Infinity symbol
Infinity Symbol ∞
Tap ∞ or ♾️ to copy. Typing tips are below. Click or tap to copy the infinity symbol ∞ (also called the infinity sign), the infinity emoji ♾️ or any of the 20 symbols here: infinity with hearts, infinity in math and signs that look like ∞. Below, you'll find how to type ∞ on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, the codes for Word, Excel and HTML, and what the symbol means.
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How to type the infinity symbol ∞ and ♾️
The quickest way is to copy them above. To type them yourself:
| Device | ∞ | ♾️ |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Alt + 236 on the number pad, or Character Map | Windows key + . (period) or ; (semicolon) |
| Mac | Option + 5 | Control + Command + Space, or Fn/Globe + E |
| iPhone, iPad | Text Replacement | Emoji search: infinity |
| Android | Some keyboards: second symbols page, long-press = | Emoji search: infinity |
| Linux (GNOME) | Ctrl + Shift + U, then 221E | Ctrl + ; (emoji picker) |
For Alt + 236, turn on Num Lock, hold Alt and type 236 on the number pad. It gives ∞ on Windows with US English settings; with other language settings the same code can give a different character, and Alt + 8734 works only in some programs. Without a number pad, open Character Map from the Start menu search, use the code in Word (below) or copy ∞ above. On a Mac, Option + 5 works with the U.S. and ABC layouts. On an iPhone, make a text replacement for ∞ (Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement), for example with the shortcut inff; emoji search finds only ♾️. On Linux, press Space or Enter after the code.
The infinity symbol in Word, Excel, HTML and LaTeX
In Word and Outlook, type 221E, then press Alt + X. Here are the main methods:
| Program | ∞ | ♾️ |
|---|---|---|
| Word, Outlook (code, then Alt + X) | 221E | – |
| Word (equation) | \infty | – |
| Word, Outlook, PowerPoint (menu) | Insert > Symbol | – |
| Excel | =UNICHAR(8734) | – |
| Google Docs | Insert > Symbols > Special characters | Insert > Symbols > Emoji |
| HTML | ∞ | – |
| HTML (number) | ∞ | ♾️ |
| CSS (content) | \221E | \267E\FE0F |
| JavaScript | \u221E | \u267E\uFE0F |
| LaTeX | \infty (math mode) | – |
| Unicode | U+221E (decimal 8734) | U+267E U+FE0F |
If Word converts the wrong code, select just the code first. In an equation (Insert > Equation), \infty turns into ∞ after you press Space. PowerPoint doesn't convert codes, so use Insert > Symbol there. To put ♾️ in Word, Excel or PowerPoint, use the emoji panel (Windows key + .) or copy it above.
∞, ♾ or ♾️: what's the difference?
All three look like a sideways 8, but they don't behave the same way:
| Sign | What it is | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| ∞ | The infinity symbol from math (U+221E) | A normal text character: it takes the color and font of your text and works in Word, Excel and formulas. |
| ♾️ | The infinity emoji (U+267E with U+FE0F) | Its look depends on the phone or app; use it in texts and social posts. It became an emoji in 2018 (Emoji 11.0), so older devices may show ♾ or a box. |
| ♾︎ | The same character in text style (U+267E with U+FE0E) | In Unicode it began as the permanent paper sign. With U+FE0E it stays one color like the text around it, if the app supports that. |
What does the infinity symbol mean?
In math, ∞ stands for infinity: something without end, not a particular number. x → ∞ is read “x approaches infinity,” and +∞ and −∞ are “positive infinity” and “negative infinity.” The English mathematician John Wallis first used the symbol in 1655, in his work on conic sections. Where he got the shape isn't known for certain: one guess is an old Roman sign for 1,000, another the Greek letter omega (ω).
Because the loop has no beginning and no end, it also stands for love, friendship and bonds that last forever, which is why you see it in texts, on jewelry and in tattoos. Before a tattoo or an engraving, check the font, since ∞ doesn't look the same in every typeface.
The emoji ♾️ is based on Unicode's permanent paper sign; people use it to say “forever” or “no limits.” In rainbow colors, the infinity symbol is also a symbol of neurodiversity, especially for many autistic people and their families.
The shape of ∞ is also called a lemniscate, a figure-eight curve. Jacob Bernoulli called that curve lemniscus, Latin for “a pendant ribbon.”
Sources and standards
- Unicode — Mathematical Operators code chart (U+2200–U+22FF)
- Unicode — Miscellaneous Symbols code chart (U+2600–U+26FF)
- Unicode — Miscellaneous Mathematical Symbols-B code chart (U+2980–U+29FF)
- Unicode — Letterlike Symbols code chart (U+2100–U+214F)
- Unicode — Latin Extended-D code chart (U+A720–U+A7FF)
- Unicode — Character names list (NamesList.txt)
- Unicode — Emoji test data (emoji-test.txt)
- Unicode — Emoji variation sequences
- Unicode — Emoji 11.0 released emoji
- Unicode — UTS #51 Unicode Emoji (emoji versions and dates)
- Unicode — Microsoft code page 437 mapping
- Unicode CLDR — English emoji keywords
- WHATWG — HTML named character references
- W3C — CSS Syntax Module Level 3: escaped code points
- ECMAScript — String literals
- CTAN — The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List
- Microsoft — Insert ASCII or Unicode Latin-based symbols and characters
- Microsoft — Insert a symbol in Word
- Microsoft — Insert a check mark symbol (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Microsoft — Quick start guide to Math AutoCorrect commands and symbols
- Microsoft — UNICHAR function
- Microsoft — Keyboard shortcuts in Windows
- Microsoft Devblogs — The history of Alt+number sequences
- Apple — Use emoji and symbols on Mac
- Apple — Mac keyboard shortcuts
- Apple — Set up shorthand for frequently used text on iPhone
- Google Docs Editors Help — Insert emojis & special characters
- GNOME Help — Enter special characters
- Android Open Source Project — LatinIME keyboard symbols
- John Wallis — De sectionibus conicis (1655), Internet Archive
- MacTutor — John Wallis biography
- MacTutor — Earliest Uses of Symbols of Calculus
- MacTutor — Lemniscate of Bernoulli
- PLOS Biology — Gross, In Search of Autism's Roots (2016)
Frequently asked questions
How do you type the infinity symbol on a keyboard?
On a Windows PC with a number pad and US English settings, hold Alt and type 236. On a Mac with the U.S. or ABC layout, press Option + 5. The keyboard table shows other ways; in Word, type 221E and press Alt + X.
What is the Alt code for the infinity symbol?
Alt + 236: with Num Lock on, hold Alt and type 236 on the number pad. It works on Windows with US English settings; with other language settings, the same code can give a different character. Alt + 8734 works only in some programs. In Word, you can type 221E and press Alt + X instead.
How do I get the infinity symbol on my iPhone?
Search for “infinity” in the emoji keyboard to find the emoji ♾️. For the text symbol ∞, make a text replacement in Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement, for example inff for ∞, or copy it from this page.
Is there an infinity emoji?
Yes. ♾️ was added in Emoji 11.0 in 2018. It's the character U+267E, whose Unicode name is PERMANENT PAPER SIGN, shown as an emoji. ∞ itself is a text character, not an emoji. The comparison table shows them side by side.
What does the infinity symbol mean?
In math, ∞ means infinity, something without end. Outside math, it stands for love or friendship that lasts forever, and in rainbow colors it's a symbol of neurodiversity. The meaning section has more.
Who invented the infinity symbol?
The English mathematician John Wallis first used ∞ in 1655, in his Tract on Conic Sections (De sectionibus conicis), and used it again a few months later in Arithmetica infinitorum. Why he chose this shape isn't known for certain; one guess is an old Roman sign for 1,000.