What is Wingdings?
Wingdings is a dingbat TrueType font developed by Microsoft in 1990. Instead of displaying letters and numbers as standard characters, Wingdings renders them as a variety of symbols including arrows, geometric shapes, zodiac signs, religious symbols, office icons, and decorative elements. The font became iconic in the Windows ecosystem and remains popular for adding visual flair to documents.
💡 Important: Wingdings is NOT a secure encryption method. It's simply a visual character substitution for creative and decorative purposes. Anyone can decode Wingdings text by using the same character mapping.
Three Wingdings Versions
Microsoft released three versions of Wingdings, each with a unique set of symbols and character mappings:
Wingdings 1 (Original)
The original Wingdings font featuring hands, faces, crosses, stars, religious symbols, zodiac signs, and office icons.
Wingdings 2
Focuses on circled numbers, negative circled numbers, and various directional arrows for flow diagrams and navigation.
Wingdings 3
Primarily arrows in various styles - bold, outline, curved, and specialty arrows for diagrams and flowcharts.
✨ New: Our Wingdings converter now supports all three versions! Simply select your desired version from the dropdown menu to access different symbol sets.
History & Cultural Impact
Wingdings was designed by Kris Holmes and Charles Bigelow, the same type designers behind the Lucida font family. Microsoft included it as a system font in Windows 3.1, making it one of the most widely distributed dingbat fonts in history.
📅 Key Facts
- Released: 1990 (Windows 3.1)
- Designers: Kris Holmes & Charles Bigelow
- Type: Dingbat/Symbol Font
- Characters: 224 unique symbols
🎯 Notable Uses
- Office documents and presentations
- Email signatures and footers
- Website icons (pre-icon font era)
- Creative typography experiments
Character Categories
Wingdings organizes symbols into several thematic groups accessible through different keyboard keys:
➡️ Arrows & Navigation
Directional arrows, pointers, and navigation symbols mapped to uppercase and lowercase letters.
⭐ Symbols & Shapes
Geometric shapes, stars, religious symbols, and decorative elements.
🔢 Numbers & Circled Digits
Circled numbers perfect for ordered lists and step indicators.
💻 Symbols & Shapes
Card suits, gender symbols, music notes, and other miscellaneous symbols.
Common Character Mappings (Wingdings 1)
Here are the most commonly used Wingdings 1 character mappings. Each character is mapped to a specific character code (decimal 33-255):
| Character | Wingdings | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A | ✌ | Victory/Peace hand |
| B | ✍ | Writing hand |
| C | ✉ | Envelope/Email |
| D | ✈ | Airplane |
| E | ☺ | Smiley face |
| ! | ❗ | Exclamation mark |
| ? | ❓ | Question mark |
| ' | ★ | Filled star |
| " | ☆ | Outlined star |
| 0-9 | ⓪①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨ | Circled numbers |
Note: This shows Wingdings 1 mappings. The full character map includes 224 symbols across three versions. Use our Wingdings Converter to switch between Wingdings 1, 2, and 3 and explore all character mappings.
Popular Use Cases
📄 Document Design
Add visual interest to résumés, reports, and presentations with decorative symbols.
- ✓ Bullet points and list markers
- ✓ Section dividers and decorative elements
- ✓ Checkboxes and form indicators
✉️ Email Signatures
Create eye-catching email footers with phone icons, email symbols, and social media indicators.
- ✓ Contact information icons
- ✓ Professional visual separators
- ✓ Attention-grabbing call-to-actions
🎮 Fun Messages
Create puzzle-like messages for friends to decode, or add nostalgic 90s internet vibes.
- ✓ Social media posts with retro appeal
- ✓ Secret messages and puzzles
- ✓ Creative usernames and bios
🎨 Creative Projects
Typography experiments, logo concepts, and artistic text transformations.
- ✓ Graphic design mockups
- ✓ Visual storytelling with symbols
- ✓ Retro computer aesthetic
Best Practices
✅ Do This
- •Use for decorative elements in documents
- •Provide alternative text for accessibility
- •Use sparingly for maximum visual impact
- •Test across different platforms/devices
- •Keep the full character map handy
❌ Avoid This
- •Using for important readable content
- •Treating as secure encryption
- •Overusing symbols (visual clutter)
- •Assuming universal font availability
- •Using in professional emails without context
Platform Compatibility
While Wingdings is widely installed on Windows systems, cross-platform compatibility can be tricky:
| Platform | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Native | Pre-installed since Windows 3.1 |
| macOS | Partial | Uses Unicode equivalents, not exact font |
| Linux | Manual | Font can be installed manually |
| Web | Limited | Use Unicode equivalents instead |
| Mobile | No | Not available on iOS/Android |
⚠️ Web Tip: For web and mobile compatibility, our converter uses Unicode symbol equivalents that display consistently across all modern devices and platforms.
Wingdings vs Other Symbol Fonts
Wingdings is part of a family of symbol fonts. Here's how it compares:
Wingdings
The original. Contains arrows, symbols, zodiac signs, office icons. Most widely known.
Wingdings 2
Additional arrows, numbers in circles, and mathematical symbols.
Wingdings 3
More arrows, brackets, and technical symbols. Great for flowcharts.
Webdings
Web-focused symbols like computer icons, navigation elements, and UI indicators.
Zapf Dingbats
Adobe's classic dingbat font. More elegant, traditional design aesthetic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wingdings text readable on all devices?▼
No. While Wingdings is installed on all Windows computers, macOS and mobile devices may display different symbols or show empty boxes. For web use, our converter uses Unicode equivalents that work across all modern platforms.
Can Wingdings be used for encryption?▼
No. Wingdings is NOT encryption—it's just a visual character substitution. Anyone with the character mapping can "decode" it instantly. Never use Wingdings for securing sensitive information. For real encryption, use proper cryptographic methods like AES or RSA.
How do I type Wingdings on my keyboard?▼
On Windows: In apps like Word, select the Wingdings font from the font menu, then type normally—letters will appear as symbols. For web/mobile or consistent display, use our Wingdings Converter to generate Unicode equivalents you can copy and paste anywhere.
What's the difference between Wingdings and emojis?▼
Wingdings is a Windows font from 1990 that maps keyboard characters to symbols. Emojis are standardized Unicode characters with universal codes that display consistently across all modern devices. Emojis are the modern, cross-platform evolution of symbol fonts like Wingdings.
Can I use Wingdings in my logo or commercial project?▼
Wingdings is a Microsoft font with licensing restrictions. For commercial projects, check Microsoft's font licensing terms or use Unicode symbol equivalents instead. Many Wingdings symbols have free Unicode alternatives that are legally safer for commercial use.
Why do some Wingdings symbols look different on my device?▼
Different operating systems render the Wingdings font family differently. macOS may substitute Unicode equivalents, while Linux might not have the font at all. For consistent display across all platforms, use a web-based converter that outputs Unicode symbols instead of font-dependent characters.
Try Our Wingdings Tools
Wingdings Encoder
Dedicated ToolConvert your text to Wingdings symbols instantly. Features real-time conversion, complete character map reference, and copy-to-clipboard functionality.
Open EncoderWingdings Decoder
Dedicated ToolDecode Wingdings symbols back to readable text. Perfect for understanding messages or recovering mis-formatted documents.
Open Decoder