Short answer: Canva has no built-in glyph or special-character panel. To put a symbol inside text, copy and paste it, or open your operating system’s character picker — Windows + . on Windows, Ctrl + Cmd + Space on a Mac. If you want the symbol as a graphic you can resize and recolor, search the Elements tab instead. Copy the common ones below.
First: decide if you want a character or a graphic
This one choice determines everything else, and it’s where most people waste time.
| You want… | Example | Use this |
|---|---|---|
| A character inside a sentence | © in a footer, 25°C on a weather graphic | Copy-paste or OS character picker |
| A standalone graphic you resize freely | A big arrow between infographic steps, a ★★★★★ rating row | The Elements tab |
A text character lives in a text box. It inherits the box’s font, size, colour and spacing, and it scales only when you change the font size. An Elements graphic is a vector object — drag any corner and it scales cleanly, and you recolour it in one click.
Method 1: Copy and paste into a text box
The fastest method, and the one that works everywhere.
- Add a text box (press T, or click Text in the sidebar).
- Click into the box so you have a blinking cursor.
- Paste the symbol — Ctrl + V (Windows) or Cmd + V (Mac).
Copy it from the strip at the top of this page, from our copy and paste symbol tool, or from anywhere on the web. This works in the Canva browser editor, the Canva desktop app, and the mobile app.
The pasted character takes on the text box’s current font, size and colour, exactly like a typed letter.
Method 2: Your operating system’s character picker
Canva doesn’t ship a symbol menu, but your OS already has one — and it types directly into whatever text box is active.
Windows
Press Windows + . (period) or Windows + ; (semicolon) while your cursor is in a Canva text box. The emoji panel opens; click the symbols tab (Ω) to reach arrows, currency, math and Latin symbols. Click a symbol to insert it. Full walkthrough: the Windows emoji keyboard.
For a bigger library, open the classic Character Map: press Start, type charmap, pick a font, select the character, then Select → Copy and paste it into Canva.
Mac
Press Ctrl + Cmd + Space to open the Character Viewer. Search by name (“arrow”, “star”, “degree”), then double-click the symbol to drop it into the active text box. More: the Mac emoji keyboard.
Method 3: Keyboard shortcuts (Mac Option keys work — Windows Alt codes don’t)
On a Mac
While typing in a text box, these work on the standard US / ABC keyboard layout:
| Shortcut | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Option + 8 | • bullet |
| Shift + Option + 8 | ° degree |
| Option + G | © copyright |
| Option + 2 | ™ trademark |
| Option + R | ® registered |
| Shift + Option + 2 | € euro |
| Option + 3 | £ pound |
The Option key is layout-dependent: on a UK, German, Serbian or other input source, the same combinations produce different characters. Check which layout you’re on in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, and switch on Show Input menu in menu bar to open the Keyboard Viewer — hold Option and the on-screen keys show you exactly what your layout produces.
On Windows
Windows Alt codes are not a reliable route in Canva, for two reasons worth separating:
- They need a physical numeric keypad. The number row across the top of the keyboard does not work, and most laptops have no numpad at all.
- Most symbols have no standard Alt code anyway. The dependable Alt codes (Alt + 0169 for ©, Alt + 0176 for °, Alt + 0149 for •) come from the Windows-1252 character set. Arrows (→) and stars (★) simply aren’t in it.
On top of that, Canva’s editor is a web-based canvas, and Alt-code input into it is inconsistent even on desktops that do have a numpad.
Use copy-paste or Windows + . instead. They work every time. If you want the full explanation, see why Alt codes fail in some apps.
Method 4: Elements — for arrows, stars and icons as graphics
If the symbol is a design element rather than part of a sentence, don’t fight with text at all.
- Click Elements in the left sidebar.
- Search the shape by name:
arrow,star,check mark,heart,bullet point. - Filter to Graphics or Shapes to skip photos and videos.
- Click to place it, then drag the corner handles to resize and use the colour swatch to recolour.
Watch for the crown badge. A small crown on a thumbnail means the asset is Canva Pro content. On a free account you can place it, but your export will be covered with a criss-cross watermark until you either buy that single element (a one-off Pro Content licence, typically a dollar or two, valid for that one design) or upgrade to Canva Pro.
Two ways to avoid the watermark entirely: use the Free filter in the Elements search panel so crowned assets never appear, or build from Elements → Shapes → Lines, which are always free. And if the symbol only needs to sit in a line of text, a plain character (★, →, ✓) costs nothing and never watermarks.
Emoji in Canva
Two routes, and they produce different-looking results:
- As a graphic: search
emoji— or the emoji’s name, likefire emoji— in Elements. You get a sticker-style illustration you can place and resize anywhere on the canvas. - As text: paste an emoji into a text box, or open the OS emoji picker (Windows + . / Ctrl + Cmd + Space) with your cursor in the box. It flows with the words and scales with the font size.
Pick one style per design. Mixing Element emoji and text emoji in the same layout looks inconsistent, because they’re drawn by different artists in different styles.
Bullet points and custom bullets
For a normal bulleted list, select the text box and click the list button in the text toolbar. Don’t paste • characters manually — the toolbar list gives you proper hanging indents, so wrapped lines align under the text instead of under the bullet.
Canva’s list control offers bullets and numbering only; there’s no setting to swap in a different bullet glyph. To use a custom bullet like ★, → or ✓, do it by hand: paste the symbol at the start of each line, then add a space. Accept that wrapped lines won’t hang-indent — keep custom-bullet lines short.
On Chromebook and Linux
- Chromebook: ChromeOS has no Alt codes. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type the hex code (
2192for →,00b0for °), then press Enter or Space. Some web apps intercept the shortcut before ChromeOS sees it, and Canva’s canvas editor is one of the places it can fail — so the reliable route in Canva is the picker (Launcher/Search + Shift + Space, or right-click a text field → Emoji & symbols) or a straight paste. Full guide: type any symbol on a Chromebook. - Linux: with IBus, Ctrl + Shift + U followed by the hex code and Enter inserts a Unicode character in supporting apps. GNOME’s Characters app is a straightforward picker — find the symbol, copy, paste into Canva.
Copy-paste is the universal fallback on both.
On the Canva mobile app
iPhone / iPad
- Long-press keys on the symbols layout for variants — long-press 0 for °, long-press – for – and —.
- Tap the emoji key (smiley) for emoji.
- Or copy a symbol in Safari and long-press the text box → Paste.
Android
- Tap ?123, then =< to reach the second symbols page, where arrows and math signs live on Gboard.
- Long-press 0 for °.
- Gboard’s emoji key also has a symbols section (the Ω tab). Third-party keyboards — Samsung Keyboard, SwiftKey — arrange these differently, so if the layout doesn’t match, look for the equivalent symbols page or just paste.
- Or copy in Chrome and long-press → Paste.
The Elements search works in the mobile app too, so graphic icons are available on phone exactly as on desktop.
Symbol codes for reference
Useful when you need the same symbol outside Canva — in HTML, in Word, or in a spreadsheet.
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | HTML entity | Windows Alt code* | Mac Option key** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| → | Rightwards arrow | U+2192 | → | — | — |
| ★ | Black star | U+2605 | ★ | — | — |
| ✓ | Check mark | U+2713 | ✓ | — | — |
| • | Bullet | U+2022 | • | Alt + 0149 | Option + 8 |
| © | Copyright | U+00A9 | © | Alt + 0169 | Option + G |
| ® | Registered | U+00AE | ® | Alt + 0174 | Option + R |
| ° | Degree | U+00B0 | ° | Alt + 0176 | Shift + Option + 8 |
| ™ | Trademark | U+2122 | ™ | Alt + 0153 | Option + 2 |
* Requires a numeric keypad, and is unreliable inside Canva. A dash means there’s no standard Windows-1252 Alt code for that character. ** US / ABC keyboard layout.
Troubleshooting
The symbol shows as an empty box ▯ (or a question mark). The character pasted correctly — the font just can’t draw it. Canva’s default Canva Sans doesn’t cover every glyph. Switch the text to a font with broader symbol coverage: Arial, Roboto, Open Sans and Noto Sans handle the common symbols. Rare glyphs (obscure arrows, chess pieces, some dingbats) may not exist in any Canva font — in that case use an Elements graphic instead.
Alt codes do nothing. Expected in Canva. See Method 3 — use copy-paste or Windows + .
The symbol won’t resize on its own. Text glyphs scale with the font size only. If you need to drag it to any size independently, use an Elements graphic.
My star has a watermark on export. You used a Pro element on a free plan. Swap it for a free element (turn on the Free filter), a basic shape, or a text character (★).
Element emoji and text emoji look different. They are different. Element emoji are Canva’s own illustrations; text emoji are drawn by your OS. Pick one and stick with it.
Will the symbol survive when I download the design? Yes. Canva bakes the text into the finished PNG, JPG or PDF, so the person opening your file doesn’t need the font installed. But if it looks like a box in the editor, it will look like a box in the export too — fix the font before you download.
Does this work in Canva Docs, Whiteboards and Presentations?
Yes. They all use the same text boxes and the same Elements library, so every method above applies unchanged.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a symbol in Canva?
Canva does not have a built-in glyph panel. You can copy and paste a symbol into a text box or use your operating system’s character picker:
Windows: Windows + .
Mac: Control + Command + Space
For graphic symbols and icons, search the Elements tab.
Does Canva have a special character menu?
No. Canva does not include a native special character menu. Use copy and paste or your operating system’s character picker for text symbols, and use the Elements tab for arrows, stars, check marks, and other graphic icons.
Do Alt codes work in Canva?
On Windows, Alt codes are unreliable because Canva runs in a web browser. It’s usually better to copy and paste symbols or use the Windows + . emoji and symbols panel. On a Mac, Option-key shortcuts work normally while typing.
How do I add an arrow, star or check icon in Canva?
For scalable graphics, search the Elements tab for terms such as arrow, star, or check. For inline text, you can copy and paste characters like →, ★, or ✓ into a text box.
Why does my symbol show as a box in Canva?
The font you selected does not contain that symbol. Switch the text to a font with broader Unicode and symbol support, such as Arial, Roboto, or another font that includes the required glyph.
How do I add emoji in Canva?
Search for emoji in the Elements tab to insert sticker-style emoji graphics. You can also paste a text emoji into a text box or use your operating system’s emoji picker while editing text.
Recap
| What you want | Best method in Canva |
|---|---|
| © ° • ™ inline in a sentence | Copy-paste, or the OS character picker |
| A resizable arrow, star or check icon | Elements tab search |
| Emoji as a sticker | Elements tab |
| Emoji inside text | Paste, or the OS emoji picker |
| A proper bullet list | The list button in the text toolbar |
| A custom bullet (★, →) | Paste the symbol at the start of each line |
No glyph panel. Mac Option keys work; Windows Alt codes don’t. A box means the font lacks the glyph — change the font.
Need the code for a symbol you’ve pasted? Drop it into the Symbol Identifier to see its name, Unicode value and how to type it anywhere. Browse more app guides in the Office & Tech symbol hub.
Written by Igor R. Tested in Canva on Windows 11, macOS, and the mobile app. Last updated July 2026. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.