Leftwards Arrow
The left arrow reads as back or previous. It pairs naturally with the right arrow for pagination and navigation labels. Leftwards arrow is Unicode code point U+2190, written ←. Copy it with the button below and paste it anywhere text goes; the code table further down covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript and, where one exists, a Windows alt code.
| Symbol | ← | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+2190 | |
| Name | Leftwards Arrow | |
| HTML (named) | ← | |
| HTML (decimal) | ← | |
| HTML (hex) | ← | |
| CSS content | \2190 | |
| JavaScript / JSON | \u2190 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 0xE2 0x86 0x90 | |
| UTF-16 units | 0x2190 | |
| Windows alt code | Alt 27 (ASCII), Alt 8592 |
How do you type the leftwards arrow on each platform?
| Where | How to type it |
|---|---|
| Any device | Click the ← 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 27 (ASCII), Alt 8592 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 2190. Without that input source, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for leftwards arrow. |
| Linux and ChromeOS | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2190, then press Enter or the space bar. This works in GTK applications and with IBus. |
| Microsoft Word | Type 2190 in the document, then press Alt and X together with the cursor immediately after the last digit. Word replaces the digits with ←. |
| Google Docs | Insert, then Special characters, then paste U+2190 or type leftwards arrow 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(8592) in a cell. Copy the cell and paste it as a value if you want the character rather than the formula. |
| HTML | Write ←, or the numeric reference ←, or ←. On a page served as UTF-8 the character itself also works. |
| CSS | Use content: "\2190" inside a ::before or ::after rule. Terminate the escape with a space if the next character is also a hexadecimal digit. |
| JavaScript | The escape \u2190 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.
Frequently asked questions
How do I copy the leftwards arrow symbol?
Click the ← 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 leftwards arrow?
The leftwards arrow has the Unicode code point U+2190. In HTML you can write it as ← or ←, or with the named entity ←.
What is the alt code for the leftwards arrow symbol?
On Windows, hold the Alt key and type Alt 27 (ASCII), Alt 8592 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Copying the ← from this page is quicker and works on any device.
Does the leftwards arrow symbol work everywhere?
In almost every modern app and font, yes. If a font does not include this glyph you may see a placeholder box, but the underlying character U+2190 is still correct and will render in a font that supports it.
Related symbols
Browse the full arrow symbols hub, or return to the searchable symbol grid.