How to Type the Degree Symbol on a Mac (Every Method Explained)

The degree symbol — ° — is one of those characters that isn't printed on any key, yet comes up constantly in temperature readings, geographic coordinates, angle measurements, and scientific notation. On a Mac, there are several reliable ways to insert it, and which one works best depends on what you're doing and how often you need it.

The Fastest Method: Keyboard Shortcut

For most Mac users, the quickest way to type a degree symbol is with a keyboard shortcut:

Option + Shift + 8

Press and hold Option and Shift simultaneously, then tap 8. The ° symbol appears instantly, right where your cursor is. No menus, no searching, no copy-pasting.

This shortcut works across virtually all native macOS applications — Pages, TextEdit, Notes, Mail, Safari address bars, and more. It's worth memorizing if you type the degree symbol with any regularity.

🔑 Quick reference:Option + Shift + 8 = °

Using the Character Viewer for a More Visual Approach

If keyboard shortcuts aren't your thing, macOS has a built-in Character Viewer (sometimes called the Emoji & Symbols picker) that gives you access to the full Unicode character library, including the degree symbol.

How to open it:

• Click the Edit menu in most apps → Emoji & Symbols
• Or press Control + Command + Space to open it as a floating panel
• On some Mac keyboards, pressing the Globe key (🌐) also opens it

Once the panel is open:

1. Type "degree" in the search bar
2. You'll see the degree symbol (°) appear in the results
3. Double-click it to insert it at your cursor position

The Character Viewer also shows related symbols like the degree Fahrenheit (℉), degree Celsius (℃), and the masculine ordinal indicator (º) — a visually similar but technically different character (more on that below).

Typing the Degree Symbol in Specific Apps

In Pages or Word for Mac

Both the Option + Shift + 8 shortcut and the Character Viewer work reliably here. Pages also supports autocorrect customizations if you want to set a text replacement trigger (like typing *deg* to automatically produce °).

To set a text replacement in macOS:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements
2. Click + to add a new entry
3. Set a trigger phrase (e.g., deg) and the replacement character °

This is especially useful for people who frequently switch between a Mac and external or foreign keyboards where the Option + Shift + 8 combination may behave differently.

In Web Browsers

The keyboard shortcut works in most browser text fields and web-based editors (Google Docs, Notion, etc.). If it doesn't register, the Character Viewer is a reliable fallback.

For developers or those working in HTML, the degree symbol can also be entered as:

• HTML entity:°
• Unicode code point:U+00B0

In Terminal or Code Editors

In terminal environments or code editors, the shortcut may or may not work depending on the app's keyboard handling. Copying the character from the Character Viewer or using the Unicode escape sequence is often more predictable in these contexts.

The Degree Symbol vs. The Ordinal Indicator ⚠️

This is a distinction worth knowing. Two characters look nearly identical but are not the same:

The masculine ordinal indicator is typed with just Option + 0 (zero) on a Mac. It looks like a superscript "o" and is used in certain Romance language abbreviations — not in scientific or mathematical contexts.

If you're copying and pasting a degree symbol from somewhere online, it's worth double-checking which character you actually have. In many fonts the visual difference is subtle, but they will behave differently in search, data processing, and some formatting contexts.

Factors That Affect Which Method Works Best for You

Not every method suits every situation. A few variables determine which approach fits:

• How often you need it — Occasional use favors the Character Viewer. Frequent use makes the keyboard shortcut worth memorizing.
• What app you're working in — Native macOS apps handle the shortcut reliably; some third-party or web apps may intercept keystrokes differently.
• Your keyboard layout — Non-US keyboard layouts may map Option + Shift + 8 to a different character. macOS's keyboard layout setting affects what modifier keys actually produce.
• Whether you're working with code or markup — HTML, CSS, or data contexts may call for the Unicode value or entity rather than the literal character.
• Accessibility preferences — If you rely on alternative input methods or have modified system keyboard settings, the shortcut behavior may vary.

A Note on Keyboard Layout Settings

macOS allows users to switch between keyboard input sources — US, British, French, German, and dozens of others. The Option + Shift + 8 shortcut is specific to the US keyboard layout. If your Mac is set to a different input source, that combination may produce a different character or nothing at all.

You can check your current keyboard layout by going to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources. If you're getting unexpected results from the shortcut, confirming your input source is the first place to look.

The right method ultimately depends on the combination of your keyboard layout, the applications you use most, and how often the degree symbol comes up in your work. Someone writing scientific documents daily has different needs than someone who occasionally notes a temperature in a message — and macOS offers enough flexibility that both scenarios are well covered once you know where to look.