Left arrow symbol (←)
U+2190 · LEFTWARDS ARROW · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type ←
Windows
Alt code (numeric keypad)
Alt+27
Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type 27 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
2190 Alt+X
Type 2190 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 “left arrow 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 ;leftarrow.
- Now type ;leftarrow 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 ;leftarrow.
- Type ;leftarrow in any app and tap ← in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 2190 Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2190 and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What ← means and how it is used
The left arrow ← points back: '← back', assignment in pseudocode (x ← 5) and reversed mappings. Its DOS code page position makes Alt+27 type ← in many Windows apps. Paired arrows ⇄ and ↔ show two-way relations. Keyboard shortcut lists use it for the left arrow key, and chat users point back to a previous message with it.
The official Unicode name of ← is LEFTWARDS ARROW, code point U+2190. You will find it in the Arrows block; it was added in Unicode 1.1 (1993).
It also goes by these names and keywords: arrow, left, left-pointing.
It sits in the arrows with 195 symbols, among them → ↑ ↓ ↔ ⇒.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | ← | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | ← | |
| HTML hex | ← | |
| CSS | content: "\2190"; | |
| JavaScript | \u2190 | |
| URL | %E2%86%90 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 86 90 | |
| Unicode | U+2190 |
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.
- ←Left arrow symbolU+2190 · LEFTWARDS ARROW
- ￩U+FFE9 · 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 | Left arrow symbol |
| Português | Seta para a esquerda |
| Español | Flecha a la izquierda |
| Italiano | Freccia a sinistra |
| Français | Flèche gauche |
| Deutsch | Pfeil nach links |
| Türkçe | Sol ok işareti |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol panah kiri |
| Polski | Strzałka w lewo |
| Русский | Стрелка влево |
| 日本語 | 左矢印 |
| 한국어 | 왼쪽 화살표 |
Related symbols
All Arrows →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 2190 and press Alt+X.
What is the difference between ← and ￩?
← is the left arrow symbol (U+2190). ￩ is a different character: ￩ (U+FFE9, Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms 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 ;leftarrow.
What is the HTML code for the left arrow symbol?
Use the entity ← or the numeric code ← (hex ←). In CSS write \2190, in JavaScript \u2190.
Will ← show on every phone?
← has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.