Short answer: Tap any shape below to copy it. Shapes are unusual — they’re one of the few symbol families where the old Alt codes actually work. On Windows with a numeric keypad, Alt + 9 gives ○, Alt + 30 gives ▲, and Alt + 254 gives ■.
Tap any shape to copy it
Need a shape that isn’t here, or a symbol from another category? The full symbol keyboard has all 1,000+ with the same tap-to-copy.
Shape symbols — full reference
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | HTML | Alt code | Word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ○ | White circle | U+25CB | ○ | Alt + 9 | 25CB + Alt + X |
| ● | Black circle | U+25CF | ● | — | 25CF + Alt + X |
| ◯ | Large circle | U+25EF | ◯ | — | 25EF + Alt + X |
| ⬤ | Black large circle | U+2B24 | ⬤ | — | 2B24 + Alt + X |
| ◌ | Dotted circle | U+25CC | ◌ | — | 25CC + Alt + X |
| △ | White up-pointing triangle | U+25B3 | △ | — | 25B3 + Alt + X |
| ▲ | Black up-pointing triangle | U+25B2 | ▲ | Alt + 30 | 25B2 + Alt + X |
| ▽ | White down-pointing triangle | U+25BD | ▽ | — | 25BD + Alt + X |
| ▼ | Black down-pointing triangle | U+25BC | ▼ | Alt + 31 | 25BC + Alt + X |
| □ | White square | U+25A1 | □ | — | 25A1 + Alt + X |
| ■ | Black square | U+25A0 | ■ | Alt + 254 | 25A0 + Alt + X |
| ▪ | Black small square | U+25AA | ▪ | — | 25AA + Alt + X |
| ▫ | White small square | U+25AB | ▫ | — | 25AB + Alt + X |
| ▬ | Black rectangle | U+25AC | ▬ | Alt + 22 | 25AC + Alt + X |
| ◇ | White diamond | U+25C7 | ◇ | — | 25C7 + Alt + X |
| ◆ | Black diamond | U+25C6 | ◆ | — | 25C6 + Alt + X |
Two extras that only exist as Alt codes in practice: Alt + 8 gives ◘ (inverse bullet, U+25D8) and Alt + 10 gives ◙ (inverse white circle, U+25D9).
None of these shapes have a named HTML entity — use the numeric references above.
Windows — the one family where Alt codes still work
Most symbols on this site can’t be typed with classic Alt codes. Shapes are the exception, and it’s worth understanding why.
Windows has two separate Alt code systems, and the leading zero is the switch:
- No leading zero (Alt + 9, Alt + 254) uses Code Page 437, the original IBM PC character set. IBM took the range that ASCII reserved for control codes — 0 to 31 — and filled it with graphical characters instead: shapes, card suits, arrows and faces.
- Leading zero (Alt + 0169) uses Windows-1252, the modern Western European set, which contains no shapes at all.
That’s why Alt + 0009 does nothing useful but Alt + 9 gives you ○. More on the split in Alt codes vs Unicode vs HTML.
How to use them:
- Turn Num Lock on.
- Hold Alt.
- Type the number on the numeric keypad — not the number row.
- Release Alt.
Three catches. They need a real numeric keypad, so most laptops are out (what to do instead). They’re reliable in Word, Outlook and Notepad, but inconsistent in browsers and newer apps. And only seven shapes have codes — for ● ◆ □ △ and the rest, use hex + Alt + X in Word, or the emoji panel (Windows key + period → Ω tab).
The printable Alt code chart has the full CP437 range.
Mac
There’s no Option shortcut for any shape on this page. Ignore any site that offers one.
Character Viewer: press Control + Command + Space, search circle, triangle, square or diamond, and double-click. Drag the ones you use into Favorites.
Unicode Hex Input: add it under System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit → Add Input Source → Others, switch to that layout, then hold Option and type the hex — Option + 25CF gives ●. Every shape here is in the Basic Multilingual Plane, so all of them work this way.
Chromebook and Linux
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U — an underlined
uappears. - Type the hex without the
U+(for example25b2). - Press Enter or Space.
On ChromeOS, if a field ignores the shortcut, right-click → Emoji and search the shape name. On Linux this is IBus behaviour, standard on GNOME and Ubuntu-family desktops.
iPhone and Android
Stock keyboards don’t carry these. The emoji keyboard has coloured shapes (🔴 🔵 ⬛ ⬜ 🔶) but not the plain text ones.
Copy from this page, then save a shortcut so you can type it again:
- iPhone: Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement → +
- Android (Gboard): Settings → Languages & input → Gboard → Dictionary → Personal dictionary → +
The four black circles — and why picking wrong breaks things
This trips people up constantly. Four characters look nearly identical at body-text size:
| Symbol | Name | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| • | Bullet (U+2022) | List markers. See bullet points. |
| ● | Black circle (U+25CF) | A geometric filled circle in running text |
| ⬤ | Black large circle (U+2B24) | A deliberately oversized dot |
| ⚫ | Medium black circle (U+26AB) | Emoji — renders coloured on phones |
Use • for lists — screen readers announce it as a list marker rather than reading a shape name. Use ● when you actually mean a circle, like a status dot or a legend key. Avoid ⚫ in text: it’s emoji-flagged, so phones render it as a coloured tile.
The same split runs through squares: ■ (U+25A0) is the text square, ▪ (U+25AA) is emoji-flagged, and ⬛ (U+2B1B) is always emoji.
◆ is not ♦
Alt + 4 produces ♦, the black diamond card suit (U+2666), not ◆, the black diamond shape (U+25C6). They render differently in most fonts and mean different things. Card suits belong on card suit symbols; ◆ is the geometric one, and needs 25C6 + Alt + X.
What ◌ is actually for
◌ (dotted circle, U+25CC) isn’t decorative. It’s the standard placeholder that shows where a combining mark attaches when the mark appears on its own — so a vowel sign in Hindi or a diacritic in Arabic renders as ◌ plus the mark, rather than floating unattached.
If ◌ appears in text you didn’t expect, you’re seeing a combining character with nothing to combine with. That’s a rendering signal, not a broken font.
Where shapes get used
- Status and legends — ● ○ for on/off, ▲ ▼ for up/down in dashboards and tables.
- Ratings — ● ● ● ○ ○ as a text-only alternative to star images.
- Dividers — ◆ and ▬ in newsletters; see newsletter dividers.
- Slide callouts — ▲ and ◆ as sub-bullets.
- Checklists — □ as an empty checkbox that prints cleanly.
- Charts in plain text — ▬ for bar segments in monospace tables.
Accessibility — read this before shipping ●●●○○
Screen readers announce these by name. A five-circle rating renders aloud as “black circle black circle black circle white circle white circle,” which is close to useless.
For ratings or status indicators, put the meaning in text or an aria-label and hide the shapes from assistive tech:
html
<span aria-hidden="true">●●●○○</span>
<span class="sr-only">3 out of 5</span>More on how symbols are voiced in screen reader symbols.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Shape shows as an empty box ▯ | Font has no glyph. Switch to Segoe UI Symbol, Apple Symbols or Noto Sans Symbols 2. See symbols showing as boxes. |
| Alt + 9 does nothing | Num Lock is off, you used the number row, or the app doesn’t accept CP437 input. Try Notepad to confirm the code itself works. |
| Alt + 0009 gives nothing | The leading zero switches to Windows-1252, which has no shapes. Drop the zero. |
| Laptop has no numpad | Use hex + Alt + X in Word, or Windows key + period → Ω tab → geometric shapes. |
| Shape turned into a coloured tile | It’s emoji-flagged (▪ ▫ ⬛ ⬜ ⚫ ⚪). Swap to the text version: ■ □ ●. |
| ▲ looks different across devices | Font substitution. Triangles vary in weight between Segoe, Apple and Noto. Pick one and check on a phone. |
| Copied ◆ but got ♦ | You used Alt + 4, which is the card suit. Use 25C6 + Alt + X. |
| Unexpected ◌ in pasted text | A combining mark with no base character. Not a font bug. |
Recap
| If you’re on… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Windows with a numpad | Alt + 9 ○, Alt + 30 ▲, Alt + 254 ■ |
| Windows, other shapes | Hex + Alt + X in Word, or Windows key + period |
| Mac | Control + Command + Space, search the shape name |
| Chromebook or Linux | Ctrl + Shift + U, hex, Enter |
| Phone | Copy from here, save as a text replacement |
| A web page | ● in HTML, "\25CF" in CSS |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Alt code for a black square?
Hold Alt and type 254 on the numeric keypad. Shapes are one of the few symbol families with working legacy Alt codes, because the original IBM Code Page 437 assigned graphical characters to the range ASCII reserved for control codes.
Why does Alt + 9 work but Alt + 0009 doesn’t?
The leading zero switches Windows to the Windows-1252 character set, which contains no geometric shapes. Without the leading zero, Windows uses Code Page 437, where 9 maps to the white circle ○.
What is the difference between ● and •?
● is the black circle (U+25CF), a geometric shape. • is the bullet (U+2022), a punctuation mark meant for list markers. Use the bullet in lists so screen readers announce it correctly, and the black circle when you actually mean a circle.
How do I type shape symbols on a Mac?
Press Control + Command + Space to open Character Viewer and search for circle, triangle, square or diamond. There is no built-in Option shortcut for any geometric shape on the standard US layout.
Why did my square turn into a coloured emoji?
Some shapes, including ▪ ▫ ⬛ and ⬜, are flagged as emoji characters in Unicode, and phones render them in colour. Use the plain text versions ■ □ ● ○ instead.
Can I use shapes for star ratings?
Yes, but add a text alternative. A screen reader reads ●●●○○ as five separate shape names, so mark the shapes aria-hidden and provide the rating in words alongside them.
Written by Igor R. Tested on Windows 11, macOS, ChromeOS, Linux (IBus), iOS and Android. Last updated August 2026. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.