The same rectangle-and-arrow drawing carries both actions, on different platforms.
This is a genuine ambiguity in the convention rather than a misreading. A rectangle with an arrow leaving through its top edge means 'share' on some platforms and 'upload' on others, and nothing about the drawing settles which. The share icon's other form — three dots joined by lines — is unambiguous, and the arrow-into-a-tray upload icon likewise; the collision is only between the two box-and-arrow drawings.
The box-with-an-arrow drawing serves as a share control on some platforms and an upload control on others.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Share symbol | Upload symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | lines and dots, arrows | arrows, lines and dots |
| Symmetry | none | vertical |
| Share symbol | Upload symbol | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Passes the item to another app, person or service | Sends a file to a remote system |
| Unambiguous form | Three dots joined by two lines | An arrow rising out of a tray |
| Ambiguous form | A box with an arrow leaving the top | The same box-and-arrow drawing |
| How to tell | Context: a share sheet follows | Context: a file picker follows |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Upload symbol — The box-with-an-arrow drawing serves as a share control on some platforms and an upload control on others. | Commonly confused with Share symbol — The box-with-an-arrow drawing is used for both actions on different platforms. |
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what an icon marks and how widely a convention is followed, never for a claim that any body defines it.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what an icon marks and how widely a convention is followed, never for a claim that any body defines it.
Unicode Code Chart: Arrows (U+2190–U+21FF)
The Unicode Consortium · retrieved 2026-07-31
Authoritative for the character's code point, name and block only. Unicode assigns identity; it does not define what a symbol means in use.
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