Upwards Arrow
The upwards arrow is U+2191. It marks an increase in a table, a sort direction in a column header, and a scroll-to-top control. As plain text it inherits your font colour and size, which is why it works in a spreadsheet cell where an icon would not.
| Symbol | ↑ | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+2191 | |
| Name | Upwards Arrow | |
| HTML (named) | ↑ | |
| HTML (decimal) | ↑ | |
| HTML (hex) | ↑ | |
| CSS content | \2191 | |
| JavaScript / JSON | \u2191 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 0xE2 0x86 0x91 | |
| UTF-16 units | 0x2191 | |
| Windows alt code | Alt 24 (ASCII), Alt 8593 |
How do you type the upwards 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 24 (ASCII), Alt 8593 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 2191. Without that input source, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for upwards arrow. |
| Linux and ChromeOS | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2191, then press Enter or the space bar. This works in GTK applications and with IBus. |
| Microsoft Word | Type 2191 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+2191 or type upwards 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(8593) 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: "\2191" inside a ::before or ::after rule. Terminate the escape with a space if the next character is also a hexadecimal digit. |
| JavaScript | The escape \u2191 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 upwards arrow?
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 upwards arrow ↑ is U+2191. These are the ones it is confused with.
| Character | Code point | Name | What it is really for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⬆ | U+2B06 | Upwards Black Arrow | Has an emoji presentation, so it often renders coloured and at emoji size. |
| ⇑ | U+21D1 | Upwards Double Arrow | The double-stroke variant, used for emphasis or for a distinct notational meaning. |
| ↑ | U+2191 | Upwards Arrow | This character. |
| ^ | U+005E | Circumflex Accent | The caret on your keyboard. Used as an ASCII stand-in for an arrow, but it means exponentiation in most notations. |
Frequently asked questions
Why does my up arrow render as a coloured emoji?
You almost certainly have U+2B06 rather than U+2191. The former has an emoji presentation and platforms tend to prefer it. Copy U+2191 for a plain text arrow.
How do I copy the upwards 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 upwards arrow?
The upwards arrow has the Unicode code point U+2191. In HTML you can write it as ↑ or ↑, or with the named entity ↑.
What is the alt code for the upwards arrow symbol?
On Windows, hold the Alt key and type Alt 24 (ASCII), Alt 8593 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Copying the ↑ from this page is quicker and works on any device.
Does the upwards 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+2191 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.