Identify any symbol
Symbol Identifier
Paste a symbol you copied from somewhere — and find out exactly what it is and how to type it on any device.
What this tool tells you
Paste any character and the identifier shows its name, the category it belongs to, its Unicode code point (like U+00A9), the HTML entity for the web, and the exact way to type it on Windows and Mac. Tap any value to copy it.
It works on a single symbol or a whole pasted string — useful when you’ve copied something from a document, a website, or someone’s message and have no idea what it is or how to reproduce it.
How it works
Every value is worked out directly from the character’s Unicode code point, so the Windows Alt code, the Mac shortcut, the HTML entity, and the Unicode reference are accurate for any symbol — not guessed. Names come from our library of over a thousand symbols; rare characters still get their full technical details even when we don’t have a friendly name for them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out what a symbol is?
Paste it into the box above. The identifier returns the symbol’s name, category, and Unicode code point, plus how to type it on Windows, Mac, and the web.
Can I identify a symbol I copied from a website?
Yes. Paste the copied text and each symbol is identified separately, so you can pick out the one you need and copy its code or shortcut.
What is a Unicode code point?
It’s the official ID for a character in the Unicode Standard, written like U+00A9 for ©. Every symbol has one, and it’s the key to typing the symbol in any app.
Why does a Mac shortcut sometimes say “Character Viewer”?
macOS only has built-in key shortcuts for a set of common symbols. For the rest, the most reliable route is the Character Viewer (Ctrl + Cmd + Space), so that’s what we show.