Minus sign (−)
U+2212 · MINUS SIGN · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type −
Windows
No Alt code
− is not in the Windows code pages 1252 or 437, so it has no Alt code. Use one of the methods below or copy it from this page.
Word and Outlook: Alt + X
2212 Alt+X
Type 2212 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 “minus sign” 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 ;minus.
- Now type ;minus 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 ;minus.
- Type ;minus in any app and tap − in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 2212 Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2212 and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What − means and how it is used
Minus sign (−) is the Unicode character U+2212, officially called MINUS SIGN. It is in the Mathematical Operators block and has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).
People also call it or search for it as: minus, sign, subtract.
On this site it is part of the math (148 symbols), next to π ∞ √ ± ×.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | − | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | − | |
| HTML hex | − | |
| CSS | content: "\2212"; | |
| JavaScript | \u2212 | |
| URL | %E2%88%92 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 88 92 | |
| Unicode | U+2212 |
Will it show on my friend's phone?
Very likely yes: − dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for 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.
- −Minus signU+2212 · MINUS SIGN
- Hyphen symbolU+002D · HYPHEN-MINUS · Basic Latin
- Modifier letter minus signU+02D7 · MODIFIER LETTER MINUS SIGN · Spacing Modifier Letters
- HyphenU+2010 · HYPHEN · General Punctuation
- Non-breaking hyphenU+2011 · NON-BREAKING HYPHEN · General Punctuation
- Figure dashU+2012 · FIGURE DASH · General Punctuation
- En dashU+2013 · EN DASH · General Punctuation
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 | Minus sign |
| Português | Sinal de menos |
| Español | Signo menos |
| Italiano | Segno meno |
| Français | Signe moins |
| Deutsch | Minuszeichen |
| Türkçe | Eksi işareti |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol kurang |
| Polski | Znak minus |
| Русский | Знак минус |
| 日本語 | マイナス記号 |
| 한국어 | 빼기 기호 |
Related symbols
All Math →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 2212 and press Alt+X.
What is the difference between − and -?
− is the minus sign (U+2212). - is a different character: hyphen symbol (U+002D, Basic Latin 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 ;minus.
What is the HTML code for the minus sign?
Use the entity − or the numeric code − (hex −). In CSS write \2212, in JavaScript \u2212.
Will − show on every phone?
Very likely yes: − dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.