What is the Alt code for the caret symbol?

On Windows, hold Alt and type 94 on the numeric keypad (Alt+94), or use Alt+0094 for the same result.

How do I type ^ on a Mac or standard US keyboard?

Press Shift+6. It is a normal shifted key, not a special character combo.

Why does my keyboard combine ^ with the next letter?

On German, French, Spanish, and Italian layouts, ^ is a dead key used to build accented letters like ê or â. Press ^ then Space to get a standalone caret instead.

What is the HTML entity for the caret symbol?

There is no widely supported named entity for the plain caret. Use the numeric reference ^ (decimal) or ^ (hex) instead.

What does ^ mean in math and spreadsheets?

It denotes exponentiation: 2^8 means 2 raised to the power 8, which equals 256. Excel, Google Sheets, and most graphing calculators use this notation.

What does ^ mean in programming?

In C-family languages such as JavaScript, Java, and C, ^ is the bitwise XOR operator, not exponentiation. Python uses ** for powers and reserves ^ for bitwise XOR too.

What does ^ mean in a regular expression?

At the start of a pattern, ^ anchors the match to the beginning of a line or string. Inside a character class like [^a-z], it negates the set instead, matching anything not listed.

Caret Symbol

Name: Caret Symbol
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Copy the caret symbol (^) and find its Alt code, Unicode value, and what it means in math, code, and regex.

Caret Symbol

Click the symbol to copy it

Formats

Character ^

Unicode U+005E

HTML decimal ^

HTML hex ^

CSS escape \005E

URL encoded %5E

Click any row to copy that exact string.

Keyboard Shortcuts

System / layout	Shortcut	Notes
Windows (Alt code)		Hold Alt, type 94 on the numeric keypad.
Windows (Unicode)		Same result using the 4-digit code.
US / UK keyboard		Standard shifted key above the 6 on these layouts.
German / French / Spanish / Italian keyboard		^ is a dead key here; press it then Space for a standalone caret instead of an accented letter.
Linux (GTK)		Type the hex code, then press Enter or Space.
Microsoft Word		Type 005E then press Alt+X to convert it.

Try it: exponent and XOR calculator

Enter two numbers to see how ^ is read in math notation versus as a bitwise operator in code.

2^8

Copied!

Summary

Copy the caret symbol (^) and find its Alt code, Unicode value, and what it means in math, code, and regex.

How it works

Click the large caret to copy the plain ^ character to your clipboard.
Or click any row in the Formats list to copy that exact encoded form (Unicode, HTML decimal, URL encoding).
Switch to the Fullwidth tab to copy the wide CJK-width variant instead.
Check the keyboard shortcut table for your OS and keyboard layout — on several European layouts ^ is a dead key.
Use the exponent and XOR calculator to see how ^ is interpreted differently across math notation and code.

Use cases

Write an exponent like 2^8 in a spreadsheet formula or plain-text math.
Insert a caret into a regex pattern as a line-start anchor or to negate a character class.
Copy a bitwise XOR operator when documenting code that uses ^ (JavaScript, C, Java, Python).
Type a standalone caret on a German, French, Spanish, or Italian keyboard where ^ is a dead key.
Reference the Alt code for pasting into software that blocks copy-paste.
Copy the fullwidth caret (＾) for CJK typesetting alongside wide characters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu