Webdings vs Wingdings – Differences Explained

What Are Wingdings? (Wingdings Definition, Meaning & Typeface Explanation)

Wingdings is a Microsoft dingbat typeface introduced in 1992. Designed by Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes, the creators of the Lucida type family, Wingdings replaces letters and numbers with a collection of icons. These symbols include arrows, stars, boxes, checkmarks, crosses, hand gestures, and decorative shapes.

Wingdings was created by combining three earlier symbol sets: Lucida Icons, Lucida Arrows, and Lucida Stars. The goal was to offer an easy way to insert visual symbols into documents at a time when emoji, vector icons, and standard Unicode symbols did not exist. Microsoft later expanded the family with Wingdings 2 and Wingdings 3, each providing additional categories of symbols.

Wingdings is not a written language and is not meant to be read phonetically. It simply maps keyboard keys to symbolic icons that can be used in documents, diagrams, labels, and visual elements.

What Are Webdings? (Webdings Font Meaning, Origin & Use)

Webdings is a symbol font released by Microsoft in 1997. It was created by Vincent Connare, David Berlow, and Ian Patterson with a specific purpose: to provide a standardized icon set for early web pages and internet applications.

Webdings contains pictograms such as envelopes, telephones, computers, globes, folders, transportation icons, communication symbols, and UI-related shapes. These symbols helped designers add web-friendly icons before modern icon libraries and emoji were widely available.

Unlike Wingdings, which focuses on arrows and ornamental symbols, Webdings is built around modern, interface-friendly iconography that aligns with websites, apps, and navigation elements.

Are Wingdings and Webdings the Same Font

Wingdings and Webdings are not the same font. Although both are Microsoft dingbat typefaces, they serve different purposes and contain different sets of symbols. Wingdings is built around arrows, decorative shapes, and pointing hands, while Webdings includes icons related to communication, navigation, locations, and digital interfaces.

The visual styles are different, the symbol sets are different, the designers are different, and the intended use cases are different. The only similarity is that both fonts replace keyboard characters with icons instead of letters.

Wingdings vs Webdings Differences (Full Comparison Table)

The table below shows the core differences between the two symbol fonts:

Complete Wingdings List vs Webdings List (Charts, Symbols, Alphabet & Copy-Paste)

Wingdings and Webdings do not contain traditional letters or numbers. Instead, each keyboard character is mapped to a symbol, making these typefaces useful for inserting arrows, pictograms, shapes, or interface-style icons. The following charts provide easy, copy-paste examples that represent the types of symbols included in each font.

Note: Rendered icons may vary slightly depending on your device or browser.

Wingdings Character List (Copy-Paste Examples)

Wingdings includes arrows, checkmarks, boxes, stars, geometric shapes, and hand gesture icons. Below is a representative set of commonly used Wingdings symbols:

These symbols demonstrate the range of decorative, geometric, and directional icons that Wingdings provides.

Webdings Character List (Copy-Paste Examples)

Webdings contains icons designed for web interfaces, including folders, communication symbols, navigation icons, and transportation pictograms. Below is a sample set of Webdings symbols:

These icons reflect the original purpose of Webdings as a web-navigation symbol set.

Arrows, Stars, Hearts & Other Icons in Webdings vs Wingdings

Wingdings and Webdings include different types of symbols depending on the design goals of each typeface. Below is a deeper look at some of the most commonly used icon categories and how they differ between the two fonts.

Arrows

Wingdings

Wingdings contains a large number of arrow symbols, including thin arrows, thick arrows, curved arrows, looped arrows, diagonal arrows, and multi-directional arrows. It is one of the most arrow-rich symbol fonts ever created.

Webdings

Webdings includes simpler, interface-style arrows intended for web navigation, such as next, back, and directional UI cues.

Stars

Wingdings

Wingdings includes decorative stars, sparkles, geometric stars, and stylized star variants.

Webdings

Webdings includes modern star icons usually meant for UI elements, ratings, and interface decoration.

Hearts

Wingdings

Wingdings includes basic heart icons and ornamental variations.

Webdings

Webdings includes hearts associated with communication, design elements, and UI symbolism.

Checkmarks & Crosses

Wingdings

Wingdings provides a wide selection of checkmarks, ballot boxes, X icons, and verification symbols.

Webdings

Webdings includes minimalistic checkmarks and cross symbols used in interface components.

Hand Icons

Wingdings

Wingdings includes pointing hands, raised hands, and gesture icons such as thumbs-up and thumbs-down.

Webdings

Webdings includes only very limited hand indicators, as its focus is on interface pictograms rather than gesture icons.

Circles, Boxes & Shapes

Wingdings

Wingdings includes circles, hollow circles, filled squares, hollow boxes, checkboxes, and geometric blocks.

Webdings

Webdings includes fewer geometric shapes, as its primary focus is modern pictograms rather than decorative glyphs.

History of Wingdings & Webdings (Microsoft Dingbat Evolution)

The evolution of Wingdings and Webdings reflects the early need for symbolic communication before emoji, vector icons, and Unicode standards became widespread.

Wingdings: The Beginning

Wingdings originated from three separate symbol fonts created by Bigelow & Holmes:

• Lucida Icons
• Lucida Arrows
• Lucida Stars

Microsoft combined these into the original Wingdings font in 1992, giving users an easy way to insert symbols into documents. Two additional expansions, Wingdings 2 and Wingdings 3, were later released to broaden the range of arrow and ornamental icons.

Wingdings quickly became a popular choice for diagrams, printed materials, instructional labels, and symbolic notations.

Webdings: Designed for the Web

Webdings was released in 1997 as a symbol set tailored to the rising popularity of websites and internet applications. It was designed by:

• Vincent Connare
• David Berlow
• Ian Patterson

The goal was to provide a consistent set of icons that could display reliably across browsers and platforms. Webdings included symbols for navigation, communication, transportation, and interface actions—many of which inspired early emoji and web iconography.

Why Does Wingdings Exist?

Wingdings was created to offer a fast, compact way to insert icons into documents during an era when standardized pictograms were not available. Instead of importing images or drawing symbols manually, users could type a letter and instantly get:

• Arrows
• Checkmarks
• Stars
• Boxes
• Hand gestures
• Decorative ornaments

Wingdings is not intended to be read as a language. It is a symbol font designed for quick iconographic expression inside documents, forms, diagrams, and visual layouts.

Where Will You Find Webdings and Wingdings?

Both Wingdings and Webdings are built-in system fonts available on most devices. You can use them across operating systems, office applications, and browsers without downloading anything.

Quick locations

• Windows: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Windows Character Map
• macOS: Font Book, Pages, Keynote, TextEdit, Microsoft Office for Mac
• Google Docs: Paste Wingdings/Webdings symbols or use Insert → Special Characters
• Browsers & PDFs: Most browsers and PDF viewers render these fonts correctly when the system includes them

How to Read, Translate or Convert Wingdings

Wingdings replaces normal letters with symbols, so decoding requires converting the icons back to their original characters.

How to decode Wingdings

1. Visit TextToolz’s Wingdings Translator
2. Paste the Wingdings symbols into the input box.
3. Set the Direction to “From Wingdings.”
4. Select the correct Wingdings version (Wingdings 1, Wingdings 2, or Wingdings 3).
5. Click Translate to convert the symbols into plain text.
6. Copy the decoded text and use it anywhere you need.

This method instantly restores readable text from any Wingdings message.

How to Read, Translate or Convert Webdings

Webdings uses icons instead of letters, so decoding is similar to Wingdings. You simply reverse the symbol mapping.

Steps to decode Webdings

1. Go to TextToolz’s Wingdings Translator
2. Paste your Webdings icons into the input area.
3. Set the Direction to “From Webdings.”
4. Choose Webdings as the symbol set (if available).
5. Click Translate to reveal the original characters.
6. Copy the result from the output and use it where needed.

Which Should You Use — Wingdings or Webdings?

Choose Wingdings if you need:

• Arrows
• Checkmarks and X symbols
• Geometric shapes
• Hand gestures
• Decorative document symbols

Choose Webdings if you need:

• Web UI icons
• Communication symbols (mail, phone, chat)
• Navigation pictograms
• Folder, document, or internet icons
• Interface graphics for mockups or digital layouts

Summary: Wingdings vs Webdings

Wingdings and Webdings are symbol fonts with different purposes. Wingdings is ideal for arrows, checkmarks, gestures, and decorative symbols. Webdings is better for modern pictograms and interface icons used in digital design. To convert or decode any Wingdings or Webdings message, use the Wingdings Translator on TextToolz.