Registered Symbol (®): How to Type, Copy, and Use It
The registered trademark symbol, ®, is the R in a circle you put after a brand name that has been officially registered as a trademark. It’s the more powerful sibling of ™, and the crucial thing to know is that, unlike ™, you can’t legally use ® until your mark is actually registered. This page shows how to type it on any device, and explains exactly when you’re allowed to.
If you just need the mark, copy ® (or ™, ℠, ©) from the grid below. If you want the shortcuts and the rules around using it, the sections below cover both.
In a hurry?
- Copy it: click ® in the grid below.
- On Windows: hold Alt and type 0174.
- On a Mac: press Option + R.
- In Word or many apps: type (r) and autocorrect turns it into ®.
- In HTML: write ® (or ®).
Table of Contents
Copy and paste the registered symbol
The registered mark and its relatives, with the codes you’re likely to need. Use the grid above to copy with one click; this table is the reference.
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | Windows | Mac | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ® | registered | U+00AE | Alt + 0174 | Option + R | ® |
| ™ | trademark | U+2122 | Alt + 0153 | Option + 2 | ™ |
| ℠ | service mark | U+2120 | Alt + 8480 | — | ℠ |
| © | copyright | U+00A9 | Alt + 0169 | Option + G | © |
None of these are on a standard keyboard, so each takes a shortcut, a code, or a copy. The sections below cover each device, then the rules that matter more than the typing.
How to type the registered symbol on any device
The ® isn’t on the keys, so here’s the quickest way to make one on each system.
Type ® on Windows
Use the Alt code: turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, and type 0174 on the numeric keypad for ®. Faster in most apps: type (r) and autocorrect turns it into ®. If that’s off, Windows + . opens the emoji panel — search “registered.”
Type ® on Mac
On a Mac, press Option + R for ®. It’s a single shortcut with no dead-key step. For ™ it’s Option + 2 and for © it’s Option + G, so the three main marks are each one keystroke away.
Type ® on iPhone and Android
Open the emoji keyboard and search “registered” to find ® (with ™ and © nearby). Many keyboards also convert (r) as you type. On iPhone the marks are in the emoji symbols section; on Android they’re in the emoji picker or symbols keyboard.
Type ® in Microsoft Word
The easy way: type (r) and Word’s AutoCorrect turns it into ® (the same trick gives ™ → ™ and (c) → ©). You can also type 00AE then Alt + X, or use the Windows Alt code, Alt + 0174.
Type ® on Linux
Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00ae, then Enter. With a Compose key, Compose then o then r also makes ®.
Add ® in HTML and CSS
In HTML, the mark is ® or the numeric ® (™ is ™). In CSS, a ® in a content value is the escaped code point \00AE.
You can’t use ® until your mark is registered
This is the single most important rule about the symbol, and it’s where people get into trouble. The ® is not a decoration you add to look official — it’s a legal claim that says “this mark is registered.” You may only use it once a trademark office has actually granted your registration.
Putting ® on a mark that isn’t registered is called false marking, and it’s against the law in the US and many other countries. The consequences are real: it can expose you to penalties, and, more practically, it can damage your own trademark application — an examiner or a court may view the false claim as bad faith. So if your registration is still pending, or you never filed, you must use ™, not ®. The ® waits until the certificate is in your hand.
® vs ™: when to make the switch
The two symbols mark the same brand at two different stages, so the practical question is when to move from ™ to ®. The timeline is simple once you see it.
Use ™ from the moment you start using the brand — before you file, while your application is pending, and for as long as it’s under examination. Only when the trademark office grants the registration do you switch to ®. Because examination commonly takes many months to a couple of years, most brands live under ™ for quite a while before earning the ®. There’s no rush and no downside to staying on ™; the risk is all in jumping to ® too early.
| Stage | Symbol to use |
|---|---|
| Using the brand, not yet filed | ™ |
| Application filed, pending | ™ |
| Registration granted | ® (now allowed) |
| Registration lapsed / abandoned | back to ™ |
® is territorial: it doesn’t cross borders
Here’s a subtlety that even experienced founders miss: a trademark registration is territorial. Your ® is only valid in the countries or regions where the mark is actually registered. A US registration lets you use ® in the United States — but strictly, it doesn’t give you the right to display ® in a country where you haven’t registered.
In practice this matters for anyone selling internationally or online. A brand registered only in the US, using ® on packaging that ships worldwide, is technically making a registration claim in places where it holds none — which can run into the same false-marking problems abroad. That’s why big brands register in many jurisdictions, and why some companies keep the ® off globally-distributed materials unless they’re covered everywhere it will be seen. If you’re expanding into new markets, the ® is a reminder that trademarks are a country-by-country affair, not a single worldwide right.
How you actually earn the ®
Since the ® depends on registration, it’s worth knowing roughly how registration works. You apply to a trademark office — the USPTO in the United States, the UKIPO in Britain, the EUIPO for the European Union — specifying the mark and the goods or services it covers. An examiner reviews it, checks for conflicts with existing marks, and the application is usually published so others can oppose it.
If it clears examination and any opposition period, the office grants the registration, and only then may you use ®. The whole process commonly takes several months to a couple of years, and registrations must be renewed periodically (often every ten years) or they lapse — at which point you’d have to stop using ®. This is a general outline, not legal advice; the exact steps, costs, and timelines vary by country, and a trademark attorney can guide a real application.
Where to put the ® and how to write it
The placement conventions mirror the other marks. The ® goes immediately after the registered mark, upper-right, with no space before it: BrandName®. It’s already a small raised glyph, so you don’t add superscript formatting on top.
You don’t need to stamp it on every mention either — marking the first or most prominent use on a page is the usual practice, then dropping it for readability. Attach it to the brand name itself, not the generic word that follows it. And use it only for the specific mark that’s registered: if you registered a word but not your logo, the ® belongs on the word.
® in code and HTML
On the web, write the mark as the entity ® (or numeric ®) so it survives any encoding, and don’t wrap it in <sup> — the character is already raised, and superscripting it makes it tiny. In a URL it’s percent-encoded as %C2%AE, and in code the escape is \u00AE.
If the mark ever appears as ® or a box, the page is being read in the wrong encoding; serve it as UTF-8 and it renders correctly.
Copy-paste HTML codes
Every code for the registered mark and its relatives in one place. Click a cell and copy.
| Symbol | Named entity | Numeric entity | URL (percent) code |
|---|---|---|---|
| ® | ® | ® | %C2%AE |
| ™ | ™ | ™ | %E2%84%A2 |
| ℠ | — | ℠ | %E2%84%A0 |
| © | © | © | %C2%A9 |
In a CSS content value, use \00AE for ®. For the unregistered side, see the [trademark symbol](/trademark-symbol/) guide; for creative works, the [copyright symbol](/copyright-symbol/) guide; and for typing marks across platforms, the [keyboard shortcuts for symbols](/keyboard-shortcuts-for-symbols/) hub.
Troubleshooting
My ® shows as ® or a box
That’s an encoding mismatch: the UTF-8 bytes for ® are being read as an older encoding. Set the file, database, and page charset to UTF-8 and ® displays correctly.
My (r) won’t turn into ®
Autocorrect is off or unsupported in that app. Turn on AutoCorrect in Word, or use Alt + 0174 on Windows, Option + R on a Mac, or copy ® from the grid above.
My ® looks tiny
You’ve probably wrapped the character in superscript on top of its already-raised design. Remove the <sup> or superscript formatting and use the plain ® character.
FAQ
How do I type the registered symbol?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0174. On a Mac, press Option + R. In Word or many apps, type (r) and it becomes ®. In HTML, write ®. Or click ® in the grid above.
Can I use ® before my trademark is registered?
No. You may only use ® once the mark is officially registered. Using it on an unregistered or pending mark is false marking, which is illegal in many countries and can harm your application. Use ™ until registration is granted.
What’s the difference between ® and ™?
™ can be used on any mark you’re claiming, with no registration. ® means the mark is officially registered and may only be used after that grant. So ™ comes first, ® after registration.
Does a US ® work in other countries?
Not on its own. Trademark registration is territorial, so your ® is valid only where the mark is actually registered. Selling internationally usually means registering in each market you care about. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do I need a space before ®?
No. The symbol goes immediately after the mark with no space, in the upper right, as in BrandName®. Don’t add superscript formatting, since the character is already raised and small.
