U+266E · Miscellaneous Symbols
Natural Sign ♮
The natural sign cancels a previous sharp or flat, returning a note to its unaltered pitch. It appears in sheet music, music theory lessons and written analyses when a note in the key signature needs to be restored within a measure. Unlike the sharp and flat, it has no easy keyboard stand-in, so the character itself is the clearest option in text.
Character codes
| Unicode code point | U+266E | |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal | 9838 | |
| HTML named entity | ♮ | |
| HTML (hex) | ♮ | |
| HTML (decimal) | ♮ | |
| CSS | \266E | |
| JavaScript | \u266E | |
| Python | \u266E | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 99 AE | |
| UTF-16 | 266E | |
| URL-encoded | %E2%99%AE |
Character details
| Official name | MUSIC NATURAL SIGN |
|---|---|
| Unicode block | Miscellaneous Symbols |
| General category | Other Symbol (So) |
| SymbolHero category | Music Symbols |
| Emoji | No |
How to type ♮
Windows
- In Microsoft Word or Outlook: type
266Ethen press Alt + X. - Open Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start), tick “Advanced view”, search for “music natural sign”, then Select and Copy.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search “music natural sign”, and double-click the result.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type
266E.
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 “music natural sign” or enter
U+266E. - HTML:
♮or♮ - Excel / Google Sheets:
=UNICHAR(9838)
Examples
- F♮ in bar 12
- Play B♮, not B♭
- C♯ then C♮
Good to know
Tip: In HTML, the named entity ♮ outputs ♮.
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 music symbols
Questions
What is the Unicode for ♮?
It is U+266E (MUSIC NATURAL SIGN), decimal 9838.
Is there a Windows Alt code for it?
No standard Alt code exists for this character. In Word type 266E 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 “music natural sign”, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code?
Use the named entity ♮ or the numeric reference ♮.