Guide
How to Type Dot Symbols
Dots are some of the most useful characters that are missing from a standard keyboard. Here is every reliable way to type them on Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, Android, Word and Google Docs — plus the HTML and CSS codes.
Last updated October 22, 2026 · 9 min read
The short answer: copy the dot you need and paste it. Typing a code is worth learning only for the two or three dots you use every day. For everything else, the copy grid is faster and works the same on every device.
That said, each platform does have a native route. The methods below are the ones that work without installing a keyboard or a third-party app.
Quick reference: 14 common dot symbols
Click a glyph to copy it. “Alt+X” means type the hexadecimal code in Microsoft Word and press Alt+X; the Windows column lists a standard Windows-1252 Alt code only when one exists.
| Symbol | Name | Windows Alt | Word Alt+X | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet | Alt+0149 | 2022 + Alt+X | • | |
| Middle Dot | Alt+0183 | 00B7 + Alt+X | · | |
| Horizontal Ellipsis | Alt+0133 | 2026 + Alt+X | … | |
| White Circle | — | 25CB + Alt+X | ○ | |
| Black Circle | — | 25CF + Alt+X | ● | |
| White Bullet | — | 25E6 + Alt+X | ◦ | |
| Fisheye | — | 25C9 + Alt+X | ◉ | |
| Circled Dot Operator | — | 2299 + Alt+X | ⊙ | |
| Triangular Bullet | — | 2023 + Alt+X | ‣ | |
| Four Dot Punctuation | — | 2058 + Alt+X | ⁘ | |
| Braille Dots-123456 | — | 283F + Alt+X | ⠿ | |
| Die Face-1 | — | 2680 + Alt+X | ⚀ | |
| Red Circle Emoji | — | 1F534 + Alt+X | 🔴 | |
| Black Circle Emoji | — | 26AB + Alt+X | ⚫ |
Windows
Windows-1252 Alt codes. Hold Alt and type the digits on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Five dot characters have a standard Windows-1252 Alt code: • is Alt+0149, · is Alt+0183, … is Alt+0133, ¨ is Alt+0168 and a full stop is Alt+46. Num Lock must be on, and the digits must come from the keypad, not the row above the letters. Older OEM code pages (CP437 and others) map some low-number Alt codes to other symbols, but those mappings vary between systems.
Word’s Alt+X. In Microsoft Word, type the hexadecimal code point of any character and press Alt+X. For example, type 2022 and press Alt+X to get •. This works for every dot on this site, including the emoji and Braille ranges.
The emoji panel. Press Win+. (Windows 10 and 11) to open the emoji picker. The Symbols tab includes bullets, circles, arrows and many math signs; the emoji tab covers 🔴, ⚫ and the other color circles.
Character Map. The built-in Character Map app (charmap) lists every installed font’s glyphs. Tick “Advanced view”, search for “dot”, select the character and copy it.
macOS
Two useful shortcuts. On the US keyboard layout, Option+8 types • and Option+; types …. These are the two dot characters most Mac users need every day.
Character Viewer. Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer. Search by Unicode name — “middle dot”, “white circle”, “therefore” — and double-click the result to insert it. The viewer works for every character in this database, including rare math operators.
Text replacement. If you type a dot often, add a shortcut in System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacement. For example, typing ;;dot could expand to “·”.
Linux
On many GTK/IBus desktops, press Ctrl+Shift+U, release the keys, type the hexadecimal code point, then press Enter. For example, Ctrl+Shift+U, then 2022, then Enter gives •.
The shortcut depends on the input method and desktop environment. If it does not work, use the character map for your desktop (GNOME Characters, KDE KCharSelect) or copy the dot from this page.
iPhone, iPad and Android
Phone keyboards hide dots behind the symbols layer. On iPhone and iPad, tap 123 and then #+= to page through punctuation. On Android, tap ?123 and look in the punctuation rows. The exact placement varies by keyboard and language.
The reliable method is to copy from this site and paste. If you use a dot in your bio or signature, save it in text replacement: iOS has Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement; Gboard has Settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary. Both let a short trigger expand to the dot.
Color circles such as 🔴, 🟢 and ⚫ live in the emoji keyboard rather than the punctuation rows. Search for “red circle” or “green circle” in the emoji picker.
Word, Google Docs and other editors
Microsoft Word supports Alt+X for any code point: type the hex value, press Alt+X, and the code turns into the character. You can also use Insert → Symbol → More Symbols and search by font or character code.
Google Docs has Insert → Special characters. Draw the dot in the search box or type its name, then click it to insert. Google Docs also accepts a pasted character directly, which is faster.
Pages, Keynote, LibreOffice and most other editors accept pasted Unicode text. If a character does not appear, the document font is missing the glyph; switch to a font with broader symbol coverage, such as Segoe UI Symbol on Windows or Apple Symbols on macOS.
HTML, CSS and JavaScript
In HTML you can paste the character directly, use a named entity when one exists, or use a numeric reference. All three of these produce a bullet:
- • — the character itself
- • — named entity
- • — decimal numeric reference
- • — hexadecimal numeric reference
In CSS, refer to the code point with a backslash in thecontent property:content: "\2022";. In JavaScript and JSON, use the \uescape: "\u2022". Characters above U+FFFF, such as 🔴 at U+1F534, use a surrogate pair in JavaScript ("\uD83D\uDD34") or \U0001F534 in Python.
Every symbol page on this site lists the character, code point, HTML entity, HTML hex, CSS, JavaScript, Python, UTF-8 and URL-encoded values, so you can copy the exact form you need.
Which dot should you type?
The shape is similar, but the characters have different jobs. This is the short version:
- • bullet — start of an unordered list item.
- · middle dot — punctuation between words, names or metadata.
- … ellipsis — omitted text or a trailing thought.
- ⋅ dot operator — multiplication in mathematics.
- ○ / ● circles — diagrams, status markers and decorative bullets.
- 🔴 color circles — color-coded status in chat and social posts.
For the full explanation, read dot symbol meanings.
Typing questions
What is the fastest way to type a dot symbol?
Copy it from a reference like this one and paste it. Typing a code is only faster if you already know it. The second-fastest route is Word’s Alt+X: type the hex code (2022 for •) and press Alt+X.
Why do only some dot symbols have Alt codes?
The four-digit Alt codes used by most charts come from the Windows-1252 code page, which contains only a small set of dot characters: • (Alt+0149), · (Alt+0183), … (Alt+0133), ¨ (Alt+0168) and the full stop (Alt+46). Older OEM code pages such as CP437 map some low-number Alt codes to other symbols, but those mappings vary between systems.
How do I type a dot on a Mac?
On the US layout, Option+8 types • and Option+; types …. For any other dot, press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer, search the Unicode name and double-click the character.
Can I type dot symbols on an iPhone or Android phone?
Yes. Tap the 123 or ?123 key to reach the symbols keyboard, or copy a dot from this site. Color circles such as 🔴 are in the emoji keyboard. If you use a dot often, add it to text replacement.
How do I put a dot in HTML or CSS?
In HTML, paste the character or use an entity such as •, · or …, or a numeric reference such as •. In CSS, use the hex code point with a backslash: content: "\2022" for •. In JavaScript, use "\u2022".
Why does the dot change size when I paste it?
The character takes the font and size of the text around it. If the destination uses a font without that glyph, the browser falls back to another font, which can change the dot’s weight or shape. The character itself is unchanged.
Sources
- Unicode Character Database— official character names and code points.
- WHATWG HTML Standard— the named character reference table.
- MDN: Unicode code point escapes— JavaScript escape syntax above U+FFFF.
Keep exploring: bullet point symbols, middle dot symbols, circle symbols or the dot separator builder.