Control Key Symbol (⌃)
The control key symbol ⌃ is Unicode U+2303, the modifier key symbol used on Mac keyboards and terminal emulators to represent the Control key. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+2303- HTML
⌃- Word
2303 Alt+X
How to type the control key symbol (⌃)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ⌃ yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 2303 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Up Arrowhead, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for control and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2303.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2303, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ⌃ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;cont. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- Copy ⌃ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2303, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2303 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “control” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8963)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
⌃or⌃in your HTML.
What does ⌃ mean?
The ⌃ symbol, catalogued in Unicode as UP ARROWHEAD (U+2303), represents the Control key (Ctrl) in macOS menu shortcuts and UNIX terminal environments. While visually similar to the ASCII caret symbol ^, Unicode provides ⌃ specifically as an ISO 9995-7 keyboard graphic. In computer science and terminal emulators, caret notation has represented ASCII control characters since the 1960s, where ⌃C signals an interrupt and ⌃D signals an end-of-file condition.
On Apple Mac hardware, the Control key handles contextual secondary clicks (Control-click), terminal signals, and system window navigation when paired with the command key symbol ⌘ and the option key symbol ⌥. Discover more key icons in our mac keyboard symbols guide and general keyboard symbols index.
Common uses
- macOS system shortcuts: ⌃⌘Space opens the emoji and Character Viewer palette
- UNIX terminal control signals: ⌃C halts running processes and ⌃D signals end-of-file
- Emacs navigation shortcuts: ⌃A moves the cursor to line start and ⌃E moves to line end
- Secondary mouse clicks: holding Control while clicking simulates a right-click on Mac trackpads
Control Key Symbol 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 point | U+2303 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | ⌃ | |
| HTML hex | ⌃ | |
| CSS content | content: "\2303"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u2303" | |
| Python | "\u2303" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{UP ARROWHEAD}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u2303" | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 8C 83 | |
| UTF-16 | 2303 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%8C%83 |
⌃ 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.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Circumflex AccentU+005E | ASCII caret (circumflex), used in programming and mathematics for exponentiation or bitwise XOR. | |
Modifier Letter Circumflex AccentU+02C6 | Modifier letter circumflex accent, a spacing diacritic used in linguistics. | |
Upwards White ArrowU+21E7 | Shift key symbol, a hollow arrow with a stem indicating capitalisation. |
Symbols similar to ⌃
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full keyboard symbols collection.
⌃ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- UP ARROWHEAD
- Also known as
- ctrl symbol, up arrowhead, caret modifier, control key, hat symbol
- Code point
- U+2303
- Unicode block
- Miscellaneous Technical (U+2300–U+23FF)
- 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
Why does Mac use ⌃ instead of writing Ctrl?
Apple adopted the up arrowhead ⌃ from traditional computer science and terminal documentation, where caret notation (such as ^C for interrupt) has represented ASCII control characters since the 1960s.
How does the Control key differ between Mac and Windows?
On Windows, Control (Ctrl) handles primary shortcuts like cut, copy, and paste. On macOS, the Command key handles those application shortcuts, leaving Control primarily for terminal signals, text navigation, and secondary clicks.
Is there an alt code for the control key symbol?
No. ⌃ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 2303 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the control key symbol 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 “control” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the control key symbol?
⌃ 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 control key symbol?
⌃ is U+2303, officially named UP ARROWHEAD, in the Miscellaneous Technical block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).