Text Symbols: Copy and Paste + How to Type Special Characters

Text symbols are the special characters you add to make plain text clearer or more expressive: arrows (→), checkmarks (✓), stars (★), dividers (—), or even simple shapes like ■ and ▲. They work in bios, captions, docs, chat, and headings when you want structure without images.

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Quick answer / TL;DR

For maximum compatibility, use common Unicode symbols that behave like punctuation. Copy/paste is usually faster than hunting through menus, and it keeps the symbol identical across apps.

Structure: • · — – … |
Arrows: → ← ↑ ↓ ↔ ↗ ↘
Checks: ✓ ✔ ✗ ✘
Stars: ★ ☆ ✦ ✧
Hearts: ♥ ♡ ❤
Legal: © ® ™

Need something longer like a section divider? Try: ───── or ═════ (and if that breaks, fall back to '-----'). For social posts, remember symbols still count as characters, so plan space for them: Social character limits and Caption templates.

How to copy and paste symbols (works everywhere)

Find the symbol you want (from this page or a trusted symbol list).
Select it, copy it (Ctrl+C / Cmd+C), then paste (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V) where you need it.
Test in the exact place you will publish (some apps swap fonts or restrict characters).

What text symbols are (Unicode vs ASCII) and why boxes happen

Most text symbols today come from the Unicode Standard, which assigns each character a code point so different systems can store and display the same symbol consistently. ASCII is an older subset that defines 128 basic characters (A-Z, numbers, and a small set of punctuation). Unicode is far larger and includes many symbol blocks plus emoji. Limits can change—check the platform help center for the latest. ([Unicode][1])

If you see an empty square (often called tofu), it usually means the app or font cannot draw that character even though the code point exists. Your best fix is to pick a more common alternative, update your OS/fonts, or use a standard emoji keyboard for widely supported sets. ([SimpleLocalize][2])

A quick decision table: pick the right symbol for the job

Text Symbols Table

Use case	Good default symbols	Why it works	Tip
Help lists scan faster	• · — \|	Simple punctuation-like symbols are widely supported.	Use bullets and dividers instead of rare decorative marks.
Show status or approval	✓ ✔ ✗ ✘	Clear, language-agnostic signals in headings, checklists, and notes.	Prefer plain checkmarks over fancy emoji sequences when compatibility matters.
Point people somewhere	→ ← ↑ ↓ ↗ ↘	Directional cues for steps, menus, CTAs, and navigation.	If an arrow renders as a box, swap to '->' temporarily.
Add emphasis or tone	★ ☆ ✦ ✧ ♥ ♡	Light decoration for titles, bios, and section headers.	Do not overuse: too many symbols can look spammy or reduce readability.
Use universal marks	© ® ™	Good for legal notes and brand references where appropriate.	Only use marks truthfully; do not imply registrations you do not have.
Math and comparisons	± × ÷ ≈ ≤ ≥ ∞	Useful in docs, specs, and school work.	If you need maximum compatibility, write words like 'approx' or '<='.

Next, you will learn how to type symbols directly (not just copy/paste) on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android, plus how to avoid the most common symbol failures.

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How to type text symbols on any device (no special tools)

Copy/paste is fastest, but typing symbols directly is handy when you are drafting. Below are the simplest built-in methods by platform.

Windows (11/10)

Emoji and symbols panel: press Win+. (Windows key plus period) to open the emoji/symbol picker, then search by name (for example, 'arrow' or 'star') and insert.
Character Map: search Windows for 'Character Map', pick a font, select a symbol, then copy it into your text.
Alt codes (NumPad): hold Alt and type a code on the numeric keypad to insert certain characters. This is powerful, but not every code works in every app because results can depend on code pages and the font in use. For a reliable reference, use an updated Alt code list and test in your target app. ([alt-codes.net][3])

Mac

Emoji & Symbols: press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer, then search and insert symbols.
Option-key shortcuts: many punctuation and math symbols are available with Option (for example, Option+Shift+8 for a degree symbol on many layouts). If it does not match your keyboard layout, use the Character Viewer instead.

iPhone / iPad

Emoji keyboard: tap the emoji/globe key to switch keyboards, then search emoji and commonly used symbols.
Long-press keys: some keyboards reveal extra symbols when you hold a letter or punctuation key (varies by language and keyboard app).
Text replacement: create shortcuts like '->' that expand to '→' or 'tm' that expands to '™' (Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacement).

Android

Symbols layer: tap '?123' (or similar) to access punctuation, currency, and arrows.
Long-press: hold keys to reveal additional variants (often includes accents and extra symbols).
Emoji search: use the keyboard's emoji search to find symbols by keyword.

How to keep symbols consistent (and avoid broken characters)

Most symbol problems come from either (1) a font that does not include the glyph, or (2) a character sequence that is more complex than it looks. Use this quick checklist:

Prefer common blocks: basic punctuation, arrows, dingbats, and common symbols tend to render more reliably than obscure scripts.
Watch multi-codepoint emoji: some emoji are sequences (multiple code points combined), so they can render differently across platforms and may count as more than one character in some tools. ([unicode.org][4])
Avoid invisible characters: zero-width spaces and directional marks can break usernames, forms, and search.
Be careful with stylized alphabets: some 'fancy' letters are different Unicode characters (not just a font change), which can confuse search, sorting, and accessibility tools.
Always test where you publish: paste your final text into the exact app (social platform, CMS, email client) before posting.

If a symbol does not render, swap it for a simpler alternative (for example, replace ✦ with ★, or use '-' instead of '—') and re-test.

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