North west double arrow (⇖) is the Arrows character at Unicode U+21D6 (NORTH WEST DOUBLE ARROW). It is a thick/double-stroke diagonal up-left arrow — useful for stronger UI and map cues. HTML5 provides the named entity ⇖ (capital A).
Remember
Character ⇖
Unicode U+21D6
Named entity ⇖ (capital A)
Hex entity ⇖
Decimal ⇖
CSS escape \21D6
All of these produce the same glyph: ⇖. Prefer ⇖ for readable HTML; paste ⇖ in UTF-8 when convenient.
Reference
Quick Reference
One table for every form you will actually use.
Form
Code
Where it goes
Named entity
⇖
HTML markup (capital A)
Hex entity
⇖
HTML markup
Decimal entity
⇖
HTML markup
Direct character
⇖
HTML text (UTF-8 default)
CSS escape
\21D6
Stylesheet content
When to Use Which
Situation
Use
Readable double arrow in HTML
⇖
UTF-8 UI or map text
Type or paste ⇖
Numeric entity required
⇖ or ⇖
Generated text via ::before / ::after
content: "\21D6"
Thin single NW arrow instead
↖ (↖)
See it
Live Preview
North west double arrow rendered in common contexts.
Glyph⇖
Large glyph⇖
In a sentenceGo back ⇖ · Previous ⇖
With entitiesNamed: ⇖ | Hex: ⇖ | Decimal: ⇖
Related arrows↖ (↖) · ⇗ (⇗) · ↸
Code
Complete HTML Example
One page that shows the north west double arrow with named, hex, decimal, direct, and CSS forms. Use View Output or open the live editor.
Named + Hex + Decimal + Direct + CSS
Five ways to produce ⇖ in a single document.
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>North West Double Arrow (⇖) in HTML</title>
<style>
#point::after {
content: "\21D6";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Using Named Entity: ⇖</p>
<p>Using Hex Code: ⇖</p>
<p>Using Decimal: ⇖</p>
<p>Using Direct Character: ⇖</p>
<p id="point">Using CSS Entity: </p>
<p>Example: Go back ⇖ Previous ⇖</p>
</body>
</html>
Using Named Entity: ⇖
Using Hex Code: ⇖
Using Decimal: ⇖
Using Direct Character: ⇖
Using CSS Entity: ⇖
Example: Go back ⇖ Previous ⇖
How It Works
1. Named:⇖ (capital A) is the clearest HTML form for U+21D6.
2. Hex:U+21D6 → ⇖ in HTML. Reliable numeric form.
3. Decimal: same code point as 8662 → ⇖. Same glyph.
4. Direct: paste ⇖ in a UTF-8 file with <meta charset="UTF-8">.
5. CSS: use \21D6 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ⇖ after the paragraph text.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with this arrow entity.
Case
⇖ ≠ ↖
Capital A → double arrow U+21D6. Lowercase → single arrow U+2196. Named entities are case-sensitive.
Weight
Double vs single stroke
Use ⇖ when you want a heavier NW cue. Use ↖ for a thin line.
Not bar
Not ↸
U+21B8 is NW arrow to long bar (no named entity). ⇖ is the double stroke — different symbols.
Accessibility
Do not rely on the glyph alone
If the arrow conveys action, add visible or aria-label text so screen readers get the meaning.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\21D6 belongs in CSS. ⇖ / ⇖ / ⇖ belong in HTML.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish with ; — write ⇖, not &nwArr.
Compatibility
Browser Support
North west double arrow (U+21D6) and its entity forms (⇖, ⇖, ⇖, CSS \\21D6) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Glyph availability depends on the font.
✓ Universal support
North West Double Arrow (⇖)
Prefer ⇖, or encode with hex, decimal, or CSS escape — same glyph everywhere.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+21D6 / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Prefer ⇖ (capital A) in HTML. Use ⇖ / ⇖ when a numeric form is required, and \\21D6 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: north west double arrow is U+21D6 (decimal 8662), Arrows block.
HTML: prefer ⇖ (capital A), or ⇖ / ⇖.
CSS: use \21D6 inside content for generated text.
Watch case:↖ is the single arrow ↖ — different character.
Use ⇖ (named — capital A), ⇖ (hex), ⇖ (decimal), type ⇖ in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \21D6 in content. All render ⇖.
U+21D6 (NORTH WEST DOUBLE ARROW). Hex 21D6, decimal 8662. It belongs to the Arrows block and is a thick/double-stroke diagonal up-left arrow.
Yes. HTML5 defines ⇖ (note the capital A). You can also use ⇖ or ⇖. ↖ (lowercase) is a different character: U+2196.
Use it for stronger directional UI cues, back controls, and maps. Prefer ⇖ for readable source. For a thin single arrow, use ↖ instead.
HTML entities (⇖, ⇖, or ⇖) go in markup. The CSS escape \21D6 is used in stylesheets (usually in the content property of ::before/::after). Both render ⇖.
↖ (U+2196, ↖) is a single-line NW arrow. ⇖ (U+21D6, ⇖) is the double-line version. The named entities differ only by letter case — choose carefully.
🤔
Did you know?
North west double arrow (⇖) is Unicode U+21D6 (decimal 8662) — NORTH WEST DOUBLE ARROW in the Arrows block. HTML5 provides ⇖ (capital A). Do not confuse it with ↖ (U+2196), the single-line NW arrow.
