what does this symbol mean?

Power and device symbols

The power, connection, media and status symbols on devices and remote controls, and what each one means.

Power and device symbols are the on and off symbols, power buttons and small icons on electronics and remote controls: power, connections, media controls and status. The on and off symbols come from IEC 60417, the International Electrotechnical Commission’s graphical symbols for use on equipment, which is also published as ISO 7000. IEEE 1621, a standard for the power controls of office and consumer electronics, added the crescent moon for sleep. Each symbol below has its own page.

Power 5 symbols

Connections 5 symbols

Media controls 5 symbols

Status 2 symbols

On and off symbols

A line is on and a circle is off, IEC 60417-5007 and 5008, often seen together on a rocker switch. A line inside a circle is one button for on and off, IEC 60417-5010. The circle broken by a line is IEC 60417-5009, and the crescent moon is sleep.

Differences by standard

IEC 60417 calls the broken circle standby, for a switch that does not fully disconnect the device from the mains. IEEE 1621 calls it power, the way most people read it, and keeps the line in a closed circle for a switch that always goes fully off. The 2014 proposal that added the power symbols to Unicode notes the disagreement, and Unicode’s chart gives the broken circle both readings.

Media controls and connections

ISO and the IEC settled on the right-pointing triangle for play, which points the way tape ran on early tape recorders, from the left reel to the right. The USB trident and the Bluetooth rune come from the industry groups behind each technology, the USB Implementers Forum and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

Sources

  1. Proposal to Include IEC Power Symbols, Unicode document L2/14-009 (Terence Eden, Joe Loughry and Bruce Nordman), 23 January 2014, Unicode Consortium document register, section 1, section 6
  2. ISO/IEC/JTC1 Graphical Symbols for Office Equipment, Table of IEC 60417, ISO 7000 and ISO/IEC 13251 power symbols, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Internet Archive copy)
  3. The Power Control User Interface Standard, Consultant report P500-03-012F (Alan K. Meier and Bruce Nordman), December 2002, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the California Energy Commission (Internet Archive copy), Executive summary; Attachment I, Table 1
  4. Miscellaneous Technical, Range: 2300–23FF (code chart), The Unicode Standard, Unicode Consortium, U+23FB
  5. Play, pause, rewind – where do these universal media symbols come from?, Jason Kennedy, Auckland University of Technology, 20 July 2026, The Conversation
  6. USB-IF frequently asked questions, USB Implementers Forum
  7. Brand your product (Bluetooth trademarks), Bluetooth Special Interest Group

Last reviewed September 26, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research