Smileys & Emotion · Emoji 1.0

☠️Skull and Crossbones Emoji

Generally, the ☠️ means something is dangerous, serious, or potentially harmful. It's a visual warning.

The ☠️ emoji is a skull and crossbones.

Download PNG / SVG
Unicode
U+2620 U+FE0F
Released
2015
Shortcode
:skull_and_crossbones:
Skin tones
No
U+2620 U+FE0FYour device
☠️

01 — Meaning

What does the ☠️ Skull and Crossbones emoji mean?

In plain english
Generally, the ☠️ means something is dangerous, serious, or potentially harmful. It's a visual warning. ☠️ sits in goth emojis, where it is listed next to everything used the same way. It also turns up in creepy emojis, poison emoji and funny emojis.
Where it comes from
The ☠️ emoji is a skull and crossbones. It’s often used to represent death, danger, or something toxic. People use it when they want to express something serious or dramatic. It can also be used playfully, like in pirate-themed conversations or as a dark joke.
Also known as

People search for it under a lot of different names. All of these point at the same character.

bone emojicrossbones emojidead emojideath emojiface emojimonster emojiskull emoji

People also look for it as bone emoji.

02 — Platforms

Skull and Crossbones emoji on iPhone, Android, WhatsApp and X

Same code on both ends, different drawing on each screen — here is the skull and crossbones as 9 vendors ship it.

Skull and Crossbones emoji on Apple
AppleiPhone, iPad, macOS
Skull and Crossbones emoji on Google
GoogleAndroid, Gmail, Chrome
Skull and Crossbones emoji on Twitter / X
Twitter / XX, Discord, Twemoji apps
Skull and Crossbones emoji on Facebook
FacebookFacebook, Messenger
Skull and Crossbones emoji on OpenMoji
OpenMojiOpen-source, design systems
Skull and Crossbones emoji on Samsung
SamsungGalaxy, One UI
Skull and Crossbones emoji on Microsoft
MicrosoftWindows, Teams, Fluent
Skull and Crossbones emoji on WhatsApp
WhatsAppWhatsApp on Android
Skull and Crossbones emoji on JoyPixels
JoyPixelsSlack, Discord themes

See the whole set the way each system draws it — iPhone emojis, Android emojis, WhatsApp emojis and Discord emojis.

03 — Copy & codes

Skull and Crossbones emoji copy and paste

Everything here is the same character in different notation — including the shortcode chat apps know it by, :skull_and_crossbones:.

All emoji copy and paste →

In your code

Different notation, one result: whichever escape you paste, what comes out is U+2620.

04 — How to type

How to type the ☠️ Skull and Crossbones emoji

Where the emoji key lives on each system — and the codes for when there is no picker at all.

iPhone & iPad
Tap the smiley or globe key at the bottom-left of the keyboard, then search “skull and crossbones”. No emoji key? Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Emoji.
Android
On Gboard tap the smiley key, or long-press the Enter or comma key. On Samsung Keyboard the emoji button sits behind the gear icon.
Windows & Mac
Windows: press Win + . for the emoji panel. Mac: Control + Command + Space. Then type “skull and crossbones”.
Slack & Discord
Type the shortcode :skull_and_crossbones: and it converts to ☠️ as you send. The full set is on the Discord emoji page.
Websites & code
In HTML use ☠️, in CSS \2620\FE0F, in JavaScript \u{2620}\u{FE0F}.
No picker to hand? The online emoji keyboard works in any browser, and every character on the site is listed on emoji copy and paste.

05 — Download

Skull and Crossbones emoji PNG and SVG

Transparent PNG and SVG for thumbnails, decks and design files — one file per vendor, which makes 9. Artwork belongs to whoever drew it, so check the licence before commercial use.

Emoji PNG library →
Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, Apple style Apple PNG · 160px Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, Google style Google PNG · 160px Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, Twitter / X style Twitter / X SVG vector Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, Facebook style Facebook PNG · 64px Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, OpenMoji style OpenMoji SVG vector Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, Samsung style Samsung PNG · 64px Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, Microsoft style Microsoft PNG · 64px Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, WhatsApp style WhatsApp PNG · 64px Download Skull and Crossbones emoji, JoyPixels style JoyPixels PNG · 64px

06 — Combinations

Skull and Crossbones emoji combinations

Ready-made combos built around skull and crossbones for bios, captions and comments. Tap to copy.

All combinations →
Mood skull and crossbones combos
Dark skull and crossbones combos
Cool skull and crossbones combos
Cute skull and crossbones combos
Aesthetic skull and crossbones combos
Party skull and crossbones combos
Love skull and crossbones combos
Flex skull and crossbones combos
Unhinged skull and crossbones combos
Soft skull and crossbones combos
Late night skull and crossbones combos
Summer skull and crossbones combos
Gaming skull and crossbones combos
Y2K skull and crossbones combos

Want two emojis fused into one sticker instead of set side by side? Emoji Kitchen does that for every pair Google has drawn, and there are more ready-made pairs in emoji combinations and aesthetic emoji combos.

07 — In conversation

What ☠️ means from a girl or a guy

Who sent the skull and crossbones and what came before it change the reading more than the emoji itself does.

From a girl
If a girl sends you ☠️, she might be playfully flirting with you, or she could be expressing a serious feeling like sadness or anger. It can also mean she finds something funny or dark. It’s best to consider the context of your conversation.
From a guy
If a guy sends you ☠️, he could be trying to be edgy or funny. He might be warning you about something, or he could simply be using it as a shock tactic. Again, read the conversation to understand his intent.
How to reply
If someone sends you ☠️, you could reply with: “Seriously? ☠️”, “Don’t do it ☠️”, “Okay, okay, I’m scared ☠️”, or “Let’s not be dramatic ☠️”.
Used in a sentence

08 — Apps

What ☠️ means on TikTok, WhatsApp and Discord

One code point, several readings — where the skull and crossbones lands changes how it is taken.

TikTok & Instagram
Generally, the ☠️ means something is dangerous, serious, or potentially harmful. It's a visual warning. In comments and captions it is read the same way — the tone comes from what it sits next to.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp draws ☠️ with Apple-style artwork on every phone, so it looks identical for both sides. A message with only ☠️ in it is shown enlarged.
Discord & Slack
Both accept the shortcode :skull_and_crossbones:. Discord renders Twemoji, so ☠️ looks different there than on your phone.
Outlook & email
Outlook has no emoji picker on desktop — press Win + . or Control + Command + Space inside the message body, or paste ☠️ from the copy button above.

10 — Difference

☠️ vs 💀 — what is the difference?

Two emojis that get mixed up constantly. They are different characters with different names.

☠️ Skull and Crossbones

Unicode name: Skull and Crossbones

Code: U+2620 U+FE0F · added 2015

Shortcode: :skull_and_crossbones:

Generally, the ☠️ means something is dangerous, serious, or potentially harmful.

💀 Skull

Unicode name: Skull

Code: U+1F480 · added 2010

Shortcode: :skull:

Generally, 💀 means “I’m dead.”

Open 💀 Skull →

11 — History

Where the ☠️ Skull and Crossbones emoji came from

It arrived with the 1.0 release of the standard, which dates the skull and crossbones to 2015.

2015
Added to the standard

Skull and Crossbones was approved as U+2620 U+FE0F and shipped in Emoji 1.0 (2015). Phones usually get new artwork about a year after approval, in a system update.

Today
Drawn 9 different ways

Every vendor keeps its own artwork, so ☠️ is redrawn by Apple, Google, Twitter / X, Facebook, OpenMoji, Samsung, Microsoft, WhatsApp, JoyPixels. The character you send never changes — only the picture does.

12 — FAQ

Skull and Crossbones emoji — questions people actually ask

What does the ☠️ Skull and Crossbones emoji mean?
Generally, the ☠️ means something is dangerous, serious, or potentially harmful. It's a visual warning.
What does ☠️ mean from a girl?
If a girl sends you ☠️, she might be playfully flirting with you, or she could be expressing a serious feeling like sadness or anger. It can also mean she finds something funny or dark. It’s best to consider the context of your conversation.
What does ☠️ mean from a guy?
If a guy sends you ☠️, he could be trying to be edgy or funny. He might be warning you about something, or he could simply be using it as a shock tactic. Again, read the conversation to understand his intent.
How do you reply to the ☠️ emoji?
If someone sends you ☠️, you could reply with: “Seriously? ☠️”, “Don’t do it ☠️”, “Okay, okay, I’m scared ☠️”, or “Let’s not be dramatic ☠️”.
What else is the ☠️ emoji called?
Skull and Crossbones is the official Unicode name, but people search for it as “bone emoji”, “crossbones emoji”, “dead emoji”, “death emoji”, “face emoji”, “monster emoji” and more. They all refer to the same character, U+2620 U+FE0F.
What is the Unicode code for ☠️?
The Skull and Crossbones emoji is U+2620 U+FE0F, added in Emoji 1.0 (2015). In HTML you can write it as ☠️, and in CSS as \2620\FE0F.
How do I copy and paste the ☠️ emoji?
Tap the copy button at the top of this page — ☠️ goes straight to your clipboard and pastes into Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Discord or any text field. You can also copy its shortcode :skull_and_crossbones: for Slack and Discord.
Does ☠️ look the same on every phone?
No. Skull and Crossbones is drawn separately by each vendor — Apple, Google, Twitter / X, Facebook, OpenMoji, Samsung, Microsoft, WhatsApp and JoyPixels all ship their own artwork for U+2620. The character you send is identical; only the picture changes.