How to Type the Degree Sign (°) on Any Device

The degree sign (°) is one of those characters that doesn't live on a standard keyboard — yet you need it constantly for temperatures, angles, coordinates, and academic writing. The good news is that every major operating system has a reliable way to produce it. The method that works best for you depends on your device, OS, and how often you actually need the symbol.

What Is the Degree Sign, Exactly?

The degree sign is the small superscript circle character: °. It's a distinct Unicode character (U+00B0), which means it's not the same as a superscript letter "o," an ordinal indicator, or a masculine ordinal symbol — even though they can look similar in some fonts. Using the correct character matters if your content is going into documents, code, or anywhere it needs to render or sort correctly.

Typing the Degree Sign on Windows ⌨️

Windows gives you several routes depending on how your keyboard is set up and how quickly you need the symbol.

Alt Code (Numeric Keypad Required) Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad (not the number row), then release Alt. The ° character appears. This only works if your keyboard has a dedicated numeric keypad and Num Lock is on.

Character Map Open the Start menu, search for Character Map, find the degree symbol, click Copy, then paste it where you need it. Slow for frequent use, but reliable.

Windows Emoji Panel Press Win + . (period) to open the emoji panel. Search "degree" and it should appear under symbols.

AutoCorrect / Text Replacement In Microsoft Word, you can set up AutoCorrect so that typing something like deg automatically becomes °. This is a popular option for writers who use the symbol regularly.

Typing the Degree Sign on Mac

macOS makes this straightforward.

Keyboard Shortcut Press Option + Shift + 8. That's it — ° appears instantly. This works system-wide in almost every app.

Special Characters Viewer Go to Edit > Emoji & Symbols (or press Control + Command + Space) in most apps. Search "degree" and double-click the symbol to insert it.

The Option + Shift + 8 shortcut is fast enough that most Mac users never need another method.

Typing the Degree Sign on iPhone and Android 📱

iPhone (iOS) On the default iOS keyboard, tap the 123 key to switch to numbers and symbols. Then press and hold the zero (0) key. A small popup appears with the degree sign (°). Slide to it and release.

Android The process varies slightly by keyboard app and manufacturer. On most Android keyboards:

• Switch to the numbers layout
• Long-press the 0 key — the degree symbol often appears as a pop-up option

If you use a third-party keyboard like Gboard or SwiftKey, the behavior is similar: long-pressing 0 on the numeric layout typically reveals °. Some keyboards may organize it differently under a "symbols" layer.

Typing the Degree Sign in Specific Contexts

HTML / Web Development Use the HTML entity ° or the numeric reference °. Both render as ° in browsers.

Microsoft Word (Any Platform) Type 00B0 then immediately press Alt + X (Windows only). Word converts the Unicode code point to the character on the spot.

Google Docs Use Insert > Special Characters, search for "degree," and insert from there. Or use whatever OS-level shortcut applies to your system — Google Docs accepts them.

LaTeX In LaTeX, the degree sign requires a package approach. Common options include using degree from the gensymb package or extdegree from textcomp.

Why the "Right" Method Varies

A few factors determine which approach actually fits your workflow:

• Keyboard type — Laptops without a numeric keypad can't use Windows Alt codes reliably
• How often you need it — Occasional use favors copy-paste or system panels; frequent use warrants a shortcut or AutoCorrect rule
• Which app you're working in — Some apps intercept shortcuts or don't accept character map paste cleanly
• Mobile vs. desktop — Touch keyboards follow completely different input logic
• Operating system — Mac and Windows shortcuts don't transfer between platforms

Someone writing temperature data into spreadsheets all day has different needs than a student typing a single lab report. A developer embedding ° into HTML has a different context than someone texting a recipe.

The Characters That Look Similar (But Aren't) 🔍

It's worth knowing these aren't interchangeable with °:

Most applications and fonts render these similarly at small sizes, but they're distinct characters with different semantic meanings. For anything beyond casual typing — documents, databases, code — using U+00B0 specifically is the correct choice.

The method that actually suits your situation comes down to what device you're on, which application you're working in, and how frequently you need the symbol. Those specifics are what determine whether a keyboard shortcut, a text expansion rule, or a simple copy-paste workflow makes the most sense for your setup.