How to Make the Degree Symbol on a Mac: Every Method Explained

Whether you're typing a temperature reading, noting an angle in a design document, or writing about geography, the degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that looks simple but isn't immediately obvious to find on a Mac keyboard. Here's every reliable method to insert it — and why the right approach depends on how and where you work.

The Fastest Method: Keyboard Shortcut

The quickest way to type the degree symbol on a Mac is with a single keyboard shortcut:

Option + Shift + 8

Press all three keys at the same time, and ° appears instantly — no menus, no searching. This works in nearly every application on macOS, including Pages, Word, Notes, Mail, and most text fields in browsers.

This shortcut is consistent across macOS versions and doesn't require any setup. For most everyday users who need the degree symbol occasionally, this is the only method worth memorizing.

Using the Character Viewer

macOS includes a built-in Character Viewer (sometimes called the Special Characters panel) that gives you access to thousands of symbols, including the degree symbol.

To open it:

1. Click into any text field
2. Press Control + Command + Space
3. A floating emoji and symbols panel appears
4. Search for "degree" in the search bar

You'll see the degree symbol (°) along with related characters like the degree Celsius (℃) and degree Fahrenheit (℉) symbols — which are distinct Unicode characters from the plain degree symbol.

The Character Viewer is especially useful if you're working with technical or scientific documents where precision matters. The standalone ° and the combined ℃/℉ characters render differently in some fonts and applications, so choosing the right one depends on your context.

Typing It Through the Menu Bar

You can also enable the Character Viewer icon directly in your menu bar for even faster access:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
2. Go to Keyboard
3. Enable "Show Input menu in menu bar" or "Show Keyboard and Character Viewers in menu bar" (label varies by macOS version)

Once enabled, a small keyboard or globe icon appears in your menu bar. Click it, select Character Viewer, and you can search or browse symbols without a keyboard shortcut.

This approach suits users who regularly insert special characters across different apps and prefer a visual, clickable interface over memorizing shortcuts.

Copy-Paste and Text Replacement

For users who need the degree symbol repeatedly but don't want to memorize a shortcut, macOS's built-in Text Replacement feature is worth setting up:

1. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements
2. Click the + button
3. Set a shortcut like deg or *d to automatically replace with °

After saving, any time you type your chosen shortcut followed by a space or punctuation, macOS swaps it for the degree symbol automatically. This works across most native macOS apps but may not function in all third-party or web-based applications, depending on how they handle text input.

Method Comparison at a Glance 🖥️

A Note on Degree Symbol Variants

Not all degree symbols are the same character. There are three you're likely to encounter:

• ° — The standard degree symbol (U+00B0), used for temperature, angles, and coordinates
• ℃ — Degree Celsius combined character (U+2103)
• ℉ — Degree Fahrenheit combined character (U+2109)

The Option + Shift + 8 shortcut produces the standard degree symbol (°). If you need the combined Celsius or Fahrenheit characters — which some technical style guides or publishing workflows require — you'll need to use the Character Viewer to find them specifically.

In most everyday writing, the standard ° paired with a C or F (like 72°F) is perfectly correct and universally readable. The distinction matters more in scientific publishing, coding environments, or specialized typography where character encoding is tightly controlled.

When the Shortcut Doesn't Work

In some applications — particularly certain web-based tools, remote desktop sessions, or custom-built software — the Option + Shift + 8 shortcut may not register correctly or may produce a different character depending on the keyboard layout active on your Mac.

If you're using a non-US keyboard layout (UK English, for example), the shortcut combination may differ or produce unexpected results. You can check your active keyboard layout under System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources.

In those cases, the Character Viewer is the most reliable fallback because it inserts the symbol by Unicode value rather than relying on keyboard mapping.

What Actually Determines the Right Method for You

The shortcut works beautifully for casual use, but which method fits best comes down to a few factors specific to your workflow:

• How often you need the degree symbol — occasional vs. dozens of times a day
• Which apps you work in — native macOS apps support Text Replacement reliably; web apps and third-party tools vary
• Whether precision matters — everyday writing vs. technical documents where the exact Unicode character is specified
• Your keyboard layout — non-US layouts can shift shortcut behavior in ways that make the Character Viewer more dependable ⌨️

The mechanics are straightforward once you know them. Whether the fastest method is also the right method for your particular setup is the piece only your own workflow can answer.