How to Type the Degree Symbol on Any Device

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that sits just outside the standard keyboard layout — visible everywhere, yet not immediately obvious to type. Whether you're writing about temperature, geographic coordinates, or angles in a math document, knowing where to find it saves real frustration. The method varies depending on your device, operating system, and the app you're using, so there's no single universal answer.

What Is the Degree Symbol and Why Isn't It on the Keyboard?

The degree symbol (°) is a typographic character used to represent degrees of temperature (37°C), angles (90°), and geographic coordinates (45° N). It has its own Unicode value — U+00B0 — which means it exists in every modern font and operating system. It just doesn't have a dedicated physical key on most standard keyboards.

This is a common situation with special characters: there are far more symbols in regular use than any keyboard can accommodate, so operating systems build in alternative input methods. The trick is knowing which method your platform uses.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows 💻

Windows offers several approaches depending on how you prefer to work.

Alt Code (Numeric Keypad Required) Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. The ° symbol appears. This only works with a dedicated numeric keypad — not the number row at the top of the keyboard — and requires Num Lock to be active.

Character Map Search for "Character Map" in the Start menu, find the degree symbol, and copy it. Useful as a one-time reference, not practical for regular use.

Copy-Paste from a Search Type "degree symbol" into any browser search bar. The symbol usually appears directly in results and can be copied instantly.

Windows Emoji Panel Press Windows key + period (.) to open the emoji and symbols panel. Search for "degree" and insert from there.

AutoCorrect or Text Replacement In Microsoft Word and other Office apps, you can set up an AutoCorrect shortcut — for example, typing (deg) automatically converts to °.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac 🍎

Mac keyboard shortcuts are generally more elegant for special characters.

Keyboard Shortcut Press Option + Shift + 8. This inserts ° directly wherever your cursor is. Works in most native macOS apps and many third-party ones.

Character Viewer Go to Edit > Emoji & Symbols (or press Control + Command + Space) to open the Character Viewer. Search "degree" and double-click to insert.

Autocorrect / Text Replacement In System Settings under Keyboard > Text Replacements, you can assign a custom shortcut that expands to °.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad

On iOS, the degree symbol is hidden behind a long-press.

Long-Press the Zero Key Open any keyboard, tap and hold the 0 (zero) key. A popover appears with the ° symbol. Slide your finger to it and release. This is by far the quickest mobile method once you know it exists.

Text Replacement Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement and add a phrase like deg that expands to °. This works across all apps.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Android

Android behavior varies by keyboard app, but the most common methods are:

Long-Press the Zero Key Like iOS, many Android keyboards (Gboard, Samsung Keyboard) show ° when you long-press 0. If it doesn't appear, try switching to the symbols panel.

Symbols Panel Tap ?123 or #+= on the keyboard to enter the symbols view. The degree symbol is usually present there, sometimes requiring a second tap to reach a secondary symbols page.

Gboard Shortcut In Gboard specifically, you can search for symbols by long-pressing the Enter/comma area and tapping the emoji icon, then searching "degree."

How to Insert the Degree Symbol in Specific Apps

HTML usage is worth noting separately: if you're building a webpage and type ° directly, it may render incorrectly depending on character encoding. Using the HTML entity ° is the safer, universally supported method.

Unicode and Copy-Paste as a Universal Fallback

If none of the above fits your situation, copy-paste is always valid. The degree symbol below can be copied directly:

°

Because it's a standard Unicode character (U+00B0), it will paste correctly into virtually any modern app, document, operating system, or website without breaking or displaying as a placeholder.

The Variables That Change Your Best Method

Which approach is actually practical depends on several factors:

• Device type — desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone each have different input constraints
• Keyboard app — on mobile, your keyboard app determines which long-press characters are available
• Operating system version — older Windows versions may not have the emoji panel; older Android keyboards may not show ° on long-press
• The app you're working in — a plain text editor, a word processor, a spreadsheet, and an HTML editor each handle special character input differently
• Frequency of use — if you type ° constantly, a keyboard shortcut or text replacement is worth setting up; if it's occasional, copy-paste is perfectly reasonable
• Technical context — writing in a browser form, a coding environment, or a document processor involves different encoding considerations

Someone writing temperature data into spreadsheets daily has a very different optimization problem than someone who needs the symbol once in a text message. The right method for each situation comes down to what you're doing, where you're doing it, and how often.