Unicode: Keyboard Symbols, UI Icons ↹ ⌫ ⌘ ✉ ✍ ⌖

This page collects Unicode characters that are related to computing. For example, symbols for keyboard key icons, Apple keyboard symbols, symbols for line returns, enter, paragraph, file, window, cursor, etc.

Keyboard Key Symbols

Command key ⌘

Window logo key, Super key ❖ (note: the Cmd key and Windows Logo key both send the same key signal. On Linux, this key is called Super.)

Meta key ◆ ◇ (the black diamond is used on Sun Microsystem Type 6 Keyboard and in Solaris documentation it's called Meta. The Meta key is a key on Lisp Machine Keyboards)

Hyper key ✦ ✧ ⟡

Alt/Opt key ⌥ ⎇ (note: Alt on PC and ⌥ Opt on Mac send the same key signal.)

Control key ^ ‸ ✲ ⎈

note:

• ASCII uses a angled hat symbol ^ to represent unprintable ASCII “control” characters. ⁖ Null is ^@, Line Feed is ^J, Carriage return is ^M. To enter these unprintable chars, the Ctrl key is used. The key combination 【Ctrl+j】 is also represented by the same notation ^j.
• The angle hat symbol used is the accent mark symbol ^ (codepoint 94, #x5e)
• Unicode created a dedicated symbol for the angled hat of this purpose: ‸.
• Unicode also created a complete set to represent ASCII “control” characters, see: Unicode: Character Representation, ASCII Character Symbols ␀
• The caret char is easily confused with the accent mark symbol, which is also a key on keyboard.
• The Open asterisk is used on Microsoft Keyboards.
• The Helm symbol is sometimes used in Linux documentation.

Shift key ⇧

Menu/App key ▤

Return key ↵ ↩ ⏎

Enter key ⌤ ⎆ (note: The Return key is the key on the main section. The Enter key is the key on numpad. They send different signals. The symbols shown here are proper symbols for Enter, but is rarely used on keyboard.)

Tab key ↹ ⇄ ⇤ ⇥ ↤ ↦ ◁ ▷

Esc key ⎋

Delete, clear ⌫ ⌦ ⌧ ⎚ Insert ⎀

Home/End ↖ ↘ ⇤ ⇥ ⤒ ⤓ ⇱ ⇲

Page Up/Down key ⇞ ⇟ ⎗ ⎘ △ ▽ ▲ ▼

Cut ✂ ✄ Undo, redo ⎌ ↶ ↷ ↺ ↻ Reload, refresh ⟲ ⟳

Eject ⏏

print ⎙, mail ✉, home ⌂,

pause key ⎉ break key ⎊ sleep key ☾

Multimedia keys. stop ◼ play/pause ⏯, prev song ⏮, next song ⏭, fast backward ⏪, fast forward ⏩, fast upward ⏫, fast downward ⏬,

mute 🔇 no sound 🔈 sound down 🔉 sound up 🔊

search, find, magnify. 🔍 🔎

brightness. 🔅 🔆

capslock. ⇪ A⃣ cap letters, lower case, digits, alphanumerics, for input. 🔠 🔡 🔢 🔣 🔤

Sample Use: Keyboard Shortcut Notations ◇ Emacs's Keybinding Layout ◇ Emacs's Command Frequency

Arrows

Arrow keys ↑ ↓ ← → ◀ ▶ ▲ ▼ ◁ ▷ △ ▽ ⇦ ⇨ ⇧ ⇩ ⬅ ⬆ ⬇ ➡

More: Arrows in Unicode.

Computing Interfac Icons

Watch ⌚ Hourglass ⌛ ⧗ ⧖ Cursor ⌖ ▮ ▯ vertical bar ❘ ❙ ❚ I-beam ⌶

keyboard ⌨ tape drive ✇ write/comment ✍ ✎ ✏ ✐ ✑ ✒

buttons 🔲 🔳 🔘

loop, shuffle, repeat 🔀 🔁 🔂 🔃 🔄

battery 🔋 🔌 🔔 🔕

lock ＆ keys ⚿ 🔑 🔏 🔐 🔒 🔓

connection, signal 📶

for many more (⁖ folder, floppy, cd/dvd, mail boxes, in/out box, lock/key, notebook, bookmark, calender, speech bubble, …), see Unicode Office Icons

Character Representation

See: Unicode: Character Representation, ASCII Character Symbols

Misc icons ⌗

checkmarks ✓ ✔ ✗ ✘ ☐ ☑ ☒ 𐄂 ⍻ ❍ ❏ ❐ ❑ ❒

Misc ⌜ ⌝ ⌞ ⌟ ⎔ ⎖ ⎁ ⎂ ⎃ ⎄ ⎅

Electricity ⎓ ⏚ ⏛ ⏦ ⏧ ⎏ ⎐

unsorted ƒ ␥ ␦

bank check symbols. Magnetic ink character recognition. ⑀ ⑁ ⑂ ⑃ ⑄ ⑅ ⑆ ⑇ ⑈ ⑉ ⑊

Here's some am looking for but couldn't find.

• film/movie icon.
• Map icon.
• Mouse icon.
• Stop sign.

It's interesting to note that the web standard org W3C made a proposal for many HTML entities to represent many computer icons. See: Unicode: W3C Proposed Icons {Image, Video, Sound File, Trash, Keyboard, Mouse, …}.