SymbolHub

Asterisk (*)

The asterisk * is Unicode U+002A, the star-shaped punctuation symbol used for footnotes, multiplication, and search wildcards. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+002A
HTML
*
Word
002A Alt+X

How to type the asterisk (*)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type * yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 002A and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Asterisk, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for asterisk and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 002A.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2a, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Copy * from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;aste. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. Copy * here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 002A, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 002A in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “asterisk” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(42) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write * or * in your HTML.

What does * mean?

The * symbol, named ASTERISK in Unicode (U+002A), takes its name from the ancient Greek asteriskos, meaning "little star". Originating in classical philology and medieval manuscripts to indicate corrections, doubtful passages, and editorial annotations, the asterisk remains the traditional marker for footnotes and caveats in print publishing. In computing, early programming languages adopted * as the standard multiplication operator (such as 5 * 10 = 50) because typewriter keyboards lacked the mathematical multiplication cross ×. Today, it also functions universally as a search wildcard in file systems and regular expressions, masks sensitive password input fields, and marks pointers in C and C++. Discover related key symbols like the caret symbol ^ and hashtag symbol # in our keyboard symbols index, or pair it with the ampersand &.

Common uses

  • Multiplication: universal arithmetic multiplication operator in programming languages and spreadsheets (e.g., =A1 * B1)
  • Footnotes and caveats: pointing readers to explanatory notes or disclaimer text at the bottom of a page*
  • Wildcard file searches: matching arbitrary sequences of characters in command-line patterns (e.g., *.pdf)
  • Pointer dereferencing: declaring and dereferencing memory pointers in C and C++ (e.g., int *ptr)

Asterisk codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces *. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+002A
HTML entity (named)*
HTML decimal*
HTML hex*
CSS contentcontent: "\2A";
JavaScript"\u002A"
Python"\u002A"
Python (by name)"\N{ASTERISK}"
Java / C#"\u002A"
UTF-8 bytes2A
UTF-16002A
URL encoded*

* vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to * but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
Asterisk Operator
U+2217		Asterisk operator (U+2217), a centered mathematical operator for convolution and multiplication.
Low Asterisk
U+204E		Low asterisk, positioned lower on the baseline for specialized linguistic notations.
Star
U+2605		Black star, a solid decorative five-pointed star glyph.

Symbols similar to *

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full star symbols collection.

  • Details
  • Details
  • Details
  • Details

* character properties

Official Unicode name
ASTERISK
Also known as
star symbol, wildcard symbol, multiplication asterisk, little star, footnote star
Code point
U+002A
Unicode block
Basic Latin (U+0000–U+007F)
General category
Other punctuation (Po)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

Why do computers use * for multiplication instead of ×?

Early computer terminals and teleprinters lacked the mathematical multiplication sign ×, and the lowercase letter x was easily confused with algebraic variables. Computer scientists adopted the asterisk * from standard typewriter keyboards as an unambiguous multiplication operator.

Where is the asterisk located on the keyboard?

On standard US and UK keyboards, press Shift + 8 on the top number row. On full desktop keyboards with a numeric keypad, a dedicated asterisk key sits directly above the number 9.

What is the alt code for the asterisk?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 42 on the numeric keypad to get *. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 002A then Alt + X in Word.

How do I type the asterisk on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for * on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “asterisk” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the asterisk?

Use the named entity * or the numeric reference * (hex *). All three display * in every browser.

What is the Unicode for the asterisk?

* is U+002A, officially named ASTERISK, in the Basic Latin block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).