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U+25CF · Geometric Shapes

Black Circle ●

The black circle is a solid filled dot, larger than a typical bullet. It is used for ratings, status indicators, selected options, legends and list markers, and pairs naturally with the white circle to show filled and empty states. It is also common in cartography legends, pagination dots and bold typographic dividers.

UnicodeU+25CF
HTML●
●U+25CF

Character codes

Unicode code pointU+25CF
Decimal9679
HTML (hex)●
HTML (decimal)●
CSS\25CF
JavaScript\u25CF
Python\u25CF
UTF-8 bytesE2 97 8F
UTF-1625CF
URL-encoded%E2%97%8F

Character details

Official nameBLACK CIRCLE
Unicode blockGeometric Shapes
General categoryOther Symbol (So)
SymbolHero categoryGeometric Shapes
EmojiNo

How to type ●

Windows

  • In Microsoft Word or Outlook: type 25CF then press Alt + X.
  • Open Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start), tick “Advanced view”, search for “black circle”, then Select and Copy.

Mac

  • Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search “black circle”, and double-click the result.
  • With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 25CF.

iPhone & Android

  • Tap Copy at the top of this page, then long-press where you want it and choose Paste.

Docs & web

  • Google Docs: Insert → Special characters, then search “black circle” or enter U+25CF.
  • HTML: ●
  • Excel / Google Sheets: =UNICHAR(9679)

Examples

  • Skill: ●●●●○
  • ● Online ○ Offline
  • ● Required field

Good to know

Don’t mix it up: It is often confused with the bullet • (U+2022), which is smaller, and with the emoji ⚫ (U+26AB, MEDIUM BLACK CIRCLE).

Display: the character itself is always the same code point, but its shape comes from the font on the device showing it. If you see an empty box, the font lacks this glyph—the text is still correct.

Similar geometric shapes

Black Square
White Square
Black Up Triangle
Black Right Triangle (Play)
Black Diamond
Lozenge
White Circle
White Square with Rounded Corners
White Square Containing Black Small Square
Square with Horizontal Fill
Square with Vertical Fill
Square with Orthogonal Crosshatch Fill
Square with Upper Left to Lower Right Fill
Square with Upper Right to Lower Left Fill
Square with Diagonal Crosshatch Fill
Black Small Square Emoji
White Small Square Emoji
Black Rectangle
White Rectangle

See all 162 geometric shapes →

Questions

What is the Unicode for ●?

It is U+25CF (BLACK CIRCLE), decimal 9679.

Is there a Windows Alt code for it?

No standard Alt code exists for this character. In Word type 25CF then Alt+X, or copy it from this page.

How do I type it on a Mac?

There is no built-in Option shortcut. Use the Character Viewer (Control + Command + Space) and search “black circle”, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code?

Use the numeric reference ● (or ●). There is no named entity.