How to Type a Degree Symbol on Mac: Every Method Explained

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that isn't printed on any key, yet you need it constantly — for temperatures, angles, coordinates, and academic writing. On a Mac, you actually have several ways to insert it, and the right one depends on how often you use it, what app you're working in, and how much you rely on keyboard shortcuts.

The Fastest Method: Keyboard Shortcut

For most Mac users, the quickest route is a built-in keyboard shortcut that works across virtually every app — Pages, Word, Notes, Mail, Google Docs, and more.

Press: Option + Shift + 8

That's it. Hold Option and Shift simultaneously, then tap 8, and the ° symbol appears inline wherever your cursor is sitting. No menus, no copy-pasting, no interruption to your workflow.

This shortcut works on both US and UK keyboard layouts and has been consistent across macOS versions for years. If you type temperatures or angles regularly, this is worth memorizing — it becomes muscle memory quickly.

Using the Character Viewer

If you're not a keyboard shortcut person, or if you need the degree symbol alongside other special characters, macOS includes a built-in Character Viewer (sometimes called the Emoji & Symbols picker).

To open it:

• Press Control + Command + Space from most apps
• Or go to Edit > Emoji & Symbols in the menu bar
• Or click the Globe key (🌐) on newer MacBooks with that key on the keyboard

Once the panel opens, type degree in the search bar. You'll see the ° symbol appear. Double-click it to insert it at your cursor position.

The Character Viewer also shows you recently used symbols, so after your first search, the degree symbol will typically appear in the Frequently Used section for faster access going forward.

Using the Numeric Keypad (If You Have One)

On Macs with an extended keyboard that includes a numeric keypad — typically desktop setups with an Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, or third-party keyboards — you can use Unicode input as an alternative method.

This method is less direct on macOS than on Windows, but it's available. The degree symbol's Unicode code point is U+00B0. However, macOS doesn't natively support typing Unicode code points inline the way Windows does with Alt codes, so for most users this pathway leads back to the Character Viewer or the shortcut above.

Text Replacement: The Right Move for Heavy Users 🌡️

If you frequently type degree symbols — especially in combination with numbers like "72°F" or "45° angle" — macOS's Text Replacement feature lets you assign a shortcut sequence to the symbol.

To set it up:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
2. Go to Keyboard > Text Replacements
3. Click the + button
4. In the Replace field, type a shortcut like degr or deg
5. In the With field, paste the ° symbol (use Option + Shift + 8 to type it there)
6. Click Add

Now whenever you type your chosen shortcut and press Space or Return, macOS auto-corrects it to °. This syncs across iCloud-connected Apple devices, so you'd see the same replacement on your iPhone and iPad too.

App-Specific Considerations

How you insert the degree symbol can vary slightly depending on where you're working:

One nuance worth knowing: in spreadsheet apps, if you type a degree symbol followed by a number, the app may misinterpret the cell content. Formatting the cell as plain text before typing prevents that.

A Note on Similar-Looking Symbols

The degree symbol (°) is sometimes confused with two other characters:

• Masculine ordinal indicator (º) — looks nearly identical but is a different Unicode character, used in Spanish and Portuguese (as in "1º")
• Superscript zero (⁰) — used in mathematical notation

For temperature and angle contexts, you always want the true degree symbol ° (U+00B0). Using the wrong character can cause issues in scientific documents, code, or data parsing — particularly if your content is being exported or processed programmatically.

Which Variables Actually Matter for You

The "best" method for inserting a degree symbol isn't universal — it shifts depending on a few factors:

• How often you need it: Occasional use favors the keyboard shortcut; daily or heavy use might justify setting up text replacement
• What keyboard you're using: A compact MacBook keyboard versus an extended desktop keyboard changes which shortcuts feel natural
• What apps you work in: Some apps (especially web-based ones) handle special character input slightly differently
• Whether you're on older macOS: The location of keyboard and text replacement settings has shifted across Catalina, Monterey, Ventura, and Sequoia — the feature exists in all of them, but the path to find it in System Settings changed with macOS Ventura

The shortcut itself (Option + Shift + 8) has stayed consistent, but how you configure and streamline your workflow around it depends on your specific setup and how your Mac is configured today. 🖥️