Micro Sign
The micro sign is U+00B5, the prefix meaning one millionth: micrometres, microseconds, microlitres. It looks exactly like the Greek letter mu and is a different character, which is why a search for a Greek mu will not find text typed with this one.
| Symbol | µ | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+00B5 | |
| Name | Micro Sign | |
| HTML (decimal) | µ | |
| HTML (hex) | µ | |
| CSS content | \00B5 | |
| JavaScript / JSON | \u00B5 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 0xC2 0xB5 | |
| UTF-16 units | 0x00B5 | |
| Windows alt code | Alt 0181 or Alt 230 |
How do you type the micro sign on each platform?
| Where | How to type it |
|---|---|
| Any device | Click the µ at the top of this page. It goes straight to your clipboard, and you paste it with Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on a Mac. This is the only method that behaves identically everywhere. |
| Windows | Hold Alt and type 0181 or Alt 230 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. The number row above the letters does not work for this. |
| macOS | Add Unicode Hex Input under Keyboard settings, switch to it, then hold Option and type 00B5. Without that input source, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for micro sign. |
| Linux and ChromeOS | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 00b5, then press Enter or the space bar. This works in GTK applications and with IBus. |
| Microsoft Word | Type 00B5 in the document, then press Alt and X together with the cursor immediately after the last digit. Word replaces the digits with µ. |
| Google Docs | Insert, then Special characters, then paste U+00B5 or type micro sign in the search box. You can also draw the shape in the sketch pad on the right. |
| Excel and Google Sheets | Use the formula UNICHAR(181) in a cell. Copy the cell and paste it as a value if you want the character rather than the formula. |
| HTML | Write µ or µ. There is no standard named entity for this character. On a page served as UTF-8 the character itself also works. |
| CSS | Use content: "\00B5" inside a ::before or ::after rule. Terminate the escape with a space if the next character is also a hexadecimal digit. |
| JavaScript | The escape \u00B5 produces this character inside a string literal, and the same escape is valid in JSON. |
More detail per platform: Windows alt codes, special characters on a Mac, special characters in Word and HTML entities.
Which characters look like the micro sign?
Several characters render almost identically to this one, and picking the wrong one breaks search, sorting and screen readers even when it looks right on screen. The micro sign µ is U+00B5. These are the ones it is confused with.
| Character | Code point | Name | What it is really for |
|---|---|---|---|
| μ | U+03BC | Greek Small Letter Mu | The Greek letter. Correct in an equation or in Greek text. Unicode normalisation forms NFKC and NFKD convert the micro sign into this one, so the two can silently merge. |
| u | U+0075 | Latin Small Letter U | The ASCII stand-in people type when they cannot find either. Common in code and in filenames, wrong in prose. |
Frequently asked questions
Should I use the micro sign or the Greek mu?
For a unit prefix such as micrometres, the micro sign U+00B5 is the semantically correct character. For mathematics and Greek text, use U+03BC. Be aware that some normalisation steps rewrite the first into the second.
How do I copy the micro sign symbol?
Click the µ above or the copy button and it is placed on your clipboard. Paste it anywhere with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V. It is a real text character, so it works in documents, chats and code.
What is the Unicode code point for micro sign?
The micro sign has the Unicode code point U+00B5. In HTML you can write it as µ or µ.
What is the alt code for the micro sign symbol?
On Windows, hold the Alt key and type Alt 0181 or Alt 230 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Copying the µ from this page is quicker and works on any device.
Is the micro sign an emoji or a text character?
It is a plain Unicode text character, not an image or an emoji sticker. That means the µ inherits the surrounding font, size and color wherever you paste it, and it works in places emoji often do not, such as usernames, file names and code.
How does it differ from the lookalikes?
Related symbols
Browse the full math symbols hub, or return to the searchable symbol grid.