How to Type the Degree Symbol on Any Keyboard

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters you rarely need — until you suddenly need it constantly. Whether you're writing about temperature, geographic coordinates, or angles in a math document, hunting through character menus every time gets old fast. The good news: there are reliable keyboard shortcuts for every major platform. The catch: which method works best depends on your operating system, keyboard layout, and how often you actually use it.

What the Degree Symbol Actually Is

Before getting into shortcuts, it helps to know what you're dealing with. The degree symbol is a Unicode character (U+00B0) and also exists in older encoding standards like Latin-1. It looks like a small raised circle: °. It's distinct from the masculine ordinal indicator (º) and the ring diacritic (˚), which look similar but are different characters entirely — something that matters if you're working in scientific or academic contexts where precision counts.

Typing the Degree Symbol on Windows ⌨️

Windows offers several methods, and the right one depends on your keyboard and workflow.

Using Alt Codes (Number Pad Required)

The classic Windows approach uses Alt codes:

• Hold Alt, type 0176 on the numeric keypad, release Alt
• The ° symbol appears

This only works with a dedicated numeric keypad — not the number row at the top of your keyboard. Laptop users without a num lock–enabled keypad often hit a wall here.

Using the Character Map

Windows includes a built-in Character Map tool (search for it in the Start menu). You can find the degree symbol, copy it, and paste it wherever you need it. It's slow for repeated use but reliable as a one-off solution.

Using Windows Emoji & Symbol Panel

Press Win + . (Windows key + period) to open the emoji and symbol panel. Switch to the Omega (Ω) symbols tab, and you'll find the degree symbol there. This works on Windows 10 and 11 without any additional software.

Copy-Paste from a Search

Typing "degree symbol" into a browser search bar pulls it up instantly in most search engines. Copy and paste. Simple, but not efficient if you need it repeatedly.

Typing the Degree Symbol on macOS

Mac users have arguably the most straightforward method built right into the keyboard.

The Standard macOS Shortcut

Press Option + Shift + 8 — that's it. This inserts ° directly wherever your cursor is. It works system-wide across virtually every application, from Pages and Word to code editors and email clients.

Using the macOS Character Viewer

Go to Edit > Emoji & Symbols in most apps, or press Control + Command + Space. Search for "degree" and you'll see it immediately. You can also add it to your Favorites for faster access.

Typing the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad

On iOS and iPadOS, there's no dedicated degree key, but it's hidden in plain sight.

• Open any keyboard
• Long-press the 0 (zero) key
• A popup will appear with the degree symbol °
• Slide your finger to it and release

This works in messages, notes, emails, and most apps. No settings change required.

Typing the Degree Symbol on Android

Android behavior varies more by manufacturer and keyboard app, but the general approach:

• Switch to the numbers/symbols keyboard (tap 123 or ?123)
• Long-press the 0 key — on many keyboards this reveals °
• Alternatively, look in the special characters or more symbols section

If your default keyboard doesn't surface it easily, third-party keyboards like Gboard or SwiftKey tend to have broader symbol access and may handle this more cleanly.

Typing the Degree Symbol in Specific Applications

The Alt+X method in Word is particularly useful for power users: type the Unicode code point 00B0 and immediately press Alt+X — Word converts it to the symbol on the spot.

The Variables That Change Your Best Option 🖥️

A few factors determine which method is actually practical for you:

Keyboard hardware: Full-size keyboards with numeric keypads open up Alt code shortcuts. Compact and laptop keyboards often don't, making OS-level shortcuts or character panels more practical.

Operating system: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux each have different native shortcuts and tools. What's muscle memory on a Mac (Option+Shift+8) doesn't exist on Windows.

Application context: Typing in Word behaves differently than typing in a browser field, terminal, or spreadsheet. Some methods paste a formatted character; others insert raw Unicode that downstream software may handle inconsistently.

Frequency of use: If you type the degree symbol once a month, copy-paste from a browser search is perfectly reasonable. If you're writing temperature logs or scientific papers daily, learning a keyboard shortcut or setting up a text expansion macro (using tools like AutoHotkey on Windows or the built-in text replacement feature on Mac and iOS) pays off quickly. ⚡

Keyboard language/layout: Non-English keyboard layouts sometimes have the degree symbol on a dedicated key or a simpler key combination than English-layout keyboards do. If you regularly switch input languages, the available shortcuts shift accordingly.

There's no single answer that fits every setup — the most efficient method for you is shaped by which device you're on, what app you're working in, and how often you actually need that small circle sitting above the baseline.