How to Type the Degree Symbol on Any Device

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that almost everyone needs occasionally — whether you're writing about temperature, geographic coordinates, or angles — but it doesn't appear anywhere obvious on a standard keyboard. Here's exactly how to produce it across every major platform and device.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on Your Keyboard

Standard keyboards follow layouts designed decades ago, optimized for letters, numbers, and the most common punctuation. Specialized characters like °, ©, or € were left out to keep things manageable. Instead, every major operating system provides alternative input methods — some faster, some more reliable, depending on your setup and how often you need the symbol.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows

Windows offers several approaches, and which one works best depends on how you prefer to work.

Using Alt Codes (Numeric Keypad Required) Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad (not the number row), then release Alt. The ° symbol appears. This only works if your keyboard has a dedicated numeric keypad — laptop users without one often find this method unreliable or unavailable.

Using the Character Map Search for Character Map in the Start menu, find the degree symbol, and copy it to your clipboard. Slow for regular use, but useful if you only need it once.

Using Word's AutoCorrect or Insert Symbol In Microsoft Word and most Office apps, go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, find the degree symbol, and insert it. You can also assign it a keyboard shortcut from within that dialog.

Typing Directly with a Shortcut (Windows 10/11) The Windows emoji panel (Win + .) includes a symbols tab where you can search for and insert the degree symbol — no memorization required.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac 🍎

Mac makes this straightforward. Press Option + Shift + 8 and the ° symbol appears instantly. This works system-wide in virtually every app — text editors, browsers, email clients, and productivity tools. No setup needed.

If you're in a situation where that shortcut isn't responding (some remote desktop or third-party apps intercept modifier keys), you can also use Edit > Emoji & Symbols from the menu bar to search for "degree" and insert it directly.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad

On iOS and iPadOS, the degree symbol is tucked inside the number keyboard.

1. Tap a text field to open the keyboard
2. Tap 123 to switch to the number layout
3. Press and hold the zero (0) key
4. A popup appears with the ° symbol — slide your finger to it and release

This works across Messages, Notes, Mail, Safari address bars, and most third-party apps. The long-press method is consistent across iOS versions, though the exact visual style of the popup has changed slightly in different releases.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Android

Android varies more than iOS because keyboard behavior depends on both the Android version and whichever keyboard app is installed (Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, SwiftKey, etc.).

On Gboard (Google's default keyboard):

1. Tap ?123 to open the symbol layout
2. Tap =< for additional symbols
3. The ° symbol appears in that panel

Alternatively, on many Android keyboards, long-pressing the zero (0) in the number row also surfaces the degree symbol — the same pattern as iOS.

If your keyboard doesn't show it through either method, most Android keyboards let you access a full character picker or search within their settings.

How to Type the Degree Symbol in Linux

Linux users typically have two reliable options:

Using a Compose Key sequence: If you've configured a Compose key (common in GNOME and KDE setups), the sequence is Compose + o + o (press them in sequence, not simultaneously).

Using Unicode input: In many Linux applications, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00B0, then press Enter or Space. The Unicode code point for the degree symbol is U+00B0.

Behavior varies by desktop environment and input method framework, so results aren't always identical across distributions.

Copy-Paste as a Reliable Fallback

Across every platform, the simplest universal method is just copying the symbol directly: °

Bookmark a page that contains it, keep it in a notes file, or use a text expander tool (like PhraseExpress on Windows or Espanso cross-platform) that automatically replaces a short trigger like degr with ° as you type. For people who use the symbol regularly in technical writing, this kind of automation saves consistent friction.

HTML and Code Contexts

If you're writing HTML or working in a web content editor, use the HTML entity ° — it renders as ° in any browser and is the standard approach for web content. In CSS, the Unicode escape is 0B0. In most programming languages, you can reference the Unicode code point directly or insert the character as a literal string.

Comparing Methods at a Glance

The Variable That Changes Everything

The "best" method shifts depending on factors specific to your situation: whether you're on a desktop or mobile device, which keyboard app you use, how frequently you need the symbol, and whether you're writing in plain text, a word processor, or HTML. 🖥️

Someone typing temperatures into a spreadsheet all day benefits from a different solution than someone who needs the symbol once a month in an email. The same character, but the right input method depends entirely on your workflow.