How to Type the Degree Symbol on a Mac

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that doesn't live on any visible key, yet you need it constantly — for temperatures, angles, coordinates, and more. On a Mac, getting to it is faster and more consistent than most people expect, once you know where to look.

The Fastest Method: Keyboard Shortcut

The quickest way to type the degree symbol on a Mac is with a single keyboard shortcut:

Option + Shift + 8

Press all three keys at once and the ° symbol appears immediately. This works system-wide — in Pages, Word, Notes, Mail, browsers, spreadsheets, and virtually any text field on macOS. No menus, no searching, no copy-paste required.

This shortcut has been consistent across macOS versions for many years, so whether you're running a recent version of macOS Sonoma or an older release, the behavior is the same.

A Simpler Alternative: Option + K

Some Mac users discover a second shortcut:

Option + K

This produces the ring above character (˚), which looks nearly identical to the degree symbol but is technically a different Unicode character. In casual use — typing "72˚F" in an email, for example — most readers won't notice the difference. In technical writing, scientific documents, or any context where character encoding matters, you should use the true degree symbol via Option + Shift + 8.

Using the Character Viewer

If keyboard shortcuts aren't your preference, macOS includes a built-in Character Viewer that gives you access to every Unicode character, including the degree symbol.

How to open it:

1. Click any text field where you want to insert the symbol
2. Press Control + Command + Space — a small emoji and symbol picker appears
3. In the search bar, type "degree"
4. The degree symbol (°) appears in the results — double-click to insert it

For frequent use, you can favorite the degree symbol in the Character Viewer so it appears at the top every time you open it.

You can also access the full Character Viewer from the menu bar if you've enabled it:

• Go to System Settings → Keyboard
• Enable "Show Input menu in menu bar"
• Click the input menu icon and select Show Emoji & Symbols

Typing the Degree Symbol in Specific Apps 🖥️

Pages and Word

Both apps support the Option + Shift + 8 shortcut natively. Pages may also auto-suggest the symbol in some contexts through its autocorrect engine, depending on your settings.

Excel and Numbers

Spreadsheet apps behave slightly differently. In Excel for Mac, you can use the keyboard shortcut directly in a cell. In Numbers, the shortcut works the same way. If you're concatenating text and a degree symbol in a formula, you may need to wrap it as a text string — for example, =A1&"°" — which requires pasting the character rather than typing it inline with a formula argument.

Terminal and Code Editors

In Terminal or code editors like VS Code, the shortcut works at the input level, but the resulting character depends on the encoding of the file you're editing. Most modern editors default to UTF-8, where ° (U+00B0) is handled correctly. If you're working in a legacy encoding context, verify that the character displays and saves as expected.

Creating a Text Replacement Shortcut

If you type degree symbols frequently, macOS's Text Replacement feature can automate it:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements
2. Click the + button
3. In the Replace field, type something short — like deg
4. In the With field, paste the ° symbol (copy it first using any method above)
5. Save

Now whenever you type "deg" followed by a space, macOS replaces it with °. This works across most native apps and syncs across your Apple devices via iCloud if you have that enabled.

What Affects Which Method Works Best for You

Not everyone's workflow is the same, and a few variables determine which approach fits best:

• Typing frequency — Occasional use makes the keyboard shortcut sufficient. High-frequency use makes Text Replacement worth the one-time setup.
• App context — Most apps respect the shortcut. Specialized tools, web-based apps, or remote desktop sessions may intercept key combinations differently.
• Formal vs. casual writing — If your output is technical documentation, engineering specs, or academic work, the distinction between ° (U+00B0) and ˚ (U+02DA) matters more than it does in a quick text message.
• Keyboard layout — Non-US Mac keyboard layouts may map modifier keys differently. If Option + Shift + 8 doesn't produce ° on your keyboard, the Character Viewer is the reliable fallback regardless of layout.
• macOS version — The core shortcuts have been stable across versions, but the location of settings like Text Replacements has moved between System Preferences (older macOS) and System Settings (macOS Ventura and later). The feature itself works the same way.

The degree symbol is genuinely one of the easier special characters to access on a Mac — the shortcut is consistent and the Character Viewer covers any edge case. Which approach actually fits your workflow comes down to how often you need it, what apps you're working in, and whether you're writing for precision or convenience. 🎯