Moving ASCII art
Loading Spinner
The classic one-character spinner cycling through the pipe, slash, dash and backslash.
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About the animation
What it is
The classic one-character spinner cycling through the pipe, slash, dash and backslash.
The smallest possible progress animation — perfect for CLI output, log lines or a status label.
Motion guide
How the loading spinner animation works
A vertical bar rotates visually through slash, dash and backslash before returning to the start. Because each frame is one character wide, the cursor can stay in the same column throughout the loop.
Implementation tip
Write a carriage return before each new frame instead of adding a line break. Ten frames per second feels responsive; slower rates make the rotation look like separate punctuation marks.
Best uses
- 01
Command-line progress feedback
- 02
Compact status labels
- 03
Scripts with an unknown completion percentage
Use the frames
How to run the loading spinner animation
- 01
Copy the frame set
Copy all 4 frames at once, or take individual frames from the reference list below.
- 02
Display them in order
Use a timer in your script or bot to advance through the frames at about 10 frames per second.
- 03
Replace the previous frame
Write a carriage return before each new frame instead of adding a line break. Ten frames per second feels responsive; slower rates make the rotation look like separate punctuation marks.
Frame by frame
Every frame
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Common questions
About this ASCII animation
What is the loading spinner ASCII animation?
The classic one-character spinner cycling through the pipe, slash, dash and backslash. A vertical bar rotates visually through slash, dash and backslash before returning to the start. Because each frame is one character wide, the cursor can stay in the same column throughout the loop.
Does copying the frames make them animate?
No. The copied text contains each of the 4 drawings, while your terminal, app or bot supplies the timer and replaces one frame with the next. Write a carriage return before each new frame instead of adding a line break. Ten frames per second feels responsive; slower rates make the rotation look like separate punctuation marks.
Can I change the playback speed?
Yes. The preview uses 10 fps as a readable starting point. A shorter delay feels faster, while a longer delay makes each frame easier to inspect.
Where does the loading spinner animation fit?
The smallest possible progress animation — perfect for CLI output, log lines or a status label. It suits command-line progress feedback, compact status labels, scripts with an unknown completion percentage.
Also known as
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