How to Get the Degree Symbol on Your Keyboard (Every Method Explained)

The degree symbol — ° — is one of those characters that almost everyone needs at some point but almost no keyboard prints it on a key. Whether you're typing a temperature, an angle measurement, or geographic coordinates, knowing how to produce it quickly saves a surprising amount of frustration. The method that works best depends on your operating system, your keyboard type, and how often you need the symbol.

Why There's No Dedicated Degree Key

Standard keyboard layouts — both QWERTY and international variants — follow designs that predate widespread use of special characters in everyday computing. The physical keys are allocated to the most frequently typed characters, leaving symbols like °, ©, and ™ off the main layout entirely. Instead, operating systems provide multiple input pathways to reach them: keyboard shortcuts, character maps, Unicode input, and autocorrect or text substitution.

Which pathway suits you depends on your platform and how often you're inserting the symbol.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows ⌨️

Windows offers several approaches, each with different tradeoffs in speed and memorability.

Alt Code (Numpad Required)

The classic method: hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad (not the number row), then release Alt. The ° symbol appears.

This only works if:

• You have a physical numeric keypad (most full-size and some tenkeyless keyboards)
• Num Lock is enabled

Laptop keyboards without a dedicated numpad often have a hidden numpad mapped to letter keys, activated via a Fn key. Results vary significantly by laptop model.

Copy from Character Map

Open Character Map (search for it in the Start menu), find the degree symbol, and copy it. Slow for repeated use, but reliable when shortcuts aren't working.

Windows Emoji & Symbol Panel

Press Win + . (period) or Win + ; to open the emoji and symbols panel. Switch to the Symbols tab and look under Supplemental Symbols or use the search field. This works on Windows 10 and Windows 11 without needing a numpad.

Unicode Input (Word Processors)

In Microsoft Word specifically, type 00B0 then press Alt + X. Word converts the Unicode code point directly to °. This shortcut does not work in browsers, Notepad, or most other apps.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on macOS

Mac keyboards handle special characters more elegantly than Windows for most users.

Keyboard Shortcut

The fastest method on a Mac: Option + Shift + 8 produces ° in virtually any application. This shortcut works system-wide — browsers, text editors, productivity apps, terminal.

Character Viewer

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer. You can search "degree" and click to insert. Frequently used symbols appear in a Favorites section you can build over time.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and Android 📱

Mobile keyboards handle this more intuitively than desktop systems.

On iPhone (iOS): Long-press the 0 (zero) key on the standard keyboard. A degree symbol ° appears as a pop-up option. Slide your finger to it and release.

On Android: The process varies slightly by keyboard app:

• Gboard: Long-press 0 — the degree symbol appears as an option on most configurations.
• Samsung Keyboard: Switch to the symbols view (?123), then look on the secondary symbols page (=<), or long-press 0.
• Third-party keyboards like SwiftKey generally follow the long-press-0 convention but may differ.

The long-press behavior on 0 is a widely adopted convention rather than a guaranteed standard, so some devices or custom keyboards handle it differently.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Linux

Linux users have several routes depending on their desktop environment.

• Compose key method: If a Compose key is configured, press Compose, o, o to produce °.
• Unicode entry (GTK apps): Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then press Enter.
• Character picker: GNOME includes a character map utility accessible through the app menu.

The Compose key is not enabled by default on most Linux distributions — it requires manual setup in keyboard settings, which is a one-time configuration step.

Quick Reference Table

The Variables That Change Which Method Works Best ✅

Even with every method listed, the right choice shifts based on a few factors:

Keyboard hardware — A full-size keyboard with a numpad makes the Alt code quick and muscle-memory friendly. A laptop without one makes it impractical.

Application context — The Unicode Alt + X trick only works in Word. The Emoji Panel works broadly in Windows but has slightly more overhead than a direct shortcut.

Input frequency — If you type temperatures or angles dozens of times a day, a text expansion tool (like AutoHotkey on Windows or the built-in Text Replacements feature on macOS and iOS) lets you define a trigger — like deg — that automatically expands to °. That changes the calculation entirely.

OS version — The Win + . panel was introduced in Windows 10 and improved in Windows 11. Older Windows installs may not have it.

Keyboard app on mobile — Android's fragmentation means the long-press behavior on 0 isn't universal. Some third-party keyboards reorganize symbol access in ways that don't follow the convention.

The method that feels effortless on one setup can feel awkward on another — which is why knowing the full set of options matters more than committing to a single approach before understanding your own workflow.