Arrow Symbols

Unicode has hundreds of arrows, and these are the ones people actually use. Click any arrow to copy it, then paste it into documentation, a bio, a slide, or a commit message. Plain arrows render everywhere; a few heavy ones turn into emoji on some platforms.

Basic arrows

Double and long arrows

Heavy dingbat arrows

Decorative and feathered arrows

Curved, hooked, and return arrows

Circular and refresh arrows

Wave, two-headed, and tab arrows

White and emoji arrows

How it works

01 Click or tap any arrow to copy it to your clipboard.
02 Paste it into your document, bio, slide, or message with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac).
03 Use → for steps and flows, ↳ for replies and sub-items, and ➤ as a list bullet.

Where arrow symbols come from

The core arrows ← → ↑ ↓ occupy Unicode's Arrows block, which has been in the standard since the beginning because arrows were already common in older character sets and in mathematics. The double arrows carry real math meaning: ⇒ is the standard symbol for logical implication and ⇔ for equivalence. The heavy and feathered arrows, including ➜, ➤, and ➳, came from the Dingbats block, digitized from the Zapf Dingbats ornament typeface. Long arrows like ⟶ live in supplemental math blocks, and ⇧ Upwards White Arrow doubles as the Shift key symbol on Mac keyboards.

Where they render

Almost every arrow on this page renders as a flat text glyph in any modern app. The known exceptions are ➡, ⬅, ⬆, ⬇, 🔁, and 🔄, which most phones and browsers display as color emoji. ↩ and ⤴ sit on the fence and get emoji treatment on some platforms. If your layout needs a guaranteed plain arrow, → and ➜ are the safe picks.

Usage ideas

Arrows do quiet, practical work. Use → in step-by-step instructions (File → Export → PNG), changelogs (v1.2 → v1.3), and navigation breadcrumbs. ↳ is the classic reply or sub-item marker in threaded lists. ↺ and ⟳ read as undo and refresh in UI mockups and documentation. The feathered arrows ➳ and ➸ show up in wedding invitations and tattoo lettering, often paired with a heart from our heart symbols page. For menus and link lists, ➤ and ➢ make sturdy one-character bullets.

One caveat

Arrows carry direction, and direction can flip. In right-to-left text contexts, a pasted → still points right, which may no longer mean 'forward'. Also remember that a screen reader announces the arrow's name, not your intent: 'rightwards arrow', not 'then click'. Keep the surrounding words doing the real explaining.

Questions

Why do some arrows show up as colored emoji?

A handful of arrows, like ➡ and 🔄, are on the official emoji list, so phones and browsers draw them as pictures. The math and dingbat arrows, like → and ➜, are not, so they stay as plain text glyphs that match your font and text color.

What is the best arrow for step-by-step instructions?

→ Rightwards Arrow is the convention: Settings → Privacy → Location. It is compact, renders everywhere, and screen readers announce it consistently. ➜ is a heavier-looking alternative when you want the arrow to stand out.

Can I use these arrows in code comments and commit messages?

Yes. They are ordinary UTF-8 text, and modern editors, terminals, and Git tooling handle them fine. Arrows like → are common in changelogs to show renames and version bumps. Very old terminals with limited fonts may show a box instead.