Excel UNICHAR Function: Syntax, Examples and Tips

Part of the free Module 5: Excel Formulas and Functions · Function 93 of 105 · Full Excel course

The Excel UNICHAR function returns the Unicode character for a given code point, from 1 to 1,114,111. Unlike CHAR, which is limited to the 255 characters of the local code page, UNICHAR can produce check marks, arrows, stars, currency symbols, letters from any alphabet and emoji, and it returns the same character on Windows, Mac and the web. It is available in Excel 2013 and later.

Table of Contents

Syntax

=UNICHAR(number)

Arguments

Argument	Required / Optional	Meaning
number	Required	The Unicode code point in decimal. Decimals are truncated. Zero or a value outside the Unicode range returns #VALUE!; a code point reserved for surrogates returns #N/A.

Useful Unicode code points

Formula	Character	Typical use
=UNICHAR(10003)	✓	Check mark for completed tasks
=UNICHAR(10007)	✗	Cross for failed items
=UNICHAR(9733) / 9734	★ / ☆	Filled and empty stars for ratings
=UNICHAR(9650) / 9660	▲ / ▼	Up and down indicators for variances
=UNICHAR(9608)	█	Solid block for in-cell bar charts
=UNICHAR(8226)	•	Bullet point
=UNICHAR(8364) / 8377 / 163	€ / ₹ / £	Currency symbols
=UNICHAR(176)	°	Degree sign
=UNICHAR(128512)	😀	Emoji

Step-by-step example: status icons from a percentage

Enter completion percentages in B2:B20.
In C2 enter =IF(B2>=1,UNICHAR(10003),IF(B2>=0.5,UNICHAR(9650),UNICHAR(10007))).
Press Enter and fill down. Finished tasks show a check mark, tasks over halfway show an up arrow and the rest show a cross.
Increase the font size of column C to make the symbols readable. No conditional formatting icon set is needed, and the icons survive copy and paste into email.

Practical use cases

1. Star rating

=REPT(UNICHAR(9733),B2)&REPT(UNICHAR(9734),5-B2)

2. Variance arrow with colour-free text

=IF(C2>B2,UNICHAR(9650),UNICHAR(9660))&" "&TEXT(ABS(C2-B2),"0.0%")

3. Bulleted list in one cell

=UNICHAR(8226)&" "&A2&CHAR(10)&UNICHAR(8226)&" "&A3

4. Generate an alphabet in any script

=UNICHAR(913+ROW(A1)-1)

Filled down, this lists the Greek capital letters starting at Alpha (913).

5. Convert a hexadecimal code point

=UNICHAR(HEX2DEC("2713"))

Unicode charts list code points in hex; HEX2DEC converts them to the decimal UNICHAR needs.

Common mistakes and tips

Boxes or question marks: the character exists but the cell font lacks the glyph. Switch to Segoe UI Symbol, Segoe UI Emoji or Arial Unicode MS.
#VALUE! error: the number is 0, negative or above 1,114,111.
#N/A error: the code point is in the surrogate range (55296 to 57343), which is not a real character.
Emoji are two UTF-16 units: LEN of a single emoji returns 2 and LEFT or MID may split it. Handle emoji as pairs when slicing text.
Older versions: Excel 2010 and earlier return #NAME?; only CHAR is available there.

UNICHAR compared with CHAR

CHAR predates Unicode and maps numbers 1 to 255 through the operating system’s code page, so CHAR(128) is the euro sign on Windows but a different symbol on a Mac. UNICHAR maps numbers directly to Unicode, which every modern system shares, so the result is identical everywhere and covers over a million code points instead of 255. For the basic Latin range, codes 32 to 126, the two functions return the same characters, and CHAR(10) remains the usual way to write a line break because it is shorter and works in every version. For anything outside that range, symbols, non-Latin letters, arrows, block characters and emoji, UNICHAR is the reliable choice. The reverse function, UNICODE, returns the code point of a character so you can look up the number to use.

Related functions

UNICODE: returns the code point of the first character in a string.
CHAR: the 8-bit predecessor limited to codes 1 to 255.
REPT: repeats UNICHAR symbols for ratings and bars.
CODE: the 8-bit reverse of CHAR.
See all lessons in the Excel Formulas course.

Frequently asked questions

How do I insert a check mark with a formula in Excel?

Use =UNICHAR(10003) for a light check mark or =UNICHAR(10004) for a heavy one. Combine it with IF to show the mark only when a condition is met.

What is the difference between UNICHAR and CHAR?

CHAR returns one of 255 characters from the local code page and can differ between Windows and Mac. UNICHAR returns any Unicode character and gives the same result on every platform.