Black square symbol (■)
U+25A0 · BLACK SQUARE · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type ■
Windows
Alt code (numeric keypad)
Alt+254
Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type 254 on the numeric keypad and let go of Alt: ■ appears.
Uses the old DOS code page 437, which US-English Windows uses for Alt codes without a leading 0; on Windows set to other languages the result can differ.
Word and Outlook: Alt + X
25A0 Alt+X
Type 25A0 and press Alt+X right after it: Word turns the code into ■. Press Alt+X again to turn it back into the code.
Emoji and symbols panel (Windows 10 and 11)
Win+.
Press Win + full stop (.) to open the panel, go to the Symbols tab (Ω) and pick ■.
No numeric keypad on your laptop? See the other ways in our Alt codes guide.
Mac
Character Viewer
Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+Space
Press Ctrl+⌘+Space (or the Globe key + E), search for “black square symbol” and click ■ to insert it.
iPhone
Make a shortcut (Text Replacement)
Turn a short word into ■ once and type it in any app:
- Copy ■ from this page.
- Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement and tap +.
- Paste ■ as the Phrase and type a Shortcut, for example ;blacksquar.
- Now type ;blacksquar anywhere: the keyboard suggests ■.
Android
Make a shortcut (Gboard personal dictionary)
Teach your keyboard a short word that turns into ■:
- Copy ■ from this page.
- Open Gboard settings › Dictionary › Personal dictionary, choose your language and tap +.
- Paste ■ as the word and type a shortcut, for example ;blacksquar.
- Type ;blacksquar in any app and tap ■ in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 25a0 Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 25a0 and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What ■ means and how it is used
The black square ■ is used for bullets, checkboxes that are filled, end-of-article marks and simple charts. If you see a white □ where text should be, that is usually not this character but a missing font glyph, called tofu. Small squares ▪ and medium squares ◼ are separate characters for tighter layouts.
In Unicode, ■ is code point U+25A0 with the official name BLACK SQUARE. It belongs to the Geometric Shapes block and arrived with Unicode 1.1 in 1993.
Other words for it: filled, square.
You will find it in our shapes, 136 symbols in all, together with ● ○ □ ▲ △.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML decimal | ■ | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML hex | ■ | |
| CSS | content: "\25A0"; | |
| JavaScript | \u25A0 | |
| URL | %E2%96%A0 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 96 A0 | |
| Unicode | U+25A0 |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
■ has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.
Checking your device…
Don't confuse ■ with
These look alike but are different characters. Search, sorting and screen readers treat them differently, so copy the one you mean.
- ■Black square symbolU+25A0 · BLACK SQUARE
- End proofU+220E · END OF PROOF · Mathematical Operators
- Full blockU+2588 · FULL BLOCK · Block Elements
- Small black squareU+25AA · BLACK SMALL SQUARE · Geometric Shapes
- ￭U+FFED · Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms
Names in other languages
What ■ is called in the 12 languages of this site (Unicode CLDR and our editors). Tap a name to open that language's page.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Black square symbol |
| Português | Quadrado preto |
| Español | Cuadrado negro |
| Italiano | Quadrato nero |
| Français | Carré noir |
| Deutsch | Schwarzes Quadrat |
| Türkçe | Siyah kare |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Kotak hitam |
| Polski | Czarny kwadrat |
| Русский | Символ квадрат |
| 日本語 | 黒四角 |
| 한국어 | 검은 네모 |
Related symbols
All Shapes →Questions people ask
How do I type ■ on a laptop without a numeric keypad?
On Windows press Win + full stop (.) and pick ■ in the Symbols tab, or in Word type 25A0 and press Alt+X.
What is the difference between ■ and ∎?
■ is the black square symbol (U+25A0). ∎ is a different character: end proof (U+220E, Mathematical Operators block). They can look alike, but computers treat them as different letters, so a search for one will not find the other.
How do I type ■ on an iPhone?
The iPhone keyboard has no key for ■. Copy it here, then add it in Settings › General › Keyboard › Text Replacement with a shortcut like ;blacksquar.
What is the HTML code for the black square symbol?
There is no named entity; use ■ or ■. In CSS write \25A0, in JavaScript \u25A0.
Will ■ show on every phone?
■ has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.