How to Make a Degree Symbol on Your Keyboard (Every Method Explained)

The degree symbol — ° — is one of those characters that doesn't live on any standard keyboard key, yet people need it constantly: for temperatures, angles, coordinates, and academic writing. The good news is that every major operating system has at least one reliable way to produce it. The method that works best for you depends on your device, your OS, and how often you need the symbol.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on Your Keyboard

Standard keyboard layouts — QWERTY in particular — were designed around the most frequently typed characters in English. The degree symbol (Unicode character U+00B0) didn't make the cut. It lives in the extended character set, which means you access it through a workaround rather than a dedicated key. Different operating systems have built different doors into that extended set, and they're not all the same door.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows ⌨️

Windows gives you several options depending on your workflow.

Alt Code Method (Numpad Required)

Hold Alt and type 0176 on your numeric keypad (not the number row at the top). Release Alt, and ° appears. This only works if your keyboard has a dedicated numpad and Num Lock is on.

Character Map

Search for Character Map in the Start menu, find the degree symbol, and copy-paste it. Slow, but always available.

Copy from Clipboard / AutoCorrect

Many Windows users set up a text replacement — for example, typing deg auto-corrects to °. This is done through the autocorrect settings in Microsoft Word or third-party tools like AutoHotkey.

On-Screen Keyboard

Open the on-screen keyboard (search "osk" in Start), enable the numpad view, and use the Alt code method above.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac

Mac makes this considerably cleaner.

The Keyboard Shortcut

Press Option + Shift + 8. That's it. The ° symbol appears immediately, and it works in virtually every text field across macOS — browsers, documents, notes, everything.

This is the method most Mac users settle on permanently once they learn it, because it requires no setup and no special hardware.

Using the Emoji & Symbols Viewer

Press Control + Command + Space to open the character viewer. Search "degree" and click the symbol to insert it. More useful for finding unfamiliar characters than for routine use.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad

On iOS, the degree symbol is hidden inside the keyboard — no app or setting change needed.

Tap and hold the zero (0) key on the number keyboard. A popup appears with the ° symbol. Slide to it and release. That's the fastest and most reliable method on any iPhone or iPad.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Android

Android keyboards vary by manufacturer and the keyboard app installed (Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, SwiftKey, etc.), but the approach is consistent.

Switch to the numbers keyboard, then tap and hold the 0 key. On most Android keyboards, ° will appear as an option. If it doesn't, check the symbols page (usually accessed by a key labeled =< or sym).

Some Android keyboards bury it differently — if long-pressing zero doesn't work on your device, check the secondary symbols screen.

How to Type the Degree Symbol in Google Docs and Microsoft Word

Both apps have built-in character insertion tools that bypass OS-level shortcuts entirely.

Google Docs: Go to Insert → Special Characters, search "degree," and click the symbol.

Microsoft Word: Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, filter by Latin-1 Supplement, and locate the degree sign. You can also assign it a custom keyboard shortcut inside Word's symbol settings.

Word also recognizes the Alt code method (Alt + 0176) natively if you have a numpad.

HTML and Code Environments 🖥️

If you're writing HTML or working in a web context, the degree symbol has dedicated entity codes:

• ° — named HTML entity
• ° — decimal character reference
• ° — hex character reference

All three render as ° in a browser. In programming contexts, you can also paste the Unicode character directly — most modern code editors and languages handle UTF-8 without issue.

The Variable That Changes Everything

The "right" method depends on factors specific to your situation: whether you have a numpad, which OS you're on, how often you need the symbol, and which apps you work in most.

A Windows user on a laptop without a numpad has different constraints than a Mac user with a full keyboard. Someone typing temperatures into a word processor daily has different needs than a developer embedding degree signs in HTML. Someone on a touchscreen phone is working with a completely different input model than someone on a desktop.

Each of those profiles leads to a different method being fastest, most reliable, or simply available. The methods exist — which one becomes your method is a question your specific setup answers for you. 🎯