How to Make the Degree Symbol on a Keyboard (Every Platform Covered)

The degree symbol — ° — is one of those characters that doesn't have a dedicated key on most keyboards, yet it comes up constantly: temperature readings, geographic coordinates, angle measurements, and academic writing all use it regularly. The good news is that every major operating system has at least one reliable way to type it. The method that works best depends on your platform, keyboard layout, and how often you need it.

Why There's No Dedicated Degree Key

Standard keyboards follow layouts — most commonly QWERTY — designed decades ago around the most frequently typed characters. The degree symbol didn't make the cut for a dedicated key, so it lives in a secondary layer accessible through shortcuts, special input methods, or character maps. Some keyboards do include it as a secondary character on a number key (common on European layouts), but most don't.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows ⌨️

Windows offers several methods, and which one suits you depends on how your keyboard is set up.

Using Alt Codes (Numeric Keypad Required)

The classic Windows method uses Alt codes:

1. Make sure Num Lock is on
2. Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad
3. Release Alt — the ° symbol appears

This only works with a full numeric keypad, not the number row at the top of the keyboard. Laptop users without a dedicated numpad often find this method frustrating or impossible without first enabling a numpad layer via Fn key combinations.

Using the Character Map

Windows includes a built-in Character Map utility:

1. Press Windows key, search for Character Map
2. Find the degree symbol, click it, then Copy and Paste

This works on any keyboard but is slow if you need the symbol repeatedly.

Using AutoCorrect or Text Replacement

In Microsoft Word and some other apps, you can set up an AutoCorrect rule — for example, typing deg automatically replaces with °. This is a practical solution for writers who use the symbol regularly in specific applications.

Copy-Paste Shortcut

Simply copying ° from a browser or document and pasting it where needed is underrated as a quick fix — particularly for one-off uses.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac

Mac makes this notably straightforward:

• Press Option + Shift + 8

That's it. This keyboard shortcut works system-wide across virtually all applications on macOS, no numeric keypad required.

If you forget the shortcut, the Special Characters viewer is always available via Edit > Emoji & Symbols in most apps, where you can search "degree" and insert it directly.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad

On iOS and iPadOS keyboards:

1. Tap and hold the zero (0) key on the number row
2. A pop-up will appear showing the ° symbol
3. Slide your finger to it and release

This works on the standard English keyboard. If your keyboard layout is different, the long-press behavior may vary.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Android

Android follows a similar pattern, though it varies slightly by keyboard app:

• On Gboard (Google's default keyboard): Switch to the numbers view (?123), then long-press the zero (0) key to reveal the degree symbol
• On Samsung keyboard: Similar approach — numbers view, long-press zero

Third-party keyboards like SwiftKey follow comparable logic, though the exact placement can differ.

How to Insert the Degree Symbol on Linux

Linux users have a couple of reliable options:

• Compose key method: If a Compose key is configured, press Compose, o, o (two lowercase o's) to produce °
• Unicode input: In many GTK applications, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00B0, then press Enter
• Direct copy from Unicode charts also works universally

The availability of these methods depends on your desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, etc.) and how your input settings are configured.

Quick Reference: Degree Symbol by Platform

The Unicode Value Worth Knowing

The degree symbol's Unicode code point is U+00B0. Knowing this is useful if you're working in code editors, HTML (where ° renders as °), or any environment that accepts direct Unicode input. In HTML and web publishing, using the named entity ° or the numeric entity ° is more reliable than pasting the character directly, since encoding issues can sometimes corrupt special characters.

Variables That Affect Which Method Works for You 🖥️

Several factors determine which approach is actually practical:

• Keyboard type: Full keyboards with numeric keypads open up Alt code methods on Windows; compact or laptop keyboards often don't support them reliably
• Operating system and version: Shortcut availability and character input tools differ between OS versions
• Application context: Some apps (like Microsoft Word) have their own AutoCorrect and symbol insertion tools that override or supplement system-level shortcuts
• Keyboard language/layout: Non-English layouts sometimes include the degree symbol as a direct secondary character, making it trivially easy — or place symbols in unexpected locations
• Usage frequency: Someone who types temperatures constantly has different needs than someone who needs the symbol once a month

A developer embedding degree symbols in code has a different optimal method than a teacher typing up a worksheet, and both differ from a mobile user quickly texting the weather forecast. The right approach is less about which method is "best" in the abstract and more about which fits naturally into how you actually work.