How to Type the Degree Symbol on Any Keyboard

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that comes up constantly — temperature readings, geographic coordinates, angles in math and engineering — but it's not printed on any standard key. That gap between how often you need it and how buried it is across different systems is exactly why this question gets asked so much.

Here's a full breakdown of every reliable method, organized by operating system and device type.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on Your Keyboard

Standard keyboards follow the QWERTY layout, which dates back to typewriter-era conventions. Special characters like °, ©, and ™ were never assigned dedicated keys because the layout prioritized the most frequently typed letters, numbers, and punctuation. Instead, these characters live inside your operating system's Unicode character set and are accessed through shortcuts, input methods, or character maps.

The degree symbol's Unicode code point is U+00B0, which is useful to know if you're working in HTML, code editors, or any tool that accepts Unicode input directly.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows ⌨️

Windows gives you several options depending on how fast you need it and what software you're using.

Alt Code Method (Numpad Required)

This is the classic Windows shortcut:

1. Make sure Num Lock is on
2. Hold Alt
3. Type 0176 on the numeric keypad (not the number row)
4. Release Alt — the ° symbol appears

This works in most Windows applications including Word, Notepad, Excel, and browsers. It requires a physical numeric keypad, so it won't work on most laptops without an external numpad or Fn key workaround.

Windows Character Map

1. Press Windows key + R, type charmap, press Enter
2. Search for "degree" or scroll to find °
3. Click it, select Copy, and paste where needed

Windows Emoji & Symbol Picker

Press Windows key + . (period) or Windows key + ; to open the emoji and symbol panel. Switch to the Symbols tab and navigate to Latin characters — the degree symbol is listed there.

Word AutoCorrect and Insert Symbol

In Microsoft Word, go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Search for the degree sign, insert it, and optionally assign it a keyboard shortcut through the dialog box. This is a good route if you type degree symbols regularly in documents.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac 🍎

Mac makes this relatively straightforward:

Keyboard shortcut: Press Option + Shift + 8

That's it. This works system-wide in virtually every Mac application — Pages, Word for Mac, TextEdit, browsers, email clients. No extra setup required.

If you prefer a visual approach, go to Edit → Emoji & Symbols in most apps (or press Control + Command + Space) to open the character viewer, where you can search "degree" and click to insert.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad

On iOS and iPadOS, the degree symbol is tucked inside the number keyboard:

1. Tap a text field to open the keyboard
2. Tap 123 to switch to the number view
3. Press and hold the 0 (zero) key
4. A small pop-up menu appears with the ° symbol
5. Slide to it and release

This works in any app that uses the standard iOS keyboard — Messages, Notes, Mail, Safari search bars, and more.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Android

Android keyboards vary by manufacturer and app, but the most common method:

1. Open a text field and tap the ?123 key (or similar) to enter the symbol/number keyboard
2. Look for a ° symbol — it may appear directly on this keyboard depending on your device
3. If not visible, press and hold the 0 key — many Android keyboards (including Gboard) show the ° symbol as a long-press option

On Gboard (Google's keyboard), long-pressing 0 reliably produces the degree symbol on most devices running recent versions of Android.

HTML and Code Editors

If you're writing web content or working in a code environment, typing the degree symbol directly can sometimes cause encoding issues. The safer approaches:

Using the HTML entity ° is the most readable and universally supported option for web content.

Copy-Paste as a Fallback

If shortcuts aren't working in a specific app or environment, copying the character directly is always an option:

°

Bookmark this page, copy from here, and paste wherever needed. It's low-tech but it works in every situation, on every device, without memorizing anything.

The Variable That Changes Everything

The "right" method depends on factors specific to your situation: your operating system, the keyboard you're using (full-size with numpad vs. compact laptop keyboard), the application you're working in, and how often you need the character.

Someone writing temperature data in Excel on a Windows desktop with a full keyboard has a completely different optimal path than someone typing coordinates into a mobile notes app or embedding the symbol in HTML. Each method above is reliable within its context — which context fits your workflow is the piece only you can determine. 🎯