Left Right Arrow
A two-headed arrow that reads as a link between two things, a swap, or movement in both directions. The left right arrow (↔) sits at code point U+2194 in Unicode. It belongs to the arrows family and pastes as plain text, so it keeps working across documents, messages and web pages. Below you can copy it in one click and grab the exact HTML, CSS and JavaScript codes you need to reproduce it anywhere.
| Symbol | ↔ | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+2194 | |
| Name | Left Right Arrow | |
| HTML (named) | ↔ | |
| HTML (decimal) | ↔ | |
| HTML (hex) | ↔ | |
| CSS content | \2194 | |
| JavaScript / JSON | \u2194 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 0xE2 0x86 0x94 | |
| UTF-16 units | 0x2194 |
How do you type the left right 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 | There is no short alt code for this character. Press Win and the full stop key to open the emoji and symbol panel, then use the symbols tab and search for left right arrow. |
| macOS | Add Unicode Hex Input under Keyboard settings, switch to it, then hold Option and type 2194. Without that input source, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for left right arrow. |
| Linux and ChromeOS | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2194, then press Enter or the space bar. This works in GTK applications and with IBus. |
| Microsoft Word | Type 2194 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+2194 or type left right 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(8596) 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: "\2194" inside a ::before or ::after rule. Terminate the escape with a space if the next character is also a hexadecimal digit. |
| JavaScript | The escape \u2194 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 left right 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 left right arrow?
The left right arrow has the Unicode code point U+2194. In HTML you can write it as ↔ or ↔, or with the named entity ↔.
Does the left right 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+2194 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.