SymbolHub

Black Triangle (▲)

The black triangle ▲ is Unicode U+25B2, a solid upward-pointing triangle used for ascending sort orders, collapsible menus and directional cues. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Alt + 30 on Windows.

Unicode
U+25B2
HTML
▲
Windows
Alt + 30

How to type the black triangle (▲)

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

Windows

  1. Hold Alt and type 30 on the numeric keypad. This older code (from code page 437) works in Notepad, Word and most desktop apps.
  2. In Word or Outlook, type 25B2 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  3. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Black Up-Pointing Triangle, 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 black up-pointing triangle and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 25B2.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 25b2, 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 ;blac. 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 25B2, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 25B2 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “black up-pointing triangle” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9650) 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 black triangle ▲ (Unicode name BLACK UP-POINTING TRIANGLE, U+25B2) is an equilateral solid triangle in the Geometric Shapes block. It is one of the most ubiquitous directional icons in digital user interfaces and technical equipment.

Web developers and software engineers routinely use ▲ in sortable data tables to signify that a column is sorted in ascending alphabetical or numerical order. It also serves as the indicator for expanded accordion menus and collapsible disclosure widgets, showing that content expands upward or points to a parent category. On synthesizers and audio hardware, it often identifies upward pitch octave shifts or rising envelope stages.

Common uses

  • Data tables: indicating an ascending sort order (A-Z, 0-9) on active column headers
  • User interfaces: signaling collapsible panels, expanded menus, and tree views
  • Stock market tickers: showing an increase in stock price or positive index movement
  • Elevator and transit displays: showing upward direction of travel

Black Triangle 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+25B2
HTML decimal▲
HTML hex▲
CSS contentcontent: "\25B2";
JavaScript"\u25B2"
Python"\u25B2"
Python (by name)"\N{BLACK UP-POINTING TRIANGLE}"
Java / C#"\u25B2"
UTF-8 bytesE2 96 B2
UTF-1625B2
URL encoded%E2%96%B2
Alt code (CP437)Alt + 30

▲ 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
Down-Pointing Triangle
U+25BC		Black down-pointing triangle (U+25BC), used for descending sort and dropdown menus.
Right-Pointing Triangle
U+25B6		Black right-pointing triangle (U+25B6), the universal play button and collapsed indicator.
White Up-Pointing Triangle
U+25B3		White up-pointing triangle (U+25B3), hollow outline triangle.
Greek capital Delta
U+0394		Greek capital Delta (U+0394), mathematical operator for change or difference.

Symbols similar to ▲

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

▲ character properties

Official Unicode name
BLACK UP-POINTING TRIANGLE
Also known as
up triangle, solid triangle, black up-pointing triangle, sort arrow
Code point
U+25B2
Unicode block
Geometric Shapes (U+25A0–U+25FF)
General category
Other symbol (So)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

What does ▲ mean on a website table?

It indicates that the table column is currently sorted in ascending order (lowest to highest or A to Z).

How do I type ▲ on Windows?

In Word, type 25B2 and press Alt + X. In other applications, you can copy it directly from this page.

What is the alt code for the black triangle?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 30 on the numeric keypad to get ▲. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 25B2 then Alt + X in Word.

How do I type the black triangle 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 “black up-pointing triangle” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the black triangle?

▲ has no named HTML entity. Use the numeric reference ▲ or ▲, or paste the character directly into a UTF-8 page.

What is the Unicode for the black triangle?

▲ is U+25B2, officially named BLACK UP-POINTING TRIANGLE, in the Geometric Shapes block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).