How to Make the Degree Sign in Microsoft Word

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that's genuinely useful — for temperatures, angles, geographic coordinates — yet it doesn't have its own dedicated key on most keyboards. Microsoft Word gives you several ways to insert it, ranging from keyboard shortcuts to menu-based tools. Which method works best depends on how often you need it, what kind of document you're working on, and how your system is configured.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't Directly on Your Keyboard

Standard keyboards are laid out to cover the most frequently typed characters. Symbols like °, ©, and ™ are used often enough to matter but not so constantly that they earned a dedicated key. Instead, operating systems and applications like Word provide alternative input methods to reach them.

In Word specifically, you have at least four reliable paths to the degree sign. Each has tradeoffs.

Method 1: The Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest for Regular Use)

The quickest method in Word is a built-in keyboard shortcut:

Press Ctrl + Shift + @, then press Space

This produces the ° character directly in your document. It works in most versions of Microsoft Word on Windows, including Word 2016, 2019, and Microsoft 365.

One important note: this shortcut is Word-specific. It won't work in Notepad, browsers, or other applications.

On a Mac, Word follows a different shortcut. Try:

Option + Shift + 8

This is actually an OS-level shortcut and works across many Mac applications, not just Word.

Method 2: Unicode or ASCII Code Entry

If you're comfortable with numeric input, you can type the degree symbol using its character code.

On Windows:

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

This is an Alt code method and relies on your keyboard having a numeric keypad. Laptop keyboards without a dedicated numpad may handle this differently or require enabling a virtual numpad through the Fn key. Results vary by hardware.

Alternatively, in Word specifically, you can type the Unicode code point:

1. Type 00B0 (that's zero-zero-B-zero)
2. Immediately press Alt + X
3. Word converts it to °

This Unicode input method is Word-exclusive and works cleanly without needing Num Lock or a numpad.

Method 3: Insert Symbol Menu (Most Reliable, Any Setup)

If shortcuts feel unreliable on your hardware, the Insert Symbol dialog is a guaranteed fallback:

1. Click the Insert tab in the Word ribbon
2. Select Symbol (far right of the ribbon)
3. Choose More Symbols…
4. In the Font dropdown, select a standard font like Arial or Times New Roman
5. In the Subset dropdown, select Latin-1 Supplement
6. Find the ° symbol and double-click it

This inserts the degree sign regardless of your keyboard type, language settings, or hardware. It's slower for frequent use, but it's universal. 🎯

You can also set a custom shortcut from this dialog — click Shortcut Key… to assign any key combination you prefer, making future insertions instant.

Method 4: AutoCorrect (Best for High-Frequency Use)

If you find yourself typing degree symbols constantly — say, in scientific documents or engineering reports — AutoCorrect can automate the process:

1. Go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options
2. In the Replace field, type a shorthand like (deg)
3. In the With field, paste or insert the ° symbol
4. Click Add, then OK

From then on, every time you type (deg) and press Space, Word replaces it with °. You can choose any trigger text that doesn't conflict with words you normally type.

Comparing the Methods at a Glance

A Few Variables That Affect Which Method Works

Keyboard layout and language settings matter more than most people expect. If Word is set to a non-English keyboard layout, the Ctrl+Shift+@ shortcut may behave differently because the @ key's position varies across layouts. French, German, and Spanish keyboards in particular place @ on different keys.

Laptop vs. desktop hardware changes the Alt code picture entirely. On a compact laptop without a physical numpad, Alt codes either require activating an overlay numpad (usually through Fn + Num Lock) or simply don't work as expected. The Unicode method or ribbon-based approach often works more reliably in those cases.

Word version plays a smaller role — the core methods above have been consistent across modern versions — but very old versions of Word (pre-2007) use a different ribbon structure, so Insert Symbol is reached slightly differently.

Copy-paste is worth mentioning as a last resort. You can copy ° from any web page (including this one) and paste it into Word. It will paste correctly as long as your document font supports the character, which virtually all standard fonts do. ✅

The Degree Symbol in Context

It's also worth knowing that the degree sign (°) is distinct from the masculine ordinal indicator (º), which looks nearly identical but is a different Unicode character. If you're pulling the symbol from the Insert Symbol menu, double-check you're selecting Degree Sign (U+00B0), not the ordinal (U+00BA). In most fonts the visual difference is subtle, but they're treated differently in technical documents, data exports, and screen readers.

Similarly, some fonts render ° slightly differently in size and position. If your degree symbol looks misaligned next to numbers, checking the font used in that section of your document often resolves it. 🔎

How smoothly any of these methods integrates into your workflow depends on your specific keyboard, Word version, how often you need the symbol, and whether you're working in a language-specific environment — all factors only visible from where you're sitting.