Capital omega Ω is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Type 03A9 then Alt+X in Word, or press Option+Z on a Mac. It is the ohm in electrical work and angular velocity in physics. The phrase "alpha and omega" means first and last.
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "Greek Capital Letter Omega" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 03A9, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 03a9, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | Ω · \03a9 (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Windows
- Open Character Map: Win+R, type charmap, press Enter.
- Search or scroll for Greek Capital Letter Omega (U+03A9).
- Select it, click Copy, then paste where you need it.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "Greek Capital Letter Omega" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 03A9.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to Ω.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Ω (U+2126) | Ohm sign, a deprecated compatibility character | Unicode advises the Greek capital instead. Normalisation converts the ohm sign to it anyway. |
| ω (U+03C9) | Lowercase omega | A different quantity. Lowercase is angular frequency, capital is resistance. |
| O with a gap | A Latin letter styled to imitate omega | Never. Use the real character so it copies and searches correctly. |
05 FAQ
What is the Unicode code point for omega?
Capital omega is U+03A9 and lowercase is U+03C9. A separate ohm sign exists at U+2126 but Unicode recommends against using it.
Should I use U+03A9 or the ohm sign?
Use the Greek capital at U+03A9. The ohm sign is a compatibility character kept only for round-tripping old encodings, and Unicode normalisation maps it to the Greek letter.
What does Ω mean in physics?
Angular velocity, and in electrical work the ohm, the unit of resistance. Lowercase ω is used for angular frequency, so case carries meaning.
How do I type it on a Mac?
Option+Z produces omega directly on a US layout. On Windows, type 03A9 and press Alt+X in Word.
Why does omega mean the end?
It is the final letter of the Greek alphabet, which gave the phrase "alpha and omega" its sense of beginning and end. The name literally means "great O", distinguishing it from omicron, the "small O".