How to Make the Degree Symbol on a MacBook

Typing the degree symbol (°) isn't something most people do every day, but when you need it — for temperature readings, geographic coordinates, or angle measurements — hunting through menus gets old fast. The good news is that macOS gives you several ways to insert it, and most of them take less than a second once you know where to look.

The Fastest Method: Keyboard Shortcut

The quickest way to type the degree symbol on any MacBook is with a keyboard shortcut:

Press Option + Shift + 8

That's it. Hold all three keys at the same time, and ° appears wherever your cursor is sitting. This works in almost every application — Pages, Word, Notes, Mail, browsers, and more — without any setup required.

This shortcut is built into macOS at the system level, so it doesn't depend on your keyboard language being set to English, and it works on every MacBook model running a modern version of macOS.

Alternative Methods Worth Knowing

Using the Character Viewer

macOS includes a built-in character browser that gives you access to thousands of symbols, including the degree symbol.

1. Click into any text field where you want the symbol
2. In the menu bar, go to Edit → Emoji & Symbols (or press Control + Command + Space)
3. In the search bar, type "degree"
4. Double-click the ° symbol to insert it

This method is slower for everyday use but helpful if you're unsure of a shortcut or need to browse related symbols (like the degree sign used specifically for temperatures vs. the one used in math).

Typing It in macOS Text Fields with Auto-Correction Off

Some users find that macOS's autocorrect or text substitution interferes with special character entry in certain apps. If the Option + Shift + 8 shortcut isn't behaving as expected in a specific app, the Character Viewer is the reliable fallback.

Using a Custom Text Replacement

macOS lets you create your own text shortcuts under System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements. For example, you could set deg to automatically expand to °. Once configured, this works across most native macOS apps and syncs to your iPhone and iPad via iCloud if you're signed in.

The limitation: text replacements don't always fire in third-party or web-based apps. They're most reliable in Apple's own applications.

🖥️ What About the Degree Sign vs. Related Symbols?

It's worth knowing that there are a few visually similar symbols that mean different things:

The Option + Shift + 8 shortcut produces the true degree sign (U+00B0), which is what you want for temperature, geometry, and coordinates. The masculine ordinal indicator looks nearly identical but is a different character — relevant if you're writing in Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian, where it's used grammatically.

How Your Workflow Affects Which Method Makes Sense

Different users find different approaches fit their work better.

If you type temperatures or angles frequently, the keyboard shortcut is worth memorizing. It becomes muscle memory after a few uses, and there's no faster option.

If you only need the degree symbol occasionally, the Character Viewer search is probably the most reliable route since you don't have to remember any key combinations.

If you work heavily in Apple's native apps — Pages, Notes, Keynote — the text replacement method can be worth setting up, particularly if you regularly format scientific or technical documents.

If you work in web apps, Google Docs, or third-party software, the keyboard shortcut is the most universally compatible choice, since text replacements behave inconsistently across non-Apple environments.

Does the MacBook Model or macOS Version Matter?

The Option + Shift + 8 shortcut has been consistent across macOS for well over a decade and works identically on MacBooks with Intel processors and Apple Silicon (M-series) chips. The Character Viewer has been part of macOS since OS X, though its interface has been refined over time.

If you're running a very old version of macOS, the path to open Emoji & Symbols may differ slightly (sometimes labeled as Special Characters), but the shortcut itself remains the same. 🔑

The Variable That Changes Everything

The method that works best isn't determined by your MacBook model or macOS version — both are mostly consistent across hardware and software generations. What actually determines the right approach is how often you need the symbol, which applications you spend most of your time in, and whether you're comfortable committing a three-key shortcut to memory.

Someone writing one email about weather might reach for the Character Viewer. A chemistry teacher formatting worksheets daily will use the shortcut without thinking about it. A technical writer working across multiple platforms might rely on it differently still. The mechanics are the same for everyone — how those mechanics fit into a specific workflow is what varies.