Copy the shrug emoji and emoticon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The text shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ contains nine Unicode characters; it is not ASCII-only. 🤷 is a separate graphic emoji.
Fonts, spacing and markup can change the pasted appearance. Check the result in the destination; text replacement support also varies by app.
Copy it for quick reactions
Chats
Drop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ into Discord, Slack, WhatsApp or iMessage when the answer is uncertain or the plan is still open.
Comments
Use the text shrug in Reddit threads, GitHub issues or social replies when you want a dry "no idea" without adding a full sentence.
Work notes
Paste it in a commit message, bug note or plain-text document when the exact cause is unknown and the context is informal.
Shrug Emoji Meaning
"I don't know" — answering a question you have no real information on, like "when does it ship?"
- "I don't know" — answering a question you have no real information on, like "when does it ship?"
- "Whatever, your call" — stepping back from a low-stakes decision you genuinely don't care about, like where to eat.
- "It is what it is" — accepting an outcome you can't change, without sounding upset about it.
- "No idea how that happened" — reacting to a bug, typo, or weird result you can't explain.
- "Nothing I can do" — softening bad news when the situation is honestly out of your hands.
How to Use Shrug Emoji
Copy Shrug Emoji
Copy Shrug Emoji. Fonts, spacing and markup can change the pasted appearance. Check the result in the destination; text replacement support also varies by app.
Platform-specific typing tips
Fonts, spacing and markup can change the pasted appearance. Check the result in the destination; text replacement support also varies by app.
Paste it anywhere
Paste with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac) into Discord, Slack, X, email, docs, or a commit message.
Platform-specific typing tips
Type shrug text on Windows
- Create a text expander rule:
shrug→¯\_(ツ)_/¯. - Fonts, spacing and markup can change the pasted appearance. Check the result in the destination; text replacement support also varies by app.
Type shrug text on Mac
- System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements.
- Fonts, spacing and markup can change the pasted appearance. Check the result in the destination; text replacement support also varies by app.
Type shrug text on iPhone (iOS)
- Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement.
- Shortcut
shrug, phrase¯\_(ツ)_/¯. - Tap the suggestion to insert the shrug emoticon.
Type shrug text on Android
- Keyboard settings → Dictionary / Personal dictionary.
- Create an entry: shortcut
shrug, phrase¯\_(ツ)_/¯. - Your keyboard suggests the shrug text when you type
shrug.
Keep the shrug one word away
After copying, add shrug as a text replacement on your phone or computer so you can type ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ without reopening the page.
Shrug text ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ vs the 🤷 emoji — which to use
The text shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ contains nine Unicode characters; it is not ASCII-only. 🤷 is a separate graphic emoji.
Fonts, spacing and markup can change the pasted appearance. Check the result in the destination; text replacement support also varies by app.
Where people actually use the shrug
Discord, when a deploy breaks:
"staging is down again ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ rolling it back"
A git commit message:
fix: works on my machine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A Reddit reply about a removed post:
"mods took it down, no reason given ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
Frequently Asked Questions About Shrug Emoji
Are the text shrug and 🤷 the same?
The text shrug ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ contains nine Unicode characters; it is not ASCII-only. 🤷 is a separate graphic emoji.
Will the copied text look identical in every app?
Fonts, spacing and markup can change the pasted appearance. Check the result in the destination; text replacement support also varies by app.
Is the text shrug’s inventor verified?
This site has not verified an inventor or first post for the exact text shrug. The graphic 🤷 was added in Unicode 9.0 (2016).