SymbolHub

One Half Fraction (½)

The one half fraction ½ is Unicode U+00BD, the single-character fraction one half. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Alt + 0189 on Windows.

Unicode
U+00BD
HTML
½
Windows
Alt + 0189

How to type the one half fraction (½)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ½ yourself, use the method for your device below. On Windows the alt code is Alt + 0189.

Windows

  1. Hold Alt and type 0189 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Num Lock must be on. This uses the Windows-1252 code page, so it works in almost every Windows app.
  2. Hold Alt and type 171 on the numeric keypad. This older code (from code page 437) works in Notepad, Word and most desktop apps.
  3. In Word or Outlook, type 00BD and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  4. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Vulgar Fraction One Half, 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 fraction one half and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 00BD.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type bd, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
  2. Press your Compose key, then 1 2. Needs a Compose key set in your keyboard settings.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Copy ½ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;one. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. In Gboard, long-press 1 on the ?123 page.
  2. Copy ½ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 00BD, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 00BD in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Type 1/2 followed by a space; Google Docs substitutes ½ automatically.
  2. Insert → Special characters, then search for “fraction one half” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(189) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ½ or ½ in your HTML.

What does ½ mean?

½ is a precomposed fraction: one character that shows a small 1 over a small 2. It is neater than “1/2” in recipes, sizes and measurements (½ cup, 2½ miles, a ½-inch bolt), and it keeps its shape when pasted into plain text.

Unicode only provides ready-made characters for a handful of common fractions: halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, sixths, eighths, plus ⅐ ⅑ ⅒ added later. For anything else you can build a fraction from superscript and subscript digits joined by the fraction slash ⁄, as in ⁵⁄₁₆. Word processors can also turn 1/2 into ½ automatically, but only for a few fractions.

Keep your style consistent: mixing ½ with typed fractions such as 5/8 on the same page looks uneven, and some fonts draw the precomposed forms much smaller than the surrounding text.

Common uses

  • Recipes: ½ cup of sugar
  • Clothing and shoe sizes: size 8½
  • Distances and dimensions: 2½ miles, a ½″ pipe

One Half Fraction codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces ½. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+00BD
HTML entity (named)½
HTML decimal½
HTML hex½
CSS contentcontent: "\BD";
JavaScript"\u00BD"
Python"\u00BD"
Python (by name)"\N{VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF}"
Java / C#"\u00BD"
LaTeX\frac{1}{2}
UTF-8 bytesC2 BD
UTF-1600BD
URL encoded%C2%BD
Windows Alt codeAlt + 0189
Alt code (CP437)Alt + 171

½ vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to ½ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
Digit One + Solidus + Digit Two
U+0031 U+002F U+0032		Three ordinary characters. Search engines and spreadsheets read this more reliably than ½.
Fraction Slash
U+2044		Fraction slash, for building fractions that have no single character.
Vulgar Fraction One Quarter
U+00BC		One quarter, from the same Latin-1 set.

Symbols similar to ½

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

½ character properties

Official Unicode name
VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF
Also known as
half symbol, one half, fraction one half, 1/2 symbol
Code point
U+00BD
Unicode block
Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF)
General category
Other number (No)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

Can Excel calculate with ½?

No. Excel treats ½ as text. Type 0.5 or =1/2 for calculations, and format the cell as a fraction (Format Cells → Fraction) if you want it displayed that way.

How do I make other fractions, like 5/16?

Combine superscript digits, the fraction slash ⁄ and subscript digits: ⁵⁄₁₆. Our fraction collection lists the pieces.

What is the alt code for the one half fraction?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 0189 on the numeric keypad to get ½. The shorter code Alt + 171 also works in most desktop apps. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 00BD then Alt + X in Word.

How do I type the one half fraction on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for ½ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “fraction one half” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the one half fraction?

Use the named entity ½ or the numeric reference ½ (hex ½). All three display ½ in every browser.

What is the Unicode for the one half fraction?

½ is U+00BD, officially named VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF, in the Latin-1 Supplement block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).