Lightning Bolt Symbol (⚡)

The lightning bolt symbol ⚡ is Unicode U+26A1, officially the high voltage sign, widely used for lightning and speed. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode: U+26A1
HTML: ⚡
Word: 26A1 Alt+X

How to type the lightning bolt 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 26A1 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 “high voltage”.

Mac

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for high voltage and double-click it.

Linux & ChromeOS

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 26a1, 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 ;ligh. 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 26A1, then press Alt + X.
Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 26A1 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

Enter =UNICHAR(9889) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

Write ⚡ or ⚡ in your HTML.

What does ⚡ mean?

⚡ is officially the high voltage sign, the zigzag used on electrical hazard labels. In everyday text it has grown into a symbol for lightning, thunderstorms, electricity, energy and speed: “⚡ fast delivery”, “charging ⚡”.

Unlike most characters in the Miscellaneous Symbols block, ⚡ is shown as an emoji by default, so it appears as a yellow bolt on phones and in browsers even without a variation selector. If you need a plain text lightning bolt that follows your font colour, ☇ (lightning) or ↯ (downwards zigzag arrow) are safer choices. For real safety signage, use the standard printed warning graphic instead of a text character.

Lightning Bolt 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.

Codes for ⚡
Unicode code point	`U+26A1`
HTML decimal	`⚡`
HTML hex	`⚡`
CSS content	`content: "\26A1";`
JavaScript	`"\u26A1"`
Python	`"\u26A1"`
Python (by name)	`"\N{HIGH VOLTAGE SIGN}"`
Java / C#	`"\u26A1"`
UTF-8 bytes	`E2 9A A1`
UTF-16	`26A1`
URL encoded	`%E2%9A%A1`

⚡ 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
	Lightning `U+2607`	Lightning, a text-style bolt from the original weather symbols.
	Thunderstorm `U+2608`	Thunderstorm, a weather-chart symbol.
	Downwards Zigzag Arrow `U+21AF`	Downwards zigzag arrow, a text zigzag often used for “error” or “electrical”.

Symbols similar to ⚡

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

⚡ character properties

Official Unicode name: HIGH VOLTAGE SIGN
Also known as: high voltage sign, lightning symbol, thunder symbol, zap
Code point: U+26A1
Unicode block: Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
General category: Other symbol (So)
Added in: Unicode 4.0 (2003)
Plane: Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji: Has an emoji form: ⚡ (add U+FE0F)

Frequently asked questions

Why is ⚡ always yellow?

Unicode gives it emoji presentation by default, so most systems draw it as a coloured emoji. Use ☇ or ↯ for a text-only bolt.

What does ⚡ mean in a message?

Usually energy, excitement, speed or electricity, depending on context.

Is there an alt code for the lightning bolt 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 26A1 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the lightning bolt 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 “high voltage” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the lightning bolt 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 lightning bolt symbol?

⚡ is U+26A1, officially named HIGH VOLTAGE SIGN, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 4.0 (2003).