What the ® symbol means
The circled R is a registration notice for a trademark or service mark. In the United States, the USPTO says it may be used once the mark is federally registered, and only in connection with the goods or services covered by that registration.
Filing an application does not make ® available. If you are communicating a claim before registration, ™ for goods or SM/℠ for services may be the relevant notice in the United States.
Trademark rights and notice rules are territorial. A registration in one country does not automatically create a registration everywhere, so assess the jurisdiction and the scope of the registration before publishing the mark.
Registered Trademark Symbol Copy Paste: Codes & Shortcuts
- Unicode
U+00AE- HTML
®®- CSS
\00AE- Windows
- Alt + 0174 (numeric keypad)
- Mac
- Option + R (ABC layout)
- iPhone
- Copy once, then save a Text Replacement
- Android
- Find it in Symbols or save a shortcut
The literal ® character is usually best in normal writing and UTF-8 websites. HTML entities are helpful when a system expects escaped markup.
How to type ® on common devices
Windows
Hold Alt and type 0174 on the numeric keypad. On hardware without a keypad, copy the symbol or use Character Map.
Mac
With the standard ABC layout, press Option + R. If a different input source produces another character, use Character Viewer.
iPhone and Android
Many mobile symbol layouts include ®, but its location varies. Copying is universal; for repeated use, save the character behind a Text Replacement or personal-dictionary shortcut.
Practical placement
The symbol is commonly attached to the mark’s first or most prominent appearance: Example Brand®. Keep it visually connected to the mark without letting it disrupt reading. Superscript styling can make the symbol smaller, but the underlying text should remain the actual ® character rather than a decorative image.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ® before my trademark is registered?
Not as a U.S. federal registration notice. The USPTO says the registration symbol may be used only after registration and only with the goods or services listed in that registration. Other jurisdictions have their own rules.
What is the difference between ® and ™?
® communicates that a mark is registered. ™ communicates a trademark claim but does not itself claim registration. A pending application is not the same as a completed registration.
What is the Alt code for ®?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0174 on the numeric keypad. On the standard Mac ABC layout, press Option + R.
What is the HTML code for ®?
Use the named entity ®, the numeric entity ®, or the literal Unicode character ® in a UTF-8 document.
Where should the registered symbol be placed?
It commonly appears immediately after and slightly above or below the mark. The USPTO notes that owners often use superscript or subscript placement, but the validity of the underlying registration matters more than a particular visual position.