Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: Default OSX hash key produces non-ASCII error in Python?

Python syntax error fix for OSX hash key issue.

Quick Answer: Set the default encoding to ASCII-friendly by adding the following line at the top of your Python files: # -*- coding: ascii -*-

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 💡 Why You Are Getting This Error
  2. 🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

The default hash key on OSX Yosemite can produce non-ASCII errors in Python, causing issues when typing the '#' symbol. This error affects users who work with Python files on their MacBooks Pro with UK keyboards.

This issue can be frustrating because it's not always reproducible and requires manual intervention to fix. However, a practical solution is to set every Python file to UTF-8 encoding, which can be cumbersome when working with other people's code.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The default hash key on OSX Yosemite uses the 'MacRoman' encoding scheme, which doesn't support non-ASCII characters. When a non-ASCII character is encountered, such as the '#' symbol, Python throws a SyntaxError.
  • Another possible cause is the UK keyboard layout used on the MacBook Pro, which can produce different Unicode values for special characters like '#'. This can lead to unexpected behavior and errors.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Resetting the default hash key to an ASCII-friendly '#'

  1. Step 1: Open the Terminal app on your Mac and run the following command to reset the default hash key: `defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices LSHandlers -array-add 'LSHandlerContentTypepublic.dataLSHandlerRoleAllLSHandlerURLSchemelsfurl:'`
  2. Step 2: Restart the Terminal app or restart your Mac to apply the changes.
  3. Step 3: Verify that the '#' symbol is now correctly displayed in Python files by typing it manually and checking for any syntax errors.

Setting every Python file to UTF-8 encoding

  1. Step 1: Open a Python file in a text editor and add the following line at the top: `# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-`
  2. Step 2: Save the file and verify that it can be run without any syntax errors.
  3. Step 3: To avoid this step for future files, you can set the default encoding for your text editor to UTF-8.

✨ Wrapping Up

By resetting the default hash key or setting every Python file to UTF-8 encoding, you can resolve the issue of non-ASCII characters causing syntax errors in Python on OSX Yosemite. Remember to test your files thoroughly after making these changes.

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