How to Input the Degree Symbol on Any Device or Platform

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that almost everyone needs occasionally — whether you're typing a temperature, describing an angle in geometry, or formatting a technical document. It's not on any standard keyboard layout, which makes it mildly frustrating the first time you go looking for it. The good news: every major operating system and device has at least one reliable way to insert it.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on Your Keyboard

Standard keyboard layouts are designed around the most frequently typed characters. Symbols like °, ©, or ™ are used often enough to matter, but not frequently enough to earn a dedicated key. Instead, they live in secondary character layers, Unicode tables, or system shortcuts — accessible once you know where to look.

The degree symbol has a specific Unicode code point: U+00B0. That single standard means the same character works across platforms, fonts, and languages — but the method for inserting it varies significantly by device and software.

Inputting the Degree Symbol on Windows 🖥️

Windows gives you several approaches depending on your comfort level:

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

Unicode Input (Word Processors) In Microsoft Word and some other apps, type 00B0, then press Alt + X. Word converts the code into the degree symbol instantly.

Character Map Search for "Character Map" in the Start menu. Find the degree symbol, click Copy, and paste it where needed. Slow, but reliable.

Windows Emoji Panel Press Win + . (period) to open the emoji and symbols panel. Switch to the symbols section and search for "degree."

Copy-Paste as a Fallback For occasional use, copying ° from a browser search or document remains the simplest no-setup option.

Inputting the Degree Symbol on macOS

Mac users have a notably cleaner shortcut:

Keyboard Shortcut Press Option + Shift + 8. That's the standard macOS method and works across virtually all native apps — TextEdit, Pages, Mail, and most third-party applications.

Special Characters Viewer Go to Edit → Emoji & Symbols (or press Control + Command + Space). Search "degree" and double-click to insert.

The Option+Shift+8 shortcut is consistent enough that most Mac users simply memorize it after the first use.

Inputting the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad 📱

iOS has a built-in workaround that many users don't discover for years:

Long-Press the Zero Key On the default iOS keyboard, tap and hold the 0 (zero) key. A small popup appears with the ° symbol. Slide your finger to it and release.

This works in almost every text field on iOS — messages, notes, email, and most apps. No settings changes required.

Inputting the Degree Symbol on Android

Android behavior varies more by manufacturer and keyboard app, but the most common method is:

Long-Press or Secondary Character Layer On Gboard (Google's keyboard), switch to the numbers layer by tapping ?123, then long-press the 0 key for the degree symbol popup — similar to iOS.

On Samsung keyboard, the degree symbol is sometimes found in the symbols panel (Sym key), or accessible via long-press on specific keys depending on the firmware version.

Third-party keyboards like SwiftKey also offer degree symbol access through their symbol panels, though the exact path differs by app version.

Inputting the Degree Symbol in Specific Software

For web developers, the HTML entity ° is the cleanest approach — it renders consistently across browsers without encoding issues.

The Variables That Affect Which Method Works for You

Not every method works in every situation. A few factors shape which approach is actually practical:

Keyboard hardware — Alt codes require a numeric keypad. Laptop keyboards without one make that shortcut unavailable unless you use an external keyboard or enable a software Num Lock emulation.

Operating system version — Older versions of Windows or Android may not include the emoji/symbol panel or may have different keyboard app defaults.

Application behavior — Some apps intercept keyboard shortcuts before the OS processes them. The Alt+X method in Word, for example, is Word-specific and won't work in a plain text editor or browser field.

Keyboard app choice on mobile — Android's openness means your degree symbol shortcut depends partly on which keyboard app is installed and how it's configured.

Input frequency — Someone typing temperatures dozens of times a day has different needs than someone who needs the symbol once a month. Frequent users often benefit from setting up a text replacement shortcut (e.g., typing degr auto-expands to °) through their OS or keyboard app.

Text Replacement: The Power-User Approach 🔧

Both Windows (via third-party tools like AutoHotkey or built-in text suggestions) and macOS (System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements) let you define custom shortcuts. Typing a trigger string like deg can automatically insert °. On iOS, the same feature exists under Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement.

This approach removes the need to remember any symbol-specific shortcut — you just define the trigger once and forget about the underlying method entirely.

What Determines the Right Method for Your Setup

The methods above all work — but which one fits depends on details that vary from one person to the next: what keyboard hardware you have, which apps you use most, how often you need the symbol, and how much setup time you're willing to invest. A Windows desktop user with a full keyboard, a developer writing HTML, and someone texting from an iPhone are all in genuinely different situations, even though they're solving the same basic problem.