How to Make a Degree Symbol on a Keyboard (Every Method Explained)
The degree symbol — ° — is one of those characters that doesn't live on any standard key, yet comes up constantly in temperature readings, coordinate notation, angle measurements, and scientific writing. The method you use to type it depends almost entirely on your operating system, keyboard layout, and the software you're working in.
Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on Standard Keyboards
Most keyboards follow a layout designed decades ago for general English text. Symbols used in specialized contexts — like °, ©, or ™ — were left off physical keys to keep things manageable. Instead, every major operating system provides at least one workaround, and most provide several.
How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows
Windows offers three reliable methods, each suited to a slightly different workflow.
Method 1: Alt Code (Numeric Keypad)
Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad (not the top-row number keys), then release Alt. The ° symbol appears.
This only works if:
- Your keyboard has a dedicated numeric keypad
- Num Lock is turned on
- The application you're typing in supports Alt codes (most do, including Word, Notepad, and browsers)
Laptop users without a numeric keypad often find this method frustrating or impossible without enabling a Fn-key workaround.
Method 2: Copy from Character Map
Open Character Map (search for it in the Start menu), find the degree symbol, and copy it. This is slow but always works, regardless of keyboard type.
Method 3: Windows Emoji Panel
Press Windows key + . (period) to open the emoji and symbols panel. Switch to the Symbols section and look under the Supplemental Symbols or Currency groupings. It takes a moment to locate, but works on any modern Windows 10 or 11 machine without a numeric keypad.
Method 4: AutoCorrect or Text Expansion
In apps like Microsoft Word, you can set up AutoCorrect to replace a custom string (e.g., deg) with °. Tools like AutoHotkey extend this to the entire operating system.
How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac
Mac makes this significantly more straightforward.
Keyboard Shortcut
Press Option + Shift + 8. That's it — ° appears immediately in virtually any application.
This works system-wide: browsers, word processors, notes apps, code editors. No mode switching, no panels to open.
Alternate: Character Viewer
Go to Edit → Emoji & Symbols (or press Control + Command + Space) to open the Character Viewer. Search "degree" and double-click the symbol to insert it.
How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad 📱
On the iOS/iPadOS keyboard, press and hold the zero (0) key. A popup appears with the degree symbol as one of the options. Slide to select it.
This is a hidden feature most users don't discover on their own — nothing about the key visually suggests it's there.
How to Type the Degree Symbol on Android
Android behavior varies by keyboard app, but the most common approach:
- Tap the ?123 key to switch to the numbers/symbols layout
- Look for ° directly on that panel, or tap =< for a second symbols page
On Gboard (Google's default keyboard), the degree symbol is typically on the second symbols page. On Samsung Keyboard, it appears on the first symbols page. Third-party keyboards like SwiftKey may place it differently.
How to Insert a Degree Symbol in Specific Applications
| Application | Method |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | Alt + 0176, or Insert → Symbol |
| Google Docs | Insert → Special Characters → search "degree" |
| Excel | Alt + 0176 works; useful in custom number formats |
| HTML/web | Use the entity ° or the Unicode ° |
| LaTeX | Use degree (with the gensymb package) or ^circ |
| Python / code | Unicode escape: u00B0 |
The Unicode code point for the degree symbol is U+00B0. In any application that supports Unicode input directly, you can type this value and convert it — though the exact method varies by app and OS.
Variables That Change Which Method Works for You
Several factors determine which approach is actually practical:
- Keyboard type — Full-size keyboards with numeric keypads open up Alt code options that compact laptop keyboards don't support natively
- Operating system — Mac's Option+Shift+8 shortcut doesn't exist on Windows; the Windows emoji panel doesn't exist on Mac
- Frequency of use — If you're typing ° dozens of times a day, a text expansion shortcut or AutoCorrect rule saves real time; if it's occasional, copy-paste or the character panel is fine
- Application context — HTML and LaTeX have their own entity systems entirely separate from OS-level shortcuts
- Mobile vs. desktop — Touch keyboards on phones and tablets use press-and-hold and symbol panels rather than key combinations
🖥️ Heavy writers and technical users often land on different solutions than casual users who need the symbol once a month.
The Spectrum of Use Cases
Someone writing academic papers about geographic coordinates has different needs than a chef typing recipes in a notes app, or a developer embedding temperature values in a web app. Each scenario favors a different method:
- Frequent desktop use → learn the OS-level keyboard shortcut cold
- Occasional desktop use → emoji/character panel or copy-paste
- Mobile → press-hold on the zero key
- Web development → HTML entity
° - Programmatic use → Unicode escape sequence
The right method isn't universal — it's whichever one fits how often you need the symbol, on which device, and in which app. Once you know what's available across your specific setup, the friction disappears almost entirely.