SymbolHub

Flat Sign (♭)

The flat sign ♭ is Unicode U+266D, the accidental that lowers a note by a semitone. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+266D
HTML
♭
Word
266D Alt+X

How to type the flat sign (♭)

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 266D 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 Music Flat Sign, 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 flat and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 266D.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 266d, 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 ;flat. 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 266D, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 266D in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9837) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ♭ or ♭ in your HTML.

What does ♭ mean?

♭ is the flat: it lowers a note by one semitone, so B♭ sits a half step below B. Many wind instruments are pitched in B♭ or E♭, which is why the sign turns up so often in band music, chord charts and instrument names.

People often type a lowercase b instead (“Bb”, “Eb major”). That is fine in a quick chat, but in printed chord charts, programme notes and music education material the proper ♭ is clearer and avoids confusing “Bb” with two notes. The HTML entity is ♭, and in Word you can type 266D then press Alt + X. The double flat 𝄫 lowers a note by a whole tone.

Flat Sign 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+266D
HTML entity (named)♭
HTML decimal♭
HTML hex♭
CSS contentcontent: "\266D";
JavaScript"\u266D"
Python"\u266D"
Python (by name)"\N{MUSIC FLAT SIGN}"
Java / C#"\u266D"
LaTeX\flat
UTF-8 bytesE2 99 AD
UTF-16266D
URL encoded%E2%99%AD

♭ 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
B
U+0062		Lowercase b, often used as a stand-in in plain text. It sorts and searches as a letter.
Musical Symbol Double Flat
U+1D12B		Double flat, lowering a note by two semitones.
Music Natural
U+266E		Natural, which cancels a previous flat or sharp.

Symbols similar to ♭

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

  • Details
  • Details
  • Details
  • Details
  • Details
  • Details

♭ character properties

Official Unicode name
MUSIC FLAT SIGN
Also known as
music flat, flat symbol, b flat symbol
Code point
U+266D
Unicode block
Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
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 B♭ mean?

B flat: the note one semitone below B. It is the home key of many trumpets, clarinets and saxophones.

Can I just type “b” instead of ♭?

In informal text, yes. For printed music, chord sheets and anything that will be searched or read aloud, ♭ is clearer.

Is there an alt code for the flat sign?

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 266D then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the flat sign 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 “flat” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the flat sign?

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

What is the Unicode for the flat sign?

♭ is U+266D, officially named MUSIC FLAT SIGN, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).