOS keyboard and pick it from the accent menu.