The middle dot · (U+00B7) is typed with Alt + 2 5 0 on Windows using the numeric keypad, and Option + Shift + 9 on a Mac. In HTML it is ·. Copy it here and skip the shortcuts entirely:
This character goes by several names — middle dot, interpunct, midpoint, raised dot, and punt volat in Catalan — and it does several different jobs. Below are every reliable way to type it, what it is actually for, and how to tell it apart from the bullet, the period and the two mathematical dots that look almost identical.
Type the middle dot on Windows
Two Windows Alt codes produce the same character:
- Alt + 250 — the code page 437 (DOS) number.
- Alt + 0183 — the Windows-1252 number, written with a leading zero.
The method is the same for both. Turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, type the digits on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. The number row above the letters does not work, and neither does the keypad with Num Lock off. If one of the two codes produces nothing or produces a different character in a particular program, try the other one: some applications only handle the leading-zero form. Our full guide to Alt codes explains why the two numbering systems exist.
If your laptop has no numeric keypad
Most compact laptops drop the keypad, which rules out Alt codes. Three alternatives work on any Windows machine:
- Emoji & symbol panel. Press Windows + . (or Windows + ;), open the Symbols tab, and look under the punctuation section. The panel inserts straight into whatever text field you were typing in.
- Character Map. Search the Start menu for Character Map, or run
charmap. Tick Advanced view, search formiddle dot, then select and copy. See our walkthrough of Character Map and the emoji panel. - Microsoft Word. Type
00B7and immediately press Alt + X. Word converts the code into the character. This works in Word and Outlook message bodies, not in most other programs.
The fastest option of all is still to copy the character from the button at the top of this page and paste it wherever you need it. If you would rather look the code up by character or by name, the Alt code finder searches the whole set.
Type the middle dot on a Mac
Press Option + Shift + 9. That shortcut works system-wide in any app that accepts text, including Pages, Mail, Safari and the Notes app.
If you would rather pick it from a list, open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space (or Edit > Emoji & Symbols in the menu bar) and search for middle dot. Double-click the result to insert it.
Word, Google Docs and spreadsheets
| Program | Method |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | Type 00B7, press Alt + X. Or Insert > Symbol > More Symbols and search the Latin-1 Supplement range. |
| Excel | =UNICHAR(183) returns the middle dot as a formula result. |
| Google Docs | Insert > Special characters, then type middle dot in the search box (you can also draw the shape). |
| Google Sheets | =UNICHAR(183), the same as Excel. |
In both Word and Google Docs you can also record the character as an autocorrect or substitution entry — map something like (md) to · — if you type it dozens of times a day.
Middle dot in HTML, CSS and code
The middle dot has a named HTML entity, which makes it one of the easier special characters to use on a web page:
- Named entity:
· - Decimal reference:
· - Hexadecimal reference:
·
All three render identically. If your page is served as UTF-8 you can also paste the literal character into the source and skip entities altogether. For CSS generated content and for JavaScript, JSON or Python escape forms of the same code point, paste the character into the Unicode converter and it will give you each encoding.
iPhone and Android
Neither the default iPhone keyboard nor most Android keyboards put the middle dot behind a long-press, so there is no shortcut to memorize. On a phone the practical options are to copy the character from this page, or — on iPhone — to create a shortcut under Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement so that typing something like mdot expands into ·. Our guide to typing symbols on iPhone and Android covers the long-press tricks that do exist.
What the middle dot is used for
Separating items on one line
This is the modern workhorse use. Article bylines, card metadata, breadcrumb trails and navigation footers commonly separate short items with a spaced middle dot:
By Jane Doe · March 4 · 6 min read
It reads as a lighter divider than a slash or a vertical bar, and it sits on the text baseline’s midline rather than dropping to the bottom like a period.
Catalan geminate L
Catalan uses the interpunct — the punt volat, or “flying point” — between two L characters to mark a geminate L, which is pronounced differently from the digraph ll. It appears in everyday words such as col·legi, paral·lel and intel·ligent. Catalan is the main reason this character survived into Latin-1 and it is why the sequence l·l shows up in Spanish and Catalan word lists.
Multiplication in mathematics
A raised dot is a standard multiplication sign in mathematical writing: 3 · 4 = 12. In plain text and on web pages the middle dot is often used for this, but Unicode has two purpose-built operators that are better choices when the context is genuinely mathematical: ⋅ (DOT OPERATOR, U+22C5, decimal 8901, ⋅) and ∙ (BULLET OPERATOR, U+2219, decimal 8729, Alt 249). Both are classified as math operators, which matters for screen readers and for search. For the cross-style sign, see the multiplication sign ×.
Ingredient and specification lists
Recipes, packaging copy and spec sheets use the middle dot to run short items together without commas: Flour · sugar · butter · salt. It works well when the items are single words and a bulleted list would waste vertical space.
Decimal points and visible spaces
Some older British scientific typography used a raised dot as the decimal separator, so you may still meet 3·14 in archived journals. Separately, many code editors and word processors draw a middle dot where a space character sits when “show invisible characters” is switched on — that dot is a rendering of the space, not a character stored in the file.
Middle dot vs bullet vs period
These three are constantly confused because they are all round dots. They are different characters with different sizes, alignments and purposes.
| Character | Name | Code point | Decimal | HTML | Windows Alt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| · | Middle dot | U+00B7 | 183 | · |
250 or 0183 |
| • | Bullet | U+2022 | 8226 | • |
7 or 0149 |
| . | Full stop (period) | U+002E | 46 | . |
on the keyboard |
| ∙ | Bullet operator | U+2219 | 8729 | ∙ |
249 |
| ⋅ | Dot operator | U+22C5 | 8901 | ⋅ |
— |
| ‧ | Hyphenation point | U+2027 | 8231 | ‧ |
— |
In practice: the bullet • is noticeably larger and rounder and belongs at the start of list items. The middle dot is smaller and belongs between words on the same line. The period sits on the baseline and ends a sentence. The bullet operator and dot operator are mathematical; the hyphenation point marks syllable breaks in dictionaries. All of them live in the punctuation category except the two operators, which are filed under math.
Why it is not working
- Nothing appears when you use the Alt code. Num Lock is off, you used the top-row numbers, or your laptop has no keypad. On laptops with an embedded keypad you usually need to hold Fn as well.
- You get the wrong character. Switch between Alt + 250 and Alt + 0183. Browsers, chat apps and some editors handle the two code pages differently.
- The dot shows as an empty box. The font in use has no glyph for U+00B7. Switch to a common system font; this is rare for a Latin-1 character but happens with decorative and icon fonts.
- Word turned it into something else. AutoCorrect can replace characters as you type. Undo once with Ctrl + Z immediately after the substitution to keep what you typed.
- It disappears when pasted into a form. Some systems strip non-ASCII characters. Check whether the field accepts an HTML entity instead.
Related characters
If you are picking a separator, the dashes are worth comparing too: the en dash – (Alt 0150) and the em dash — (Alt 0151) do a related job and are explained in hyphen vs en dash vs em dash. For the three-dot mark, see the ellipsis … (Alt 0133). The Alt code finder covers all of them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Alt code for the middle dot?
Alt + 250 or Alt + 0183. Both produce · and both require the numeric keypad with Num Lock on.
Is the middle dot the same as a bullet point?
No. The middle dot is U+00B7 and the bullet is U+2022. The bullet is larger and is the character used to mark list items; the middle dot is a small inline separator. They are not interchangeable in code, in search, or for screen readers.
How do I type a middle dot without a numeric keypad?
Use the Windows emoji and symbol panel (Windows + .), Character Map, or type 00B7 followed by Alt + X in Microsoft Word. Copying the character is faster than all three.
Why do Catalan words contain a middle dot?
Catalan writes a geminate L as l·l to distinguish it from the digraph ll, which is a different sound. The mark is called the punt volat. Words such as col·legi and paral·lel need it to be spelled correctly.
Can I use the middle dot as a multiplication sign?
You can, and plenty of published text does. For genuine mathematical content the dedicated operators ⋅ (U+22C5) and ∙ (U+2219) or the multiplication sign × carry the correct Unicode category, which helps assistive technology interpret the expression.