How to Make a Degree Symbol on Any Device

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that isn't on your keyboard — yet you need it constantly for temperatures, angles, geographic coordinates, and academic writing. The good news: every major operating system has at least one way to produce it. The method that makes most sense for you depends on what device you're using, how often you need the symbol, and how technical you're comfortable getting.

What the Degree Symbol Actually Is

Before jumping to shortcuts, it helps to know what you're working with. The degree symbol is a standardized Unicode character — U+00B0 — recognized across virtually every operating system, browser, and application. That means a degree symbol typed on a Mac will display correctly on Windows, Android, iOS, or the web. It's not a font-specific glyph or a workaround character. It's a real, stable part of the character set.

This matters because some people fake the degree symbol using a superscript "o" or the masculine ordinal indicator (º). Those look similar but aren't the same character, which can cause issues in data entry, coding, or anywhere the exact character matters.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows 🖥️

Windows gives you several routes depending on your workflow:

Using the keyboard shortcut (numeric keypad required): Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad (not the top-row number keys). Release Alt and ° appears. This only works with Num Lock on and a physical numeric keypad — laptops without one can't use this method directly.

Using the Character Map: Search for "Character Map" in the Start menu, locate the degree symbol, and copy it. Not fast for repeated use, but reliable when you need it occasionally.

Using emoji and symbol picker: Press Windows key + . (period) to open the emoji panel, then switch to the Symbols tab and search "degree." This works across Windows 10 and 11 without any special keyboard needed.

Typing directly in Word or Outlook: Microsoft Office recognizes ^@ in some autocorrect setups, and you can also go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, filter by "Latin-1 Supplement," and find ° there. You can assign it a custom keyboard shortcut from the same dialog.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac

Mac makes this relatively straightforward:

Keyboard shortcut: Press Option + Shift + 8 on any Mac keyboard. This works system-wide — in browsers, text editors, email, anywhere you can type.

Character Viewer: Go to Edit → Emoji & Symbols (or press Control + Command + Space), search "degree," and double-click to insert. You can add it to your Favorites for faster access.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and Android 📱

On mobile, the symbol lives behind the numbers keyboard:

iPhone/iPad: Tap the 123 key to switch to numbers, then press and hold the 0 (zero) key. A popover will appear with the degree symbol. Slide your finger to it and release.

Android: The exact path varies slightly by keyboard app, but on the default Gboard: tap ?123 to get to numbers, then tap =< to access special characters. The degree symbol ° appears in that panel. On Samsung's keyboard, it's often accessible by long-pressing the 0 key, similar to iOS.

Third-party keyboards like SwiftKey may place it differently — usually within a symbols or special characters panel.

How to Insert the Degree Symbol in Specific Software

For developers working in code editors, pasting the actual ° character usually works fine in string literals and comments. In contexts where Unicode escapes are cleaner (HTML, CSS, LaTeX), the encoded forms are standard practice.

The Variables That Change Which Method Works Best

Not every method works equally well for every situation. A few things shape which approach is actually practical:

Keyboard type: Desktop keyboards with a numeric keypad support the Alt+0176 shortcut on Windows. Laptop keyboards typically don't — so that shortcut is out for many users.

Operating system version: The Windows emoji panel (Win + .) was introduced with Windows 10. Older systems need Character Map or a different workaround.

Application context: A plain text editor, a word processor, a spreadsheet, and an HTML file all have different "best" methods. Inserting ° into a formula, a cell, and a webpage header each involves a slightly different workflow.

Frequency of use: If you type temperatures all day, setting up an autocorrect rule (in Word, or system-wide on Mac via System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements) turns something like deg into ° automatically. That's overkill for occasional use but a real time-saver for daily work.

Keyboard app on mobile: Android especially has significant variation depending on whether you're using Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, SwiftKey, or another option.

When "Close Enough" Isn't Close Enough

For casual use — typing "It's 72° outside" in a text message — any method that produces the symbol works. But for technical documents, scientific writing, data systems, or code, the actual Unicode degree symbol (U+00B0) is the correct character. Using a superscript letter o or the ordinal º can cause silent errors in data parsing, screen readers, or search indexing that are hard to trace back later. ⚠️

How often you need the degree symbol, which device you're on, and what application you're working in all determine which of these methods fits cleanly into your workflow — and that combination is specific to your setup.