Copy & Paste HTML Symbols, Special Characters & Unicode

Q: What's the difference between a Unicode character and an HTML entity?

Unicode assigns every character a unique number. An HTML entity is a named or numeric code browsers recognize that displays the same character in a web page.

Popular HTML Symbols

Frequently Asked Questions

What are HTML symbols?

HTML symbols are special characters that can be added to web pages using Unicode or HTML entity codes.

How do I copy and paste HTML symbols?

Click any symbol to copy it instantly, then paste it into your website, document, or code editor.

What's the difference between a Unicode character and an HTML entity?

Unicode assigns every character a unique number (like U+00A9 for ©). An HTML entity is a named or numeric code browsers recognize, like © or ©, that displays the same character in a web page.

Why isn't my HTML symbol displaying correctly?

This is usually a character encoding issue. Make sure your page includes <meta charset="utf-8"> in the head, and that the file itself is saved as UTF-8.

How do I type special symbols without using HTML code?

On Windows, hold Alt and type the numeric code on the number pad (e.g. Alt+0169 for ©). On Mac, use Option-key shortcuts (e.g. Option+G for ©) or the Character Viewer (Control+Command+Space). See how to type HTML Symbols on Mac and Windows.

Can I use these symbols in social media posts or usernames?

Yes — copy the symbol itself (not the HTML code) and paste it directly into any text field, including social media, chat apps, and documents.

Unicode, HTML Entities, HEX, and CSS Codes — What's the Difference?

Every symbol on this site can be added to a page four different ways, and which one you use depends on where you're working:

Unicode is the universal character standard — every symbol has a unique code point, like U+2022 for a bullet. It works anywhere UTF-8 is supported, including plain text.
HTML entities are named or numeric codes recognized by browsers, such as • or •. Use these directly in HTML markup.
HEX codes represent the same Unicode value in hexadecimal, often used in numeric HTML entities or in programming contexts.
CSS codes use the Unicode value inside a content property, like content: "\2022";, for inserting symbols via stylesheets rather than markup.

Each symbol page on HTMLSymbols.net includes all four formats, so you can copy whichever one fits your project — whether that's a static HTML page, a CMS, or a CSS-driven design.