How to Use UNICHAR in Excel: Complete Guide to Unicode Character Conversion
=UNICHAR(number)The UNICHAR function is a powerful text manipulation tool in Excel that converts Unicode code point numbers into their corresponding characters. This function is essential for working with international text, special symbols, and technical documentation that requires precise character representation. Unlike the older CHAR function which is limited to ASCII characters (codes 1-255), UNICHAR supports the full Unicode standard, enabling you to access over 1.1 million characters from virtually every language and symbol set in existence. UNICHAR is particularly valuable for data professionals, content creators, and international business specialists who need to work with diverse character sets including emoji, mathematical symbols, currency signs, and characters from non-Latin alphabets. Whether you're building multilingual databases, generating reports with specialized symbols, or creating formatted documents with unique characters, UNICHAR provides the flexibility and precision required for modern data management. This intermediate-level function integrates seamlessly with other Excel text functions to create sophisticated text processing workflows.
Syntax & Parameters
The UNICHAR function uses a straightforward syntax: =UNICHAR(number), where 'number' is a required parameter representing the Unicode code point value. This parameter must be a positive integer between 0 and 1,114,111, which encompasses the entire Unicode character set. The function accepts numeric values directly or references to cells containing numeric values, making it flexible for both static formulas and dynamic data processing. When you provide a valid Unicode code point, UNICHAR returns the corresponding character as text. For example, UNICHAR(65) returns 'A', while UNICHAR(128512) returns the grinning face emoji. The function is case-sensitive in terms of the Unicode standard but returns characters exactly as defined in the Unicode specification. If you provide a number outside the valid range (less than 0 or greater than 1,114,111), Excel returns a #VALUE! error. The function works with both integer values and cell references, allowing you to create dynamic formulas that convert multiple Unicode codes simultaneously. This makes it ideal for batch processing tasks where you need to convert lists of Unicode values into readable characters for analysis or reporting purposes.
numberPractical Examples
Creating Currency Symbols for International Reports
=UNICHAR(8364)&" "&UNICHAR(163)&" "&UNICHAR(165)This formula concatenates three UNICHAR functions to display three different currency symbols. Unicode 8364 represents the Euro symbol, 163 represents the British Pound, and 165 represents the Japanese Yen. The ampersand operator combines them with spaces for readability.
Building a Multilingual Product Database
=CONCATENATE("Product: ",UNICHAR(20013),UNICHAR(25991)," - ",UNICHAR(1575),UNICHAR(1604),UNICHAR(1593),UNICHAR(1585),UNICHAR(1576),UNICHAR(1610))This formula combines UNICHAR with CONCATENATE to build product names using Unicode values. The first set generates Chinese characters for 'China', while the second generates Arabic text for 'product'. This approach ensures consistent character encoding across different systems.
Creating Quality Control Checkmarks and X Marks
=IF(A1>95,UNICHAR(10003),UNICHAR(10007))This formula uses IF logic to conditionally display Unicode characters. UNICHAR(10003) produces a checkmark (✓) for values above 95, while UNICHAR(10007) produces an X mark (✗) for lower values. This creates professional-looking quality reports with standardized symbols.
Key Takeaways
- UNICHAR converts Unicode code points (0-1,114,111) to characters, supporting international text, emoji, and special symbols far beyond the ASCII-limited CHAR function
- The function requires a single numeric parameter and returns the corresponding Unicode character, enabling dynamic text generation and multilingual data processing
- UNICHAR is available only in Excel 2013 and later versions; combine it with IF, VLOOKUP, and CONCATENATE for powerful text manipulation workflows
- Proper font selection is critical for displaying complex Unicode characters; use Segoe UI Symbol or Arial Unicode MS for comprehensive character support
- Store Unicode code points in reference tables and use error handling (IFERROR) to build robust, maintainable solutions for international and specialized character needs
Pro Tips
Use UNICHAR(8203) to insert zero-width spaces for advanced text formatting and data separation without visible characters affecting cell appearance.
Impact : Enables invisible data structuring and prevents accidental text concatenation issues while maintaining clean visual presentation.
Combine UNICHAR with REPT() to create decorative patterns: =REPT(UNICHAR(9733),5) produces five stars (★★★★★) for rating displays.
Impact : Creates visually appealing reports and dashboards with professional-looking symbols and patterns without requiring special fonts or formatting.
Store Unicode code points in a reference table and use VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH with UNICHAR for consistent symbol management across multiple worksheets and workbooks.
Impact : Centralizes symbol definitions, ensures consistency, simplifies maintenance, and makes it easy to update symbols globally across entire workbooks.
Test UNICHAR output with =LEN() to verify character length, especially when working with combining characters or multi-byte Unicode sequences.
Impact : Prevents data validation errors and ensures formulas handle complex Unicode scenarios correctly, particularly important for international text processing.
Useful Combinations
Dynamic Multilingual Labels with UNICHAR and IF
=IF(A1="EN","Hello",IF(A1="ES","Hola",IF(A1="AR",UNICHAR(1605)&UNICHAR(1585)&UNICHAR(1581)&UNICHAR(1576)&UNICHAR(1575),"Unknown")))Combines IF statements with UNICHAR to create multilingual output based on language codes. When language is Arabic, it constructs the word 'Marhaba' (Hello in Arabic) using individual Unicode characters. This approach enables dynamic language switching in reports.
Creating Formatted Lists with UNICHAR and CONCATENATE
=CONCATENATE(UNICHAR(8226)," ",A1," ",UNICHAR(10003))Combines UNICHAR with CONCATENATE to create formatted list items. UNICHAR(8226) produces a bullet point (•) and UNICHAR(10003) produces a checkmark (✓), creating professional-looking lists with Unicode symbols around text values.
Conditional Emoji Display with UNICHAR and VLOOKUP
=UNICHAR(VLOOKUP(A1,B:C,2,FALSE))Combines VLOOKUP with UNICHAR to look up Unicode code points from a reference table and convert them to characters. This enables dynamic emoji or symbol assignment based on category lookups, perfect for status indicators or rating systems.
Common Errors
Cause: The number parameter is outside the valid Unicode range (less than 0 or greater than 1,114,111), contains text instead of a number, or references an empty cell.
Solution: Verify your Unicode code point is between 0 and 1,114,111. Use the VALUE() function to convert text to numbers if needed. Check that referenced cells contain valid numeric values: =IFERROR(UNICHAR(A1),"Invalid code")
Cause: The function name is misspelled as 'UNICODE', 'UNICHAR()', or other variations, or you're using an Excel version older than 2013 that doesn't support UNICHAR.
Solution: Ensure correct spelling: UNICHAR (not UNICODE). If using Excel 2010 or earlier, use CHAR() for ASCII characters only or upgrade to Excel 2013+. Check your Excel version with =INFO("release").
Cause: The formula references a deleted cell or an invalid cell reference within the UNICHAR parameter.
Solution: Verify all cell references in your formula are valid and the referenced cells haven't been deleted. Use absolute references ($A$1) for fixed data ranges to prevent reference errors when copying formulas.
Troubleshooting Checklist
- 1.Verify Excel version is 2013 or later; UNICHAR is not available in Excel 2010 or earlier versions
- 2.Confirm the Unicode code point is a valid number between 0 and 1,114,111 without text characters or symbols
- 3.Check that the formula uses correct syntax: =UNICHAR(number) with proper parentheses and no extra spaces
- 4.Ensure your font supports the specific Unicode character (use Segoe UI Symbol, Arial Unicode MS, or Calibri for broad character support)
- 5.Verify cell references are valid and not deleted; use IFERROR() to handle invalid codes gracefully
- 6.Test with known Unicode values (65 for 'A', 8364 for '€') to isolate whether the issue is formula syntax or character encoding
Edge Cases
Using UNICHAR with code point 0 (NULL character)
Behavior: UNICHAR(0) returns an empty/null character that may not display visibly but occupies a position in the string, potentially affecting string length calculations and text processing
Solution: Use IFERROR(UNICHAR(A1),"") to replace null characters with empty strings, or validate input to exclude zero values
The NULL character can cause unexpected behavior in data exports and external system imports
Working with combining characters and diacritical marks (Unicode 0x0300-0x036F)
Behavior: These characters combine with preceding characters to create accented letters. UNICHAR(0x0301) applied after 'e' creates 'é', but the character count may be unexpected when using LEN()
Solution: Use SUBSTITUTE() or REGEX functions to normalize combining characters, or use dedicated Unicode normalization functions if available
Combining characters may render differently depending on font and system, affecting visual consistency
Attempting to use UNICHAR with surrogate pair ranges (0xD800-0xDFFF)
Behavior: These Unicode ranges are reserved for UTF-16 encoding and UNICHAR returns #VALUE! error when used with these code points
Solution: Avoid code points in the surrogate pair range; use valid Unicode ranges outside 55296-57343
Surrogate pairs are technical encoding artifacts not intended for direct character representation
Limitations
- •UNICHAR is unavailable in Excel versions prior to 2013; users must upgrade or use CHAR() function limited to ASCII (1-255) for older Excel versions
- •Display quality depends entirely on font support; not all fonts include glyphs for all Unicode characters, resulting in missing character boxes or substitution symbols
- •Performance may degrade when processing large arrays of UNICHAR formulas simultaneously; consider using helper columns or VBA for batch conversions of thousands of characters
- •Some Unicode characters (particularly emoji) may render differently across Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, affecting cross-platform consistency and appearance in shared documents
Alternatives
Compatibility
✓ Excel
Since Excel 2013
=UNICHAR(number) - Fully supported in Excel 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel 365 with identical syntax and behavior✓Google Sheets
=UNICHAR(number) - Fully supported with identical syntax and behavior to Excel versionsGoogle Sheets provides complete UNICHAR functionality with no limitations or differences from Excel implementation
✓LibreOffice
=UNICHAR(number) - Supported in LibreOffice Calc 6.2 and later versions with equivalent functionality