Arrow Symbols: Copy and Paste Arrow Text

How to use the arrow symbols

1. Find the arrow symbol you need in the tables below.
2. Click or highlight the character to select it.
3. Copy it using Ctrl+C (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+C (Mac).
4. Paste the arrow text into your document, chat or code editor.

What are arrow symbols?

Arrow symbols are typographic characters that represent direction. Unlike images or CSS-drawn shapes, these are standard Unicode characters that behave like regular text. You can use them in emails, social media posts, file names, terminal prompts and source code comments. Because they are part of the Unicode standard, a right arrow symbol typed on one device will display correctly on another, provided the receiving font supports the character.

The most frequently used arrow text characters live in the Unicode Arrows block (U+2190 to U+21FF), but additional arrows appear in the Miscellaneous Symbols and Dingbats blocks. Each character has a unique code point, an official name and usually an HTML entity for web development.

Common arrow symbols reference table

The table below lists the most useful directional arrows. The code point column uses the standard U+ hexadecimal notation. The HTML entity column shows the named entity where one exists, followed by the numeric form.

How to type arrow symbols on Windows

Windows offers several ways to insert arrow text without copying from a web page. The most reliable method is the Character Map utility: open it from the Start menu, search for "arrow", select the character and click Copy. For faster access, hold the Alt key and type the decimal code on the numeric keypad. For example, Alt+26 produces the right arrow symbol (→) and Alt+27 produces the left arrow (←). Note that Alt codes require the numeric keypad; the number row above the letters will not work.

In Microsoft Word and Outlook, you can also type the Unicode hex value and then press Alt+X. Typing 2192 followed by Alt+X converts the digits into →. Windows 10 and 11 include an emoji and symbol panel accessible via Win+. (Windows key plus period), which contains a subset of arrow symbols under the symbols tab.

How to type arrow symbols on Mac and Linux

On macOS, open the Character Viewer by pressing Cmd+Ctrl+Space. Search for "arrow" to see all available characters, then double-click to insert one into your active application. Some applications like Pages and TextEdit also support typing Unicode hex values if you enable the Unicode Hex Input keyboard layout in System Settings under Keyboard. Once enabled, hold Option and type the four-digit hex code, such as Option+2192 for →.

Linux users running GTK-based desktop environments can press Ctrl+Shift+U, release the keys, type the hex code point (for example 2192) and press Enter or Space. In terminal emulators, you can also use echo -e '\u2192' to print the character. Qt applications generally support the same Ctrl+Shift+U sequence.

Using arrow symbols in HTML and CSS

When building web pages, you can insert a right arrow symbol or any other arrow using its HTML entity. Named entities like → are easy to remember, but not every arrow has a named form. Numeric entities work universally: → for decimal or → for hexadecimal. Always end numeric entities with a semicolon to avoid parsing issues in older browsers.

In CSS, you can add arrows to pseudo-elements using the content property with an escaped hex value. For example, content: '\2192'; renders → after an element. Make sure the font family applied to that element includes glyphs for the arrow character, otherwise the browser may display a missing-glyph box. If you need decorative arrows beyond what Unicode provides, consider SVG or icon fonts instead. For other special characters, see our pages on heart symbols and star symbols.

Practical uses for arrow text

Arrow symbols serve many practical purposes beyond simple decoration. In command-line interfaces, a right arrow often indicates a prompt or a pipeline between commands. In documentation and README files, arrows show navigation paths like Settings → Privacy → Cookies. Designers use them in wireframes and mockups when real icons are not yet available.

Social media posts and bios frequently use arrow text to draw attention to links or calls to action. Because these are plain characters rather than images, they remain searchable and accessible to screen readers when paired with proper context. However, overusing arrows can clutter text and reduce readability, so reserve them for cases where direction genuinely matters. When combining arrows with other typographic elements, keep in mind that different fonts render arrow weights and proportions differently, so test your output across platforms.

Worked examples

Each result below was produced by the same code the tool runs, so you can check your own numbers against them.

Reference pages

• Symbols to copy and paste: Unicode, HTML codes and Alt codes for popular symbols.