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Character Map & Unicode Explorer

Browse Unicode characters, copy HTML entities, CSS escapes, and code points.

Browse and copy any Unicode character: including HTML entities and CSS escapes

Unicode contains over 140,000 characters covering every writing system, thousands of symbols, mathematical operators, box-drawing characters for terminal UIs, and emoji. Finding a specific character and getting it in the right format for your code is surprisingly awkward without a dedicated tool.

This character map lets you browse by Unicode block, search by code point or by pasting the character directly, and copy in the exact format you need: raw character for text editors, HTML entity for markup, or CSS escape for stylesheets and icon fonts.

How to use: step by step

  1. 1
    Choose a Unicode block
    Click one of the block tabs: ASCII, Latin Extended, Symbols, Arrows, Math, Box Drawing, or Emoji: to browse that range.
  2. 2
    Search for a specific character
    Type a character directly, a code point like U+2665, or a decimal number in the search box to jump straight to that character.
  3. 3
    Click a character to select it
    The detail panel on the right shows the character's decimal value, hexadecimal code point, HTML entity (decimal and hex), and CSS content escape.
  4. 4
    Copy in the format you need
    Use the four copy buttons to grab the raw character, HTML &#Dec;, HTML &#xHex;, or CSS escape: whichever your use case requires.
  5. 5
    Review recently copied characters
    The recent bar at the top of the grid shows your last 5 copied characters for quick re-access without re-searching.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Unicode code point?
A code point is the numerical identity of a character in the Unicode standard. It is written as U+ followed by hexadecimal digits, for example U+0041 for the Latin capital letter A.
What is an HTML entity and when should I use one?
An HTML entity is a way to represent a character using a special code so it is safely interpreted by HTML parsers. Use © for © or 😀 for 😀 when you cannot use the raw character in your markup.
What is a CSS content escape used for?
CSS content escapes like \2665 are used in the CSS content property to display characters in ::before or ::after pseudo-elements, and in icon font declarations where each icon is mapped to a Unicode code point.
How do I type a Unicode character I found here?
On Windows, hold Alt and type the decimal code on the numeric keypad. On macOS, press Option and then the hex code, or use the Character Viewer (Ctrl+Cmd+Space). On Linux, press Ctrl+Shift+U, type the hex code, then Enter.
What Unicode blocks are covered?
The tool covers ASCII control characters (U+0000–U+001F), ASCII printable (U+0020–U+007F), Latin Extended (U+00C0–U+00FF), General Punctuation and Symbols (U+2000–U+206F), Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF), Mathematical Operators (U+2200–U+22FF), Box Drawing (U+2500–U+257F), and a curated set of common emoji.
Can I look up a character by typing it directly?
Yes. Type the character into the search box and the tool will show its code point, name, and copy options immediately.
Why do some characters show a dot instead of the glyph?
Control characters (U+0000–U+001F) and the delete character (U+007F) are non-renderable. They are shown as a dot (·) to indicate a non-printable code point.
Is the character map entirely free?
Yes. AlteredIdea's character map runs fully in-browser, requires no account, and has no usage limits.

AlteredIdea vs alternatives

vs Google search answers: AlteredIdea gives you an interactive tool, not a static reference page. Try values, get instant answers.

vs paid lookup tools: Completely free, no account, no rate limits.

vs command-line tools: No terminal needed. Works in any browser instantly.

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