Left arrow (←) in HTML
The leftwards arrow is the standard back pointing arrow. Its named reference is ← and its code point is U+2190.
At a glance
- Character
- ←
- Named entity
- ←
- Decimal reference
- ←
- Hex reference
- ←
- Unicode code point
- U+2190
- Unicode name
- LEFTWARDS ARROW
- In the entity reference
- Arrows, and pinned in quick access
In detail
The left arrow almost always means back, and back on the web is ambiguous in a way that a native application's back button is not. A control that calls the browser's history and a control that links to a parent page look identical and behave differently: history takes the user where they came from, which may be a search results page on another site, while a parent link always goes to the same place.
That distinction should drive the markup. If the destination is fixed, it is a link and it needs a real href, so the user can open it in a new tab, see it in the status bar and reach it without JavaScript. If it genuinely means go back one step, it is a button, and its label should say so rather than naming a page it might not return to.
As with the forward arrow, the glyph is decoration when the label already says back and content when it does not. A control whose only content is the character has no accessible name at all, which is one of the more common failures an automated audit will flag on a navigation bar.
Direction mirrors in right to left layouts. Because this arrow means back rather than left, an Arabic or Hebrew interface needs it flipped, which a CSS transform in a direction scoped rule handles without changing the markup. Setting a different character for each direction works too and is harder to maintain.
Examples
<a class="back" href="/reference/html-entities">
<span aria-hidden="true">←</span>
All HTML entities
</a>[dir="rtl"] .back [aria-hidden] {
display: inline-block;
transform: scaleX(-1);
}Things that catch people out
- A back control containing only an arrow character has no accessible name. Add visible or visually hidden text saying where it goes.
- Calling browser history from a link styled as a back button surprises users who arrived from outside the site, because they leave it entirely.
- Flipping the glyph by swapping in the opposite character means two strings to keep in sync. A transform keeps one.
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HTML Entity Reference
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152 entities across 9 categories
Commonly Used
→Arrows(13)
±Math(35)
$Currency(8)
…Punctuation(21)
©Symbols(24)
πGreek(30)
½Fractions(6)
●Geometric(7)
æLatin Special(8)
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Related HTML entities
All html entities →Right arrow (→) in HTML
The rightwards arrow at U+2192, its entity forms, using it in a call to action without confusing a screen reader, and how it behaves in right to left text.
Up and down arrows (↑ and ↓) in HTML
The upwards and downwards arrows at U+2191 and U+2193, their entity forms, their use as sort indicators, and why aria-sort does the real work.
Double arrows (⇐, ⇒, ⇔) in HTML
The double stroke arrows at U+21D0, U+21D2 and U+21D4, their case sensitive entity names, and what implication and equivalence actually assert.
Diagonal arrows: north east, south east and neighbours
The four diagonal arrows at U+2196 to U+2199, their numeric references, the external link convention, and why they have no named HTML entities.
Alpha (α) in HTML
The Greek letter alpha at U+0391 and U+03B1, its entity forms, its meanings in transparency and statistics, and the Latin A it is indistinguishable from.
Beta (β) in HTML
The Greek letter beta at U+0392 and U+03B2, its entity forms, its meanings in regression and finance, and the German eszett it is mistaken for.
Tools for this
- HTML Entity Reference Free online HTML entity reference - search and copy HTML entities with live preview
- HTML Entity Encoder Free online HTML entity encoder - encode or decode HTML entities to prevent XSS and display issues