How to Type Star Symbol ⭐: Every Star, Every Device, Every Method

The embarrassing part? I work in tech. I write documentation. I create presentations. And I’ve been typing asterisks (*****) thinking I’m clever. Turns out there are at least 15 different star symbols, and typing them is actually easy once someone shows you how.

The Star Symbol Zoo

First, let’s talk about which star you actually want. Because Unicode has gone absolutely wild with stars:

The Classics:

★ (U+2605) – Black star (solid)
☆ (U+2606) – White star (outline)
⭐ (U+2B50) – White medium star (the emoji one)
✦ (U+2726) – Black four-pointed star
✧ (U+2727) – White four-pointed star

The Fancy Ones:

✨ (U+2728) – Sparkles (three stars)
🌟 (U+1F31F) – Glowing star
💫 (U+1F4AB) – Dizzy star (with motion)
🌠 (U+1F320) – Shooting star
⭐️ – Star emoji (mobile version)

The Weird Ones:

✯ (U+272F) – Pinwheel star
✰ (U+2730) – Shadowed star
⍟ (U+235F) – APL star
⋆ (U+22C6) – Star operator
✩ (U+2729) – Stress outlined star

Most people want ★ for ratings or ⭐ for friendly communication. Let’s learn how to type them.

Windows: The Land of Hidden Stars

Method 1: Alt Codes (Numeric Keypad Required)

For ★ (solid star):

Hold Alt
Type 9733 on numeric keypad
Release Alt

For ☆ (outline star):

Hold Alt
Type 9734
Release Alt

The problem: Laptop keyboards often lack numeric keypads. Also, who memorizes 9733?

Method 2: Windows + Period (The Emoji Way)

Press Windows + . (period) or Windows + ; (semicolon)
Type “star” in search
Pick your star

This is honestly the best method for Windows 10/11. Shows all star variations, searchable, visual. Use this.

Method 3: Character Map (Windows 95 Called)

Search “Character Map” in Start
Font: Arial or Segoe UI Symbol
Scroll forever until you find stars
Or check “Advanced view” → Search for: star
Select, Copy, Paste

Works on every Windows version ever, but painful.

Method 4: Office AutoCorrect

Set up in Word/Outlook:

File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect
Replace: (star)
With: ★
Now (star) becomes ★ automatically

I actually use this daily. Set up once, works forever.

Mac: Elegantly Starring

Method 1: Special Characters

The quick way: Control + Command + Space

Opens Character Viewer. Type “star” in search. Double-click any star to insert. Done.

The menu way: Edit menu → Emoji & Symbols

Same thing, different path.

Method 2: Text Replacement

My favorite Mac method:

System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements
Click +
Replace: ;star
With: ★

Now ;star becomes ★ everywhere. The semicolon prevents accidental triggers.

Method 3: The Hidden Keyboard Shortcuts

Some apps have built-in shortcuts:

In Pages: Option + Shift + V opens symbols
In Notes: Command + Option + Space
In Mail: Edit → Emoji & Symbols

But honestly, just use Character Viewer.

iPhone/iPad: Stars in Your Pocket

Method 1: Emoji Keyboard

Switch to emoji keyboard (globe icon)
Search “star”
Find ⭐ 🌟 ✨ 💫 🌠

But these are emojis, not clean text symbols.

Method 2: Text Replacement (Best Method)

Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement
Tap +
Phrase: ★
Shortcut: str
Save

Now typing “str” becomes ★. Syncs to all Apple devices via iCloud.

Method 3: Copy from Notes

I keep a note called “Symbols” with:

Stars: ★ ☆ ⭐ ✨ 
Hearts: ♥ ♡ ❤️
Arrows: → ← ↑ ↓

Primitive but reliable.

Method 4: Third-Party Keyboards

Symbol keyboards exist, but iOS text replacement is faster and doesn’t require switching keyboards.

Android: It Depends

Method 1: Gboard (Google Keyboard)

Long-press period (.) key
Slide to star if available
Or: Switch to symbols (?123)
Then secondary symbols (=<)
Look for ★

Position varies by Android version and phone manufacturer.

Method 2: Text Shortcuts

Settings → System → Languages & input
Virtual keyboard → Your keyboard
Dictionary → Personal dictionary
Add: ★ as word, “str” as shortcut

Method 3: Emoji Route

Just use star emoji ⭐ from emoji keyboard. Available everywhere, looks good enough.

Google Docs/Sheets: Hidden Stars

Method 1: Insert Special Characters

Insert → Special characters
Draw a star in the box (seriously!)
Or search “star”
Click your star

The drawing recognition actually works. Magic.

Method 2: Automatic Substitutions

Tools → Preferences → Substitutions
Replace: :star:
With: ★
Check “Automatic substitution”

Now :star: becomes ★ as you type.

Method 3: Copy from Web

Google “star symbol,” copy, paste. Not elegant but universal.

Microsoft Word: Seventeen Ways to Star

Method 1: Insert Symbol

Insert → Symbol → More Symbols
Font: Normal text
Subset: Miscellaneous Symbols
Find ★, Insert

Method 2: Alt+X Magic

Type Unicode value, then Alt+X:

2605 Alt+X = ★
2606 Alt+X = ☆
2B50 Alt+X = ⭐

Method 3: AutoCorrect

Already covered, but worth repeating:

Set (star) to autocorrect to ★
Works across all Office apps

Method 4: Wingdings/Webdings

Type lowercase “a” → Change font to Wingdings → Becomes star

But now you have Wingdings in your document. Please don’t.

Excel: Star Ratings Made Easy

Method 1: CHAR Function

=CHAR(42) gives you * (asterisk)

For actual stars, use: =UNICHAR(9733) returns ★ =UNICHAR(9734) returns ☆

Method 2: Custom Number Format

For star ratings:

Select cells
Format Cells → Custom
Type: [=5]"★★★★★";[=4]"★★★★☆";[=3]"★★★☆☆";[=2]"★★☆☆☆";[=1]"★☆☆☆☆"
Now entering 1-5 shows star ratings

This is actually brilliant for dashboards.

Method 3: Conditional Formatting

Select cells
Conditional Formatting → Icon Sets
Choose star ratings
Adjust rules

Visual ratings without typing any stars.

HTML/Web: Star Power

HTML Entities

&#9733;  <!-- ★ solid star -->
&#9734;  <!-- ☆ outline star -->
&#10022; <!-- ✦ four-pointed star -->
&#10023; <!-- ✧ white four-pointed star -->
&#11088; <!-- ⭐ emoji star -->

Unicode Directly

<span>★ ☆ ⭐ ✨</span>

CSS for Ratings

.stars::before {
    content: "★★★☆☆";
    color: gold;
}

Font Awesome

<i class="fas fa-star"></i> <!-- solid -->
<i class="far fa-star"></i> <!-- outline -->

Slack/Discord/Teams: Star Commands

Slack

:star: → ⭐
:star2: → 🌟
:sparkles: → ✨
:dizzy: → 💫

Discord

Same as Slack, works everywhere.

Teams

Windows + . for emoji picker
Or copy-paste Unicode

Email Signatures: Professional Stars

For ratings in signatures:

Customer Satisfaction: ★★★★★
Technical Skills: ★★★★☆

For decoration:

✨ Award Winner 2024 ✨
⭐ Five-Star Service ⭐

Don’t overdo it. One or two stars maximum in professional emails.

The Star Rating System

Since we’re here, let’s standardize star ratings:

Classic Five-Star:

★☆☆☆☆ (1/5) – Terrible
★★☆☆☆ (2/5) – Poor
★★★☆☆ (3/5) – Average
★★★★☆ (4/5) – Good
★★★★★ (5/5) – Excellent

Half-Star Hack: Use ½ or ⯨ (half-star Unicode U+2BE8) if available, or just “4.5/5”

Color Coding:

Gold stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Black stars: ★★★★★
White stars: ☆☆☆☆☆

Pick one style, stick with it.

Platform-Specific Quirks

Twitter/X: Auto-converts * * * to ✨ (sparkles) in some contexts.

WhatsApp: Star emoji renders differently on each platform. iOS shows yellow star, Android shows white star with gold border.

LinkedIn: Supports Unicode stars in posts but may strip them from profile sections.

GitHub: In Markdown: :star: becomes ⭐ in comments/issues.

My Personal Star System

After testing every method, here’s what I actually use:

Daily Setup:

Windows: Win + . → search “star”
Mac: Text replacement ;star → ★
Phone: Text replacement “str” → ★

For Documents:

Professional: ★ (solid, serious)
Casual: ⭐ (emoji, friendly)
Ratings: ★★★☆☆ (clear, universal)

Never:

Asterisks for stars (****)
Wingdings/Webdings
More than one emoji star type per document

Common Problems and Solutions

“Stars show as boxes/question marks”

Font doesn’t support Unicode:

Switch to Arial, Segoe UI, or Helvetica
Update your software
Use basic stars (★☆) not fancy ones

“Stars look different on different devices”

That’s normal. Unicode defines meaning, not appearance. Each system renders differently.

“Need colored stars”

In most text: Can’t control color directly In HTML/CSS: Use color: gold; In Word: Select star, change font color In Excel: Conditional formatting

“Star doesn’t appear after Alt code”

Not using numeric keypad
Num Lock is off
Application doesn’t support Alt codes
Solution: Use Windows + . instead

Quick Copy List

Save this somewhere:

Basic Stars: ★ ☆ ⭐ ✦ ✧ ✨

Emoji Stars: ⭐ 🌟 💫 🌠 ✨ 🌌

Ratings:

1: ★☆☆☆☆
2: ★★☆☆☆
3: ★★★☆☆
4: ★★★★☆
5: ★★★★★

The Bottom Line

Stop typing “STAR” or using asterisks. We have real star symbols. Use them.

Quickest method per platform:

Windows: Windows + . → type “star”
Mac: Control + Command + Space → “star”
iPhone/Android: Set up text replacement
Web: Copy ★ from this article

The star symbol has been in Unicode since 1993. Your computer can display it. Your phone can display it. There’s no excuse for asterisks anymore.

Pick one method, memorize it, use it. Your documents will look more professional, your ratings clearer, and you’ll never have to explain that ***** means five stars again.

Now go rate something properly. ★★★★★