Star symbol (★)
U+2605 · BLACK STAR · 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
2605 Alt+X
Type 2605 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 “star 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 ;star.
- Now type ;star 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 ;star.
- Type ;star in any app and tap ★ in the suggestions.
Linux
Unicode input
Ctrl+Shift+U 2605 Enter
Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2605 and press Enter or Space. Works in GTK apps and with IBus (GNOME, Ubuntu, Fedora).
What ★ means and how it is used
The black star ★ marks ratings (★★★★☆), favourites and highlights. The white star ☆ shows an empty rating slot. In Japanese the IME reading ほし (hoshi) gives both. The yellow ⭐ is an emoji and looks different on every platform. Hotel and review sites have used five-star ratings for decades.
In Unicode, ★ is code point U+2605 with the official name BLACK STAR. It belongs to the Miscellaneous Symbols block and arrived with Unicode 1.1 in 1993.
You will find it in our stars, 49 symbols in all, together with ☆ ✪ ✩.
Codes for HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tap Copy next to the code you need.
| HTML entity | ★ | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | ★ | |
| HTML hex | ★ | |
| CSS | content: "\2605"; | |
| JavaScript | \u2605 | |
| URL | %E2%98%85 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 98 85 | |
| Unicode | U+2605 |
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.
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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 | Star symbol |
| Português | Símbolo de estrela |
| Español | Símbolo de estrella |
| Italiano | Simbolo stella |
| Français | Symbole étoile |
| Deutsch | Stern-Symbol |
| Türkçe | Yıldız sembolü |
| Bahasa Indonesia | Simbol bintang |
| Polski | Symbol gwiazdy |
| Русский | Символ звезда |
| 日本語 | 黒星 (星記号) |
| 한국어 | 검은 별 |
Related symbols
All Stars →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 2605 and press Alt+X.
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 ;star.
What is the HTML code for the star symbol?
Use the entity ★ or the numeric code ★ (hex ★). In CSS write \2605, in JavaScript \u2605.
Will ★ show on every phone?
Very likely yes: ★ dates from Unicode 1.1 (1993), so every current system has a font for it.