U+21E7Upwards White Arrow
Shift Symbol
- HTML
⇧- Unicode
U+21E7- CSS
\21E7
The shift symbol (⇧) is Unicode U+21E7, HTML ⇧.
An outlined arrow rather than a solid one, this is the standard glyph for the Shift key in keyboard shortcut guides on Mac and elsewhere. Use it next to a letter to show a shortcut such as Shift O. ⇧ carries the Unicode name "Upwards White Arrow" at code point U+21E7. Like every character in the arrows set, it is plain text rather than an icon, so a single click copies something that keeps its shape in flowcharts, diagrams and step-by-step interface copy.
Render test
Checking whether this device has a font that can draw ⇧.
| Symbol | ⇧ | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+21E7 | |
| Name | Upwards White Arrow | |
| HTML (decimal) | ⇧ | |
| HTML (hex) | ⇧ | |
| CSS content | \21E7 | |
| JavaScript / JSON | \u21E7 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 0xE2 0x87 0xA7 | |
| UTF-16 units | 0x21E7 |
Source: Unicode Character Database. Code point verified as assigned in Unicode 17.0. Last updated . Report an error
How do you type the upwards white arrow on each platform?
Find your platform in the first column.
| 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 alt code for this character, because it is in neither Windows-1252 nor code page 437. Press Win and the full stop key to open the emoji and symbol panel, then use the symbols tab and search for upwards white arrow. Typing the decimal code point, 8679, after Alt is not a dependable alternative: many programs read numbers above 255 against the old code page and type a different character. |
| macOS | Add Unicode Hex Input under Keyboard settings, switch to it, then hold Option and type 21E7. Without that input source, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for upwards white arrow. |
| Linux and ChromeOS | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 21e7, then press Enter or the space bar. This works in GTK applications and with IBus. |
| Microsoft Word | Type 21E7 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+21E7 or type upwards white 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(8679) in a cell. Copy the cell and paste it as a value if you want the character rather than the formula. |
| HTML | Write ⇧ or ⇧. There is no standard named entity for this character. On a page served as UTF-8 the character itself also works. |
| CSS | Use content: "\21E7" inside a ::before or ::after rule. Terminate the escape with a space if the next character is also a hexadecimal digit. |
| JavaScript | The escape \u21E7 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 upwards white arrow symbol?
Press the Copy ⇧ button at the top of this page, or click the large ⇧, 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 white arrow?
The upwards white arrow has the Unicode code point U+21E7. In HTML you can write it as ⇧ or ⇧.
Is the upwards white arrow an emoji or a text character?
It is a plain Unicode text character, not an image or an emoji sticker. That means the ⇧ 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.
Related symbols
Browse the full arrow symbols hub, or return to the searchable symbol grid.