Unicode Lookup — Code Points & Character Names
Look up the Unicode code point, hex value, and name for each character in your text.
How it works
- 1Paste or type your text in the input field
- 2Click "Process" — processing happens in your browser
- 3Copy the result or download as a text file
What to do next
About Unicode Lookup
Unicode Lookup is the kind of utility you bookmark and reach for when you need it. Look up the Unicode code point, hex value, and name for each character in your text. It loads quickly, works on any modern browser, and produces a result you can download or copy in a single click.
Most people land on Unicode Lookup via a search at the moment they actually need the tool. That shapes the design: the page is a single screen with the input on one side, the controls in the middle, and the result on the other, so a first-time visitor can complete the job without reading documentation.
The execution path is auditable from the page itself: open developer tools, switch to the Network tab, run a job. The requests you see are static-asset GETs for the engine and the page resources. The actual work is JavaScript code running against the bytes already in your tab's memory.
Technically, the work is done by standard browser APIs, loaded as part of the page. Inputs are recognised automatically and validated before the engine begins processing. Files up to 0 MB are supported per run; that ceiling keeps browser memory usage stable on a wide range of devices.
The hard constraints are easy to remember. Maximum input: 0 MB. Multiple files per run: no — one input at a time, by design, to keep results predictable. The same controls apply on every run.
Anyone who works with text processing on a casual basis — researchers normalising scraped text, marketers polishing product copy, translators aligning bilingual passages — finds Unicode Lookup a quick way to get the result. The page loads in under a second, the controls are visible from a single screen, and the result downloads or copies in one click.
Unicode Lookup returns the result as a download. If you are running multiple jobs, the output names will not collide as long as the input names differ. You can re-run with different settings as many times as you like; each run produces a fresh file with no caching trickery in between.
If your task needs more than one step, chain Unicode Lookup with Character Frequency Analyzer, Emoji Remover, and Binary to Bitmap. Each tool produces output that is a clean input to the next, so multi-step workflows are just a matter of opening the next tool in a new tab and continuing.
Unicode Lookup is honest about scope: it handles a single, well-defined text processing step. Specialist edge-case work — uncommon formats, very large inputs, or pipelines that need scripting — is what dedicated desktop apps are for. This page handles the common case quickly.
Some context on why Unicode Lookup exists in this form: modern File APIs, high-performance JavaScript engines, and well-maintained open-source libraries now make it possible to perform text processing work entirely in the browser. Unicode Lookup is built on top of that capability, which is why a single page can host the full pipeline.
If you also use a command-line tool for unicode lookup, Unicode Lookup is a convenient alternative for the times you are on a different machine or helping someone who is not comfortable in a terminal. The output is a standard file in the format documented above.
Useful patterns when working with Unicode Lookup: keep the input file open in another tab so you can compare against the result; give the output file a descriptive name when saving so you can find it later (the default name is sensible but generic); and treat each run as independent — the tool has no concept of "history", which means you cannot accidentally pollute one job with leftovers from another.
For most failure modes, refreshing the page and re-running the job is enough — the engine has no persistent state to corrupt. If the same input fails twice in a row, the input itself is most likely the problem (a truncated file, an unexpected variant of the format, or a stream the engine does not recognise).
Unicode Lookup is one of many single-purpose tools in the catalog. Each is built around the same single-page model. Use this one, close the tab, and come back the next time you need the same job done. None of the tools require prior knowledge of the others — each page is self-contained.
How it works
- 1Open the Unicode Lookup workspace above. The interface is a single page, so there is nothing to navigate.
- 2Drop a text file onto the upload area, or click to pick one from your device.
- 3Tweak the controls if the defaults are not quite right for your input. The options are kept short and labelled in plain language.
- 4Hit the run button. standard browser APIs does the work in your browser tab.
- 5Save the output when it is ready.
- 6Repeat the process for additional inputs whenever you need to. The page stays loaded, so subsequent runs are quick.
Common use cases
- Diff two drafts of a document side by side using Unicode Lookup.
- Count the words in a draft to check it fits a brief.
- Encode user input safely before pasting it into HTML.
- Find and replace dozens of variants of a phrase in one pass.
- Generate a slug from a long article title.
- Strip messy formatting out of copy pasted from a PDF.
- Sort a list of items alphabetically before publishing it.
- Translate plain text into Markdown for a static-site post.
- Re-case a title from ALL CAPS to Title Case.
FAQ
What information is shown?
Each character displays its visual form, U+hex code point, decimal value, and character name.
Does it show emoji names?
Emoji are identified as "EMOJI / SYMBOL" with their code points. Specific emoji names are not included.
Can I look up invisible characters?
Yes — spaces, tabs, control characters, and zero-width characters are all identified.
Does it handle surrogate pairs?
Yes — characters outside the Basic Multilingual Plane are correctly shown as single code points.
How many characters can I look up?
No practical limit — paste any amount of text for instant lookup.
Is my data safe?
Yes — all processing happens locally in your browser. Your text never leaves your device.
Can I use Unicode Lookup on iOS or Android?
Unicode Lookup runs in any modern mobile browser — Safari, Chrome, Firefox and the in-app browsers in most messaging apps all support the underlying APIs. Performance depends on the device: a recent phone handles typical inputs nearly as fast as a laptop, while older devices may take a few seconds longer near the 0 MB ceiling. The interface lays out cleanly on small screens, so you do not need to pinch-zoom to see the controls.
Does Unicode Lookup require a browser extension or plug-in?
No installation is needed. Unicode Lookup runs as a normal web page, with no browser extension, no native helper, and no separate desktop client to download. That is partly a privacy choice — extensions can request broad permissions, while a regular page is sandboxed by default — and partly a convenience one: you can use Unicode Lookup on any computer you have temporary access to without leaving anything installed on it.
Can Unicode Lookup run inside a corporate firewall?
Unicode Lookup is a static page running an open-source engine in your browser, so a typical corporate firewall does not get in the way as long as it allows JavaScript to load from Favtoo. For teams that need to host it themselves on an internal network, the underlying engine (standard browser APIs) is open-source and can be packaged into a private build with the same behaviour. Reach out via the Contact page if that is something you are exploring.
Can I use Unicode Lookup offline?
Once the page is loaded, Unicode Lookup can complete jobs without an active internet connection — the engine is bundled with the page, so there is no per-job network call. The initial page load does require a connection (to fetch the static assets), but after that you can disconnect entirely and the tool will still work. This is a side-effect of the local-first architecture, not a deliberate "offline mode" feature.
Why use Unicode Lookup instead of a paid online tool?
Desktop apps usually have more advanced features but require installation, maintenance and (often) a licence. Paid online tools are convenient but route your file through their servers and gate downloads behind accounts. Unicode Lookup sits in between: free, instant, and private, but intentionally narrow in scope. For one-off jobs and the common text processing operations, it is usually the lowest-friction choice; for highly specialised work, a dedicated app is still the right answer.
How often is Unicode Lookup updated?
Unicode Lookup is updated whenever the underlying engine releases an improvement or a bug fix. Because the tool is delivered as a static page, every visit fetches the latest version automatically — there is no "version" to manage on your end. If a particular release ever changes default behaviour, the change is documented on Favtoo's changelog so you can confirm what shifted.
Is Unicode Lookup really free?
Unicode Lookup is free to use. The processing runs in your browser, which keeps the per-user cost low enough that the tool can be offered openly. The download is the same file the engine produced — you can use it for as many runs as you need.
Does Unicode Lookup ask for any browser permissions?
Unicode Lookup only needs the standard web platform — file picker access for the inputs you choose to load, and optionally clipboard access if you copy the result rather than downloading it. There is no microphone, camera, geolocation or background-permission request, because none of those are needed for the work the tool does.