How to Type the Degree Symbol on Any Device

The degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that almost everyone needs occasionally — whether you're writing about temperature, angles in geometry, or geographic coordinates — but it's not sitting on any standard keyboard key. Knowing where to find it depends heavily on what device and operating system you're using, and even your workflow matters.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on Your Keyboard

Standard keyboard layouts are designed around the most frequently typed characters: letters, numbers, and common punctuation. Specialized symbols like °, ©, or ™ didn't make the cut for dedicated keys. Instead, they live inside Unicode — a universal character encoding standard that assigns every symbol a unique code point. The degree symbol's Unicode value is U+00B0.

Every modern operating system has at least one method for accessing Unicode characters, but the path to get there varies significantly by platform.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Windows

Windows offers several methods, and which one suits you depends on how often you need the symbol and what software you're using.

Using Alt Code (Numeric Keypad Required)

Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad (not the top row numbers), then release Alt. The ° symbol appears. This only works if your keyboard has a dedicated numeric keypad and Num Lock is on.

Using the Character Map

Search for Character Map in the Start menu. Find the degree symbol, click Copy, and paste it where needed. Slower, but works on any keyboard.

Using Insert > Symbol in Microsoft Word

In Word, go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Search for "degree" or use the Unicode hex code 00B0. You can also assign a custom keyboard shortcut here for repeated use.

Windows Emoji Panel

Press Win + . (period) to open the emoji and symbol panel. Switch to the Omega (Ω) symbols tab and search for "degree."

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac

macOS makes this relatively straightforward with a dedicated keyboard shortcut.

Option + Shift + 8 produces the ° symbol in most applications immediately. No menus required.

Alternatively, go to Edit → Emoji & Symbols in most apps (or press Control + Command + Space) to open the character viewer. Search "degree" and double-click to insert.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on iPhone and iPad

On iOS and iPadOS, the degree symbol is tucked inside the number keyboard:

1. Tap a text field to open the keyboard
2. Tap 123 to switch to the numbers view
3. Press and hold the zero (0) key
4. A pop-up appears showing ° — slide to it and release

This works in Messages, Notes, Mail, and most third-party apps.

How to Type the Degree Symbol on Android

Android keyboards vary by manufacturer and app, but the most common path is:

1. Open the keyboard and switch to the numbers/symbols view (usually labeled ?123 or !#1)
2. Look for ° directly on that panel, or tap a secondary symbols key (often =< or #+=)
3. Some keyboards require you to long-press the 0 key, similar to iOS

If your keyboard doesn't show it, third-party keyboards like Gboard or SwiftKey typically include it in their symbol layouts.

How to Type the Degree Symbol in Linux

Linux users have a few options depending on the desktop environment:

• Compose key method: If a Compose key is configured, press Compose + o + o to produce °
• Unicode entry: In many GTK applications, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then press Enter
• Copy-paste from character map: Most desktop environments include a character map utility (GNOME Characters, KCharSelect on KDE)

Quick Reference: Degree Symbol by Platform 🖥️

Variables That Affect Which Method Works for You

Not every method works in every context, and a few factors shape your experience:

Keyboard hardware — Desktop keyboards with a full numeric keypad open up Alt code shortcuts on Windows. Laptop keyboards without a numpad make those shortcuts impractical or impossible.

Application type — Some web-based tools and older software don't respond to keyboard shortcuts the same way a native desktop app does. In a browser text field, your best bet is often copy-paste or the OS character panel.

Input frequency — If you're typing the degree symbol dozens of times a day (say, in scientific or engineering work), setting up a text expansion shortcut — where typing something like deg automatically converts to ° — saves significant time. Tools like AutoHotkey on Windows, built-in Text Replacement on Mac and iOS, or apps like Espanso on Linux support this.

OS version — Older versions of Windows or Android may not include the emoji/symbol panel introduced in later releases. The core methods (Alt codes, Unicode entry) tend to be more stable across versions.

Third-party keyboards on mobile — If you've replaced your default keyboard with a third-party app, the long-press method on the 0 key may behave differently or not at all, depending on that app's symbol layout.

The Degree Symbol vs. the Masculine Ordinal Indicator ⚠️

One common mistake worth knowing: the masculine ordinal indicator (º) looks nearly identical to the degree symbol but is a different character (Unicode U+00BA). It appears in some keyboard layouts as an accessible character and gets used incorrectly in place of °. If you're writing technical documents, scientific content, or anything where precision matters, confirm you're inserting the true degree symbol and not the ordinal.

Whether the simplest method — a keyboard shortcut — works for you, or whether you need a text expansion rule or a third-party tool, comes down to your device, your keyboard layout, and how often the symbol appears in your work.