The caret ^ is at Shift+6 on a US keyboard. Unicode names it Circumflex Accent, though it is used far more as an operator. It means exponentiation in spreadsheets, the start of a line in a regular expression, and the Control key in shorthand such as ^C for Ctrl+C.
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard US keyboard | Press Shift+6 directly, it's a printable key, no code needed |
|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "Circumflex Accent" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 005E, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 005e, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | ^ · \005e (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Any device (US keyboard)
- Press Shift+6, it's printed on the keycap.
- On other layouts (AZERTY, QWERTZ) the key may be in a different position or need a modifier, use the picker methods below if you can't find it.
Windows
- Open Character Map: Win+R, type charmap, press Enter.
- Search or scroll for Circumflex Accent (U+005E).
- Select it, click Copy, then paste where you need it.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "Circumflex Accent" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 005E.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to ^.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ˆ (U+02C6) | Modifier letter circumflex accent | A letter-modifier used in phonetics. It is not an operator and will not work in a formula. |
| Nothing appears when pressed | A dead key waiting for a vowel | On German and French layouts it composes â or ê. Press it then the spacebar for the bare mark. |
| ** | The exponent operator in Python and JavaScript | Those languages use ** for powers. In them ^ means bitwise exclusive or, which is a different thing. |
05 FAQ
What is the Unicode code point for the caret?
It is U+005E, decimal 94. Unicode names it Circumflex Accent, from its origin as the spacing form of that accent.
Does ^ always mean "to the power of"?
No, and this catches people out. It means exponentiation in Excel, Google Sheets and most calculators. In Python, JavaScript, C and Java it means bitwise exclusive or, and the power operator is ** or a function.
What does ^ mean at the start of a regular expression?
It anchors the match to the beginning of the string or line. Inside square brackets it means the opposite of what follows, so [^a-z] matches any character that is not a lowercase letter.
Why do I see ^C in a terminal?
It is shorthand for a Control-key combination, so ^C means Ctrl+C. The terminal echoes what you pressed. Ctrl+C usually interrupts the running command.
How do I type a caret on a German or French keyboard?
The key is a dead key on those layouts. Press it and then the spacebar, and a plain caret appears. Pressing it before a vowel gives an accented letter instead.