The black star ★ is a solid five-pointed star, and the hollow one is ☆ at U+2606. Type 2605 then Alt+X in Word. The pair is the standard way to draw a rating, with filled stars for the score and hollow ones for the remainder.
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "Black Star" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 2605, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 2605, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | ★ · \2605 (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Windows
- Open Character Map: Win+R, type charmap, press Enter.
- Search or scroll for Black Star (U+2605).
- Select it, click Copy, then paste where you need it.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "Black Star" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2605.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to ★.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ (U+2B50) | White medium star, usually shown as a yellow emoji | For a coloured emoji star. It ignores the surrounding text colour. |
| ✪ (U+272A) | Circled white star, a dingbat | A decorative variant. It is not part of the black and white rating pair. |
| * (U+002A) | Asterisk | A footnote marker and a wildcard. It has six arms, not five points. |
05 FAQ
What is the Unicode code point for the black star?
It is U+2605, decimal 9733. The hollow white star is U+2606. Neither has a Windows Alt code.
How do I build a star rating?
Repeat ★ for the score and ☆ for the remainder, so four out of five is ★★★★☆. Always add a text equivalent for screen readers.
Why do my stars turn yellow?
A platform has substituted an emoji font. Appending the text variation selector U+FE0E requests the monochrome form, though support varies.
Which star is the emoji one?
U+2B50, named White Medium Star, which renders as the familiar yellow emoji despite the name. The text stars are U+2605 and U+2606.
Are half stars available?
There is no standard half-star character. Ratings that need halves are normally drawn with CSS or an SVG, clipping a full star to the required width.