How to Write a Degree Sign on Any Device or Keyboard

The degree sign (°) is one of those characters that doesn't live on a standard keyboard key, yet you need it constantly — for temperatures, angles, coordinates, and more. Knowing how to type it depends entirely on which device and operating system you're using, and sometimes even which app you're in.

Here's a practical breakdown of every major method, across every major platform.

Why the Degree Sign Isn't on Your Keyboard

Standard keyboard layouts follow the ASCII character set for their printed keys, and the degree symbol (Unicode character U+00B0) simply didn't make the cut for a dedicated key. It exists in extended character sets, which means accessing it requires a workaround — a shortcut, a special input method, or a character map tool.

The good news: every major operating system has a reliable way to produce it. The method that works best for you depends on your OS, your keyboard layout, and how often you need it.

How to Type the Degree Sign on Windows

Windows offers several approaches depending on your comfort level.

Using Alt Codes (Numeric Keypad Required)

The classic Windows method uses Alt codes:

• Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad
• Release Alt — the ° symbol appears

This only works with the dedicated numeric keypad, not the number row at the top of the keyboard. If you're on a laptop without a numpad, this method won't apply unless you enable the Fn + NumLk numpad overlay (if your laptop supports it).

Using the Character Map

Windows includes a built-in Character Map utility:

1. Press Windows key, search for Character Map
2. Find the degree symbol, click it, then Copy
3. Paste it wherever you need it

Using the Emoji & Symbols Panel

In Windows 10 and 11, press Windows key + period (.) to open the emoji and symbols panel. Switch to the Omega (Ω) symbols tab, then search for "degree." You can click to insert directly.

Copy and Paste

The simplest fallback: copy ° from this article and paste it into your document.

How to Type the Degree Sign on Mac

Mac keyboard shortcuts are more consistent across devices, including laptops.

• Press Option + Shift + 8 — this inserts ° instantly in almost any app

This shortcut works system-wide in macOS and doesn't require a numeric keypad, making it reliable on MacBooks as well as desktop keyboards.

Alternatively, go to Edit > Emoji & Symbols in most apps (or press Control + Command + Space) and search for "degree."

How to Type the Degree Sign on iPhone or iPad 📱

Mobile keyboards handle special characters differently:

1. Open any text field with the keyboard active
2. Press and hold the zero (0) key
3. A popup will appear showing the ° symbol
4. Slide your finger to it and release

This works on the default iOS/iPadOS keyboard without any additional apps or settings. It's one of the more intuitive mobile implementations of hidden characters.

How to Type the Degree Sign on Android

Android's method varies slightly by keyboard app, but the general approach is:

1. Switch to the numbers view (tap the ?123 key)
2. Look for the degree sign directly on that panel — it appears on many Android keyboards by default
3. If not visible, tap the =< or symbols key for additional characters

If you use a third-party keyboard like Gboard or SwiftKey, the exact location may differ. Gboard, for example, places ° in the symbols panel accessible from the number view. Long-pressing certain number keys (like 0) may also reveal it, similar to iOS.

How to Insert the Degree Sign in Specific Apps

The app context can also change your best approach.

In HTML, it's worth noting the difference between ° (the named entity) and typing the literal Unicode character. Both render as °, but the entity is safer in older or strict encoding environments.

Unicode and Cross-Platform Considerations 🔍

The degree sign has a single, stable Unicode code point: U+00B0. This means a ° typed on a Mac will display correctly on Windows, Android, iOS, and the web — as long as the font in use includes that character (virtually all modern fonts do).

Where things can get messy:

• Legacy software using older encodings (like Windows-1252) may display the character incorrectly if pasted from a UTF-8 source
• Plain text fields in some older web forms may strip or misinterpret non-ASCII characters
• CSV files opened in Excel can sometimes misread encoding if the file isn't saved as UTF-8

For general everyday use — documents, messages, social posts — none of this matters. The complications mostly surface in developer or data contexts.

Related Symbols Worth Knowing

The degree sign is sometimes confused with similar-looking characters:

• º — This is the masculine ordinal indicator (U+00BA), used in some languages for ordinal numbers. It looks similar but is a different character.
• ° vs ˚ — The latter is a ring above diacritic (U+02DA), not a degree sign. They may look identical in some fonts but behave differently in text processing.

Using the correct Unicode character matters if your text will be parsed, indexed, or processed — not just displayed.

The Variable That Changes Everything

Every method above is accurate for its platform — but which one is actually your best method depends on factors only you can assess: how frequently you need the symbol, which apps you work in most, whether you have a numpad, and whether you're switching between devices regularly.

Someone typing temperatures dozens of times a day in Word has a very different optimal setup than someone who needs the symbol once a month in a chat app. The right habit to build depends entirely on your own workflow.