SymbolHub

White Star (☆)

The white star ☆ is Unicode U+2606, an unfilled five-pointed star outline used alongside solid stars to indicate incomplete ratings. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+2606
HTML
☆
Word
2606 Alt+X

How to type the white star (☆)

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 2606 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 White Star, 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 white star and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2606.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2606, 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 ;whit. 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 2606, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2606 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

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

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9734) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ☆ or ☆ in your HTML.

What does ☆ mean?

The white star ☆ (Unicode name WHITE STAR, U+2606) is the hollow outline counterpart to the solid black star. Present in Unicode since version 1.1, it provides a light, minimalist aesthetic that complements solid dingbats.

Its primary modern application is within digital review and rating components. By pairing solid stars ★ with empty stars ☆, web interfaces construct clear fractional rating indicators (for example, ★★★☆☆ indicates a three out of five rating). It is also commonly used to indicate an unstarred or unbookmarked state in web applications, inviting users to click to save an item. In celestial cartography, astronomers use outline stars to designate lower-magnitude stellar bodies.

Common uses

  • Rating scorecards: representing empty or unearned points in star review systems
  • Bookmark and favorite buttons: illustrating the unselected or unstarred state
  • Astrological and celestial charts: designating secondary magnitude stars
  • Decorative borders: creating alternating light and dark graphic patterns

White Star 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+2606
HTML entity (named)☆
HTML decimal☆
HTML hex☆
CSS contentcontent: "\2606";
JavaScript"\u2606"
Python"\u2606"
Python (by name)"\N{WHITE STAR}"
Java / C#"\u2606"
UTF-8 bytesE2 98 86
UTF-162606
URL encoded%E2%98%86

☆ 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
Star
U+2605		Black star (U+2605), the solid filled counterpart.
Star of David
U+2721		Star of David (U+2721), a six-pointed religious emblem.
White Four Pointed Star
U+2727		White four pointed star (U+2727), a four-pointed decorative sparkle.

Symbols similar to ☆

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

  • Details
  • Details

☆ character properties

Official Unicode name
WHITE STAR
Also known as
empty star, star outline, unfilled star, hollow star
Code point
U+2606
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

How do I type an empty star ☆ on Windows?

Hold Alt and type 9734 on the numeric keypad, or in Word type 2606 and press Alt + X.

What is the HTML entity for the white star?

Use ☆ or hex ☆ to render ☆ in web browsers.

Is there an alt code for the white star?

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 2606 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

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

What is the HTML code for the white star?

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

What is the Unicode for the white star?

☆ is U+2606, officially named WHITE STAR, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).