How to Type the Degree Symbol on a MacBook

Whether you're writing about temperatures, angles, or geographic coordinates, the degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that isn't printed on any key — yet comes up often enough to be genuinely frustrating when you don't know the shortcut.

On a MacBook, there are several reliable ways to insert it, and which method makes the most sense depends on how often you need it, what app you're working in, and how your keyboard or system settings are configured.

The Fastest Method: Keyboard Shortcut

The quickest way to type the degree symbol on a MacBook is with this key combination:

Option + Shift + 8

Press all three keys at the same time and the ° symbol appears instantly. This works across most native macOS apps — including Pages, Notes, TextEdit, Mail, and Safari address bars — without any setup required.

This shortcut is built into macOS at the system level, so it doesn't depend on which keyboard language or input source you're using, as long as you're on a standard US English layout.

🔑 If you only remember one thing from this article, make it Option + Shift + 8.

What If You're on a Non-US Keyboard Layout?

Keyboard shortcuts are layout-dependent. On a UK English layout, for example, the key combinations shift around, and Option + Shift + 8 may produce a different character or nothing at all.

If you're unsure which layout your MacBook is using:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
2. Go to Keyboard → Input Sources
3. Check which layout is active

If your layout differs from US English, the Character Viewer method below is a more reliable fallback.

Using the Character Viewer

macOS includes a built-in Character Viewer that gives you access to every Unicode symbol, including °.

To open it:

1. Click the Edit menu in most apps and look for Emoji & Symbols, or
2. Use the keyboard shortcut Control + Command + Space
3. In the search bar, type "degree"
4. Double-click the ° symbol to insert it

You can also star the degree symbol as a favorite so it appears at the top of the Character Viewer every time you open it — a useful trick if you use it regularly but not frequently enough to memorize a shortcut.

Typing It in Specific Apps

In Microsoft Word, there's an additional path: go to Insert → Advanced Symbol, find the degree sign (Unicode 00B0), and insert it from there. You can also assign your own custom keyboard shortcut within Word's AutoCorrect or symbol settings.

In Google Docs running in a browser, the macOS shortcut usually still works, but if the browser intercepts it, use Insert → Special Characters → Search "degree" instead.

Using Unicode Input

For technical users working in code editors, terminals, or apps where standard shortcuts don't behave predictably, you can input the degree symbol using its Unicode code point: U+00B0.

macOS doesn't have a system-wide Unicode hex input shortcut enabled by default, but you can activate it:

1. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources
2. Add Unicode Hex Input as an input source
3. Switch to it when needed, then hold Option and type 00B0

This is more useful for developers or power users who regularly need obscure symbols — for casual use, the keyboard shortcut or Character Viewer are simpler.

Text Replacement as a Workaround

If you find yourself needing the degree symbol constantly and want something even faster, macOS Text Replacement lets you define a short trigger string that auto-expands to any character.

To set it up:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements
2. Click the + button
3. Set the Replace field to something like deg or //d
4. Set the With field to ° (paste the symbol in)

From that point, typing your trigger string in any app that supports Text Replacement will automatically substitute the degree symbol. Note that not all apps honor this — it works natively in most Apple apps but may not apply in some third-party or browser-based tools.

🌡️ A Note on Similar-Looking Symbols

It's worth knowing that the degree symbol ° (U+00B0) is different from two visually similar characters:

• Masculine ordinal indicator º (U+00BA) — used in Spanish/Portuguese as in "1º"
• Feminine ordinal indicator ª (U+00AA)

These can look nearly identical depending on the font, but they carry different semantic meaning and will affect text if you're working in scientific, academic, or internationalized contexts. The method above (Option + Shift + 8) correctly inserts the actual degree symbol.

Which Method Is Right for You

The keyboard shortcut covers the vast majority of everyday situations on a US English MacBook. But the right approach depends on specifics you'll need to evaluate yourself — your keyboard layout, which apps you spend most of your time in, how often you need the symbol, and whether you're working in environments where shortcuts behave differently than expected.

Each of the methods above solves the problem in a slightly different context, and the one that matters most is whichever fits where you actually do your work.