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Symbols for Legacy Computing

Unicode character block

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
4 min read
Source updated March 20, 2026

Symbols for Legacy Computing is a Unicode block containing graphic characters that were used for various home computers from the 1970s and 1980s and in teletext broadcasting standards. It includes characters from the Amstrad CPC, MSX, Mattel Aquarius, RISC OS, MouseText, Atari ST, TRS-80 Color Computer, Oric, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, TRS-80, Minitel, Teletext, ATASCII, PETSCII, ZX80, and ZX81 character sets. Semigraphics characters are also included in the form of new block-shaped characters, line-drawing characters, and 60 "sextant" characters (semigraphic character made up of six smaller blocks, also known as alpha-mosaic characters). Additional characters were added to this block in Unicode 16.0 as well.

A supplemental block (Symbols for Legacy Computing Supplement) was added with Unicode 16.0.

01Block

Symbols for Legacy Computing[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)
 0123456789ABCDEF
U+1FB0x 🬀 🬁 🬂 🬃 🬄 🬅 🬆 🬇 🬈 🬉 🬊 🬋 🬌 🬍 🬎 🬏
U+1FB1x 🬐 🬑 🬒 🬓 🬔 🬕 🬖 🬗 🬘 🬙 🬚 🬛 🬜 🬝 🬞 🬟
U+1FB2x 🬠 🬡 🬢 🬣 🬤 🬥 🬦 🬧 🬨 🬩 🬪 🬫 🬬 🬭 🬮 🬯
U+1FB3x 🬰 🬱 🬲 🬳 🬴 🬵 🬶 🬷 🬸 🬹 🬺 🬻 🬼 🬽 🬾 🬿
U+1FB4x 🭀 🭁 🭂 🭃 🭄 🭅 🭆 🭇 🭈 🭉 🭊 🭋 🭌 🭍 🭎 🭏
U+1FB5x 🭐 🭑 🭒 🭓 🭔 🭕 🭖 🭗 🭘 🭙 🭚 🭛 🭜 🭝 🭞 🭟
U+1FB6x 🭠 🭡 🭢 🭣 🭤 🭥 🭦 🭧 🭨 🭩 🭪 🭫 🭬 🭭 🭮 🭯
U+1FB7x 🭰 🭱 🭲 🭳 🭴 🭵 🭶 🭷 🭸 🭹 🭺 🭻 🭼 🭽 🭾 🭿
U+1FB8x 🮀 🮁 🮂 🮃 🮄 🮅 🮆 🮇 🮈 🮉 🮊 🮋 🮌 🮍 🮎 🮏
U+1FB9x 🮐 🮑 🮒 🮔 🮕 🮖 🮗 🮘 🮙 🮚 🮛 🮜 🮝 🮞 🮟
U+1FBAx 🮠 🮡 🮢 🮣 🮤 🮥 🮦 🮧 🮨 🮩 🮪 🮫 🮬 🮭 🮮 🮯
U+1FBBx 🮰 🮱 🮲 🮳 🮴 🮵 🮶 🮷 🮸 🮹 🮺 🮻 🮼 🮽 🮾 🮿
U+1FBCx 🯀 🯁 🯂 🯃 🯄 🯅 🯆 🯇 🯈 🯉 🯊 🯋 🯌 🯍 🯎 🯏
U+1FBDx 🯐 🯑 🯒 🯓 🯔 🯕 🯖 🯗 🯘 🯙 🯚 🯛 🯜 🯝 🯞 🯟
U+1FBEx 🯠 🯡 🯢 🯣 🯤 🯥 🯦 🯧 🯨 🯩 🯪 🯫 🯬 🯭 🯮 🯯
U+1FBFx 🯰 🯱 🯲 🯳 🯴 🯵 🯶 🯷 🯸 🯹 🯺
Notes
1.^As of Unicode version 17.0
2.^Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

The image below is provided as quick reference for these symbols on systems that are unable to display them directly:

02History

The following Unicode-related documents record the purpose and process of defining specific characters in the Symbols for Legacy Computing block:

VersionFinal code pointsCountL2 IDWG2 IDDocument
13.0U+1FB00..1FB92, 1FB94..1FBCA, 1FBF0..1FBF9212L2/17-435REwell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2018-04-23), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
L2/18-039Anderson, Deborah; Whistler, Ken; Pournader, Roozbeh; Moore, Lisa; Liang, Hai; Cook, Richard (2018-01-19), "26", Recommendations to UTC #154 January 2018 on Script Proposals
L2/18-235 (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)Ewell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2018-07-20), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
L2/18-241Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2018-07-20), "19", Recommendations to UTC # 156 July 2018 on Script Proposals
L2/18-275R (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)Ewell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2018-09-06), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
L2/18-300Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2018-09-14), "11", Recommendations to UTC #157 on Script Proposals
L2/19-025 (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)N5028Ewell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2019-01-04), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
L2/19-047Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2019-01-13), "24", Recommendations to UTC #158 January 2019 on Script Proposals
L2/19-008Moore, Lisa (2019-02-08), "E.2", UTC #158 Minutes
L2/20-015RMoore, Lisa (2020-05-14), "B.10.17.2", Draft Minutes of UTC Meeting 162
16.0U+1FBCB..1FBEF37L2/21-235 (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)Bettencourt, Rebecca; Ewell, Doug; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Hietaniemi, Jarkko; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2021-12-20), Proposal to add further characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
L2/22-023Anderson, Deborah; Whistler, Ken; Pournader, Roozbeh; Constable, Peter (2022-01-22), "17 Legacy Computing Symbols", Recommendations to UTC #170 January 2022 on Script Proposals
L2/21-235R (full, no_attach)Bettencourt, Rebecca; Ewell, Doug; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Hietaniemi, Jarkko; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2022-01-26), Proposal to add further characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
L2/22-016Constable, Peter (2022-04-21), "D.1 17 Legacy Computing Symbols", UTC #170 Minutes
17.0U+1FBFA1L2/23-142Buff, Charlotte (2023-06-26), Proposal to Define Variation Sequences for Emoji Mapped to Legacy Computing Symbols
L2/23-157Constable, Peter (2023-07-31), "G.3", UTC #176 Minutes
L2/23-252Bettencourt, Rebecca; Ewell, Doug (2023-10-14), Proposal to disunify Symbols for Legacy Computing from emoji
L2/23-238RAnderson, Deborah; Kučera, Jan; Whistler, Ken; Pournader, Roozbeh; Constable, Peter (2023-11-01), "14 Symbols", Recommendations to UTC #177 November 2023 on Script Proposals
L2/23-231Constable, Peter (2023-12-08), "Consensus 177-C35", UTC #177 Minutes
Watch videos about Symbols for Legacy ComputingExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Symbols for Legacy Computing”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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