Left Right Arrow (↔)

The left right arrow ↔ is Unicode U+2194, the two-headed arrow for two-way relationships. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Alt + 29 on Windows.

Unicode: U+2194
HTML: ↔
Windows: Alt + 29

How to type the left right arrow (↔)

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

Windows

Hold Alt and type 29 on the numeric keypad. This older code (from code page 437) works in Notepad, Word and most desktop apps.
In Word or Outlook, type 2194 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
Press Win + . to open the emoji panel, then search for “left right arrow”.

Mac

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for left right arrow and double-click it.
With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2194.

Linux & ChromeOS

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2194, 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 ;left. 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 2194, then press Alt + X.
Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2194 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

Insert → Special characters, then search for “left right arrow” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

Enter =UNICHAR(8596) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

Write ↔ or ↔ in your HTML.

What does ↔ mean?

The left right arrow ↔ shows a two-way relationship: exchange, translation, swapping or travel in both directions (“London ↔ Paris”). In logic it can mean “if and only if”, though ⇔ is more usual in maths. Chemists prefer the harpoon pair ⇌ for reversible reactions. On Windows, Alt + 29 types ↔, and on phones it can appear as the emoji ↔️.

Common uses

Translation apps: EN ↔ DE
Sync settings: Phone ↔ Laptop
Resize handles and width indicators in design tools

Left Right Arrow 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.

Codes for ↔
Unicode code point	`U+2194`
HTML entity (named)	`↔`
HTML decimal	`↔`
HTML hex	`↔`
CSS content	`content: "\2194";`
JavaScript	`"\u2194"`
Python	`"\u2194"`
Python (by name)	`"\N{LEFT RIGHT ARROW}"`
Java / C#	`"\u2194"`
LaTeX	`\leftrightarrow`
UTF-8 bytes	`E2 86 94`
UTF-16	`2194`
URL encoded	`%E2%86%94`
Alt code (CP437)	`Alt + 29`

↔ 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
	Left Right Double Arrow `U+21D4`	Left right double arrow, “if and only if”.
	Rightwards Arrow Over Leftwards Arrow `U+21C4`	Rightwards arrow over leftwards arrow, used for exchange and switching.
	Long Left Right Arrow `U+27F7`	Long left right arrow (U+27F7).

Symbols similar to ↔

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

↔ character properties

Official Unicode name: LEFT RIGHT ARROW
Also known as: double-headed arrow, two-way arrow, bidirectional arrow
Code point: U+2194
Unicode block: Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF)
General category: Math symbol (Sm)
Added in: Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane: Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji: Has an emoji form: ↔️ (add U+FE0F)

Frequently asked questions

What is the alt code for ↔?

Alt + 29 types ↔ in most Windows desktop apps.

What is the alt code for the left right arrow?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 29 on the numeric keypad to get ↔. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 2194 then Alt + X in Word.

How do I type the left right arrow 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 “left right arrow” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the left right arrow?

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

What is the Unicode for the left right arrow?

↔ is U+2194, officially named LEFT RIGHT ARROW, in the Arrows block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).