How to type \ on Windows
The reverse solidus symbol has no short Alt code. The quickest option is to copy it from the top of this page and paste it with Ctrl+V.
No numeric keypad?
Press Win+. to open the emoji panel, choose the Symbols tab (Ω) and search for "reverse solidus". Or open Character Map from the Start menu, find \, click Select, then Copy.
How to type \ on a Mac
There is no direct keyboard shortcut for \ on a Mac.
For any symbol, the Character Viewer works: press Control+⌘+Space, type "reverse solidus" in the search box and double-click the result. It will be remembered under Frequently Used.
How to type \ on iPhone and iPad
The iOS keyboard does not include \, so the reliable way is to copy it from this page, then press and hold in any text field and tap Paste.
If you use it often, create a shortcut: open Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, paste \ in the Phrase field and type a short code such as ;reverse in the Shortcut field. Typing that code will then insert \ anywhere.
How to type \ on Android
Copy the symbol from this page, then long-press in a text field and choose Paste. Gboard also keeps a clipboard history: tap the clipboard icon on the toolbar to paste it again later.
For a permanent shortcut, open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary, add \ as the word and a short code as the shortcut.
How to type \ in Microsoft Word
- Type the Unicode hex code 005C where you want the symbol.
- Press Alt+X. Word converts the code into \.
This works on Windows in Word, Outlook and OneNote and needs no numeric keypad. You can also go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, set the font to a Unicode font and type 005C in the Character code box. In Excel, the formula =UNICHAR(92) returns the symbol.
How to type \ in Google Docs
Open Insert → Special characters, then either search for "reverse solidus" or draw the symbol in the sketch box. Click the result to insert it. In Google Sheets, use =CHAR(92).
\ in HTML, CSS and code
| Format | Code |
|---|---|
| HTML entity | \ |
| HTML decimal | \ |
| HTML hex | \ |
CSS content | "\005C" |
| JavaScript | "\u005C" |
| Python | "\u005C" |
| URL encoded | %5C |
Because \ is a standard Unicode character (U+005C), you can also paste it directly into any UTF-8 file. The escaped forms above are only needed when the file encoding is uncertain or the symbol must be entered on a keyboard without it.
Where the reverse solidus symbol is used
Windows file paths use it, as in C:\Users\Name, and programming languages use it to escape characters, like \n for a newline. It's often confused with the forward slash (/), which points the opposite way and is used in URLs and Unix paths.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Windows use backslashes in file paths but Mac and Linux use forward slashes? +
Windows inherited the backslash convention from early DOS systems, while Unix-based systems like Mac and Linux adopted the forward slash for directory separators.
What does a backslash do in programming? +
It acts as an escape character, telling the program to treat the next character specially, such as \n for a line break or \" for a literal quote mark.
What is the Alt code for the reverse solidus symbol? +
The reverse solidus symbol has no short Alt code. Copy it from this page, or in Word type 005C and press Alt + X.
How do I type \ on a Mac? +
There is no dedicated Mac shortcut for \. Open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space, search for "reverse solidus", and double-click it. Or copy it from this page.
How do I type the reverse solidus symbol on iPhone or Android? +
Phone keyboards do not include \ by default. Copy it from this page and paste it, or add it as a text replacement shortcut in Settings so you can type it with a short abbreviation.
What is the HTML code for \? +
Use \ in HTML. The numeric form \ works too. In CSS use content: "\005C" and in JavaScript use "\u005C".