Plus or minus symbol (±)
U+00B1 · PLUS-MINUS SIGN · Unicode 1.1 (1993)
How to type ±
Windows
Alt code (numeric keypad)
Alt+0177
Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type 0177 on the numeric keypad and let go of Alt: ± appears.
The shorter code Alt+241 works too in most programs.
Word and Outlook: Alt + X
00B1 Alt+X
Type 00B1 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
Keyboard shortcut (U.S. layout)
⌥ Option+⇧ Shift+=
Press ⌥ Option+⇧ Shift+= to type ±. This is on the standard U.S. and U.S. English Mac layouts.
Character Viewer
Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+Space
Press Ctrl+⌘+Space (or the Globe key + E), search for “plus or minus 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 ;plusmi.
- Now type ;plusmi 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 ;plusmi.
- Type ;plusmi in any app and tap ± in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 00b1 Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 00b1 and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What ± means and how it is used
The plus-minus sign ± shows a tolerance or two possible values: 5 ± 0.1 mm, x = −b ± √… in the quadratic formula, ±2 °C. Its mirror ∓ is used when signs must flip together. Mac: Option+Shift+=; Windows: Alt+0177 or Alt+241; HTML: ±. Engineers also use it for measurement uncertainty.
Plus or minus symbol (±) is the Unicode character U+00B1, officially called PLUS-MINUS SIGN. It is in the Latin-1 Supplement block and has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).
On this site it is part of the math symbols (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: "\00B1"; | |
| JavaScript | \u00B1 | |
| URL | %C2%B1 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | C2 B1 | |
| Unicode | U+00B1 |
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…
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 | Plus or minus symbol |
| Português | Símbolo de mais ou menos |
| Español | Símbolo de más menos |
| Italiano | Simbolo più o meno |
| Français | Symbole plus ou moins |
| Deutsch | Plus-Minus-Zeichen |
| Türkçe | Artı eksi işareti |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol kurang lebih (plus minus) |
| Polski | Symbol plus minus |
| Русский | Знак плюс-минус |
| 日本語 | プラスマイナス記号 |
| 한국어 | 플러스마이너스 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 00B1 and press Alt+X. On a Mac press ⌥ Option+⇧ Shift+=.
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 ;plusmi.
What is the HTML code for the plus or minus symbol?
Use the entity ± or the numeric code ± (hex ±). In CSS write \00B1, in JavaScript \u00B1.
Will ± show on every phone?
± has been in Unicode since version 1.1 (1993). Practically every phone, computer and app shows it.