Optical disk (CD)

💿 is the CD emoji: a shiny compact disc. It most often points to music, such as an album or a new release, and can stand for anything that comes on a disc, like a film or a game. The DVD has its own emoji, .

EmojiSince 2010

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What 💿 means

A compact disc, and by extension the music or media on it.

The picture is a disc seen from its shiny side: a silver circle with a hole in the middle, often with a rainbow sheen. Its official name is the broad "optical disk", so it fits any CD-style disc. In messages it usually means music: placed beside an artist or album title, it stands for the album itself. Because films, games and software also came on discs, it can point to those too.

It also carries a retro feel. For people who once burned mix CDs for friends, it can be a small wink at that era, and some use it simply as a shiny silver decoration.

What does it mean when someone sends 💿?

Usually "this album" or "this music"; read the words beside it.

"New album 💿 out Friday" means the release, not a plastic disc. Next to a film title it means that film on disc. If the format really matters, write CD, DVD or Blu-ray in words; the emoji doesn't settle it.

Casual and slightly retro; fits music chat and release news, not formal writing.

Part of collections

🎵

Music Emoji & Note Symbols

🎬

Movie & Film Emoji

What it means when someone sends it to you

3 readings

The album or release itself, often an announcement or a new purchase.

Don't confuse it with

📀

Dvd

The separate DVD emoji. Same round shape; many platforms tint it gold, but colours vary, so check the name if it matters.

💽

Computer Disk

Computer Disk shows a disc inside a casing, like a MiniDisc; 💿 is a bare silver disc.

Combination ideas

New album out.

Burning a mix CD.

Road-trip CD in the car.

Worth knowing

The rainbow on a real CD isn't paint: its data track is a spiral so tightly wound that it splits light into colours, much like a prism.
The compact disc was developed by Philips and Sony and first went on sale in Japan in 1982, reaching Europe and the US a few months later.