How to Write the Degree Sign in Excel: Every Method Explained

Whether you're logging temperatures, documenting angles, or formatting scientific data, the degree symbol (°) is one of those characters that doesn't live on a standard keyboard — but shows up constantly in real work. Excel doesn't make it obvious, but there are actually several reliable ways to insert it, and which one suits you best depends on how you work.

Why the Degree Symbol Isn't on Your Keyboard

Most keyboards follow a layout designed decades ago, long before spreadsheets existed. Special characters like °, ©, or ± were left off to keep things practical. In Excel, this means you need a workaround — but the good news is there are at least five solid methods, ranging from simple keyboard shortcuts to formula-based solutions.

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut (Windows)

The fastest method on Windows is using a numeric keypad shortcut:

1. Click the cell where you want the degree symbol
2. Hold Alt, then type 0176 on the numeric keypad
3. Release Alt

The ° symbol appears immediately. This only works with the numeric keypad (not the number row at the top of your keyboard), and Num Lock must be enabled.

💡 If your laptop doesn't have a dedicated numeric keypad, this method may not work without enabling a virtual numpad — which varies by device.

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut (Mac)

On a Mac, the shortcut is more straightforward:

• Press Option + Shift + 8

This works anywhere on macOS, including Excel, and doesn't require a numeric keypad.

Method 3: Copy-Paste or Insert Symbol

If you only need the degree sign occasionally, the Insert Symbol method is reliable and doesn't require memorizing anything.

1. Go to the Insert tab in Excel's ribbon
2. Click Symbol (far right of the ribbon)
3. In the Symbol dialog, set the font to (normal text) and scroll to find °
4. You can also type 00B0 in the "Character code" box with encoding set to Unicode (hex) to jump directly to it
5. Click Insert, then Close

Once inserted, you can copy-paste that symbol into as many cells as you need.

Method 4: CHAR Function (Formula-Based)

For users who want to embed the degree symbol directly in a formula — for example, combining a number with a unit label — Excel's CHAR() function is the cleanest approach.

=A1&CHAR(176) 

This concatenates the value in A1 with the degree symbol. For example, if A1 contains 98.6, the result displays as 98.6°.

Important note: When you use CHAR(176), the cell value becomes text, not a number. This matters if you plan to run calculations on those cells — keep the raw numeric value in a separate column and use the formula only for display.

Method 5: AutoCorrect (Best for Frequent Use)

If you're entering degree symbols constantly, setting up an AutoCorrect rule saves significant time.

1. Go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options
2. In the "Replace" field, type a trigger (e.g., (deg))
3. In the "With" field, paste the ° symbol
4. Click Add, then OK

From that point on, typing (deg) in any Excel cell automatically converts to °. This is particularly useful in data-entry-heavy workflows.

Understanding How Excel Stores the Symbol

One variable worth understanding: Excel treats cells differently depending on how the degree symbol was inserted.

• Using CHAR(176) in a formula produces a text string — the cell is no longer purely numeric
• Using Alt+0176 or copy-paste inserts the character as part of the cell's text content, which also shifts the cell to text format if typed after a number
• If you need the cell to stay numeric for calculations, store the raw number separately and format or display the ° symbol only in a dedicated label column

This distinction matters most in spreadsheets where you're sorting, averaging, or running conditional formulas on temperature or angle data.

Cell Formatting vs. Character Insertion

There's also a lesser-known approach: custom number formatting. Instead of inserting the ° character at all, you can format a cell so it displays a degree symbol while keeping the underlying value purely numeric.

1. Select the cell(s)
2. Press Ctrl + 1 to open Format Cells
3. Under the Number tab, choose Custom
4. Enter this format code: 0"°"
5. Click OK

The cell now shows 37° while storing the number 37. Calculations, sorting, and averages all still work correctly. 🎯

This approach is often the most technically sound for data-heavy spreadsheets — but it requires understanding that what you see and what Excel uses are different things.

The Variables That Shape Your Best Approach

No single method is universally better. The right one shifts based on:

• How often you need the symbol — occasionally vs. hundreds of entries
• Whether the cells need to stay numeric for formulas and sorting
• Your operating system — Windows and Mac shortcuts are different
• Your keyboard hardware — numeric keypad availability affects Alt code use
• Whether you're building a template others will use (AutoCorrect is personal; CHAR formulas are portable)

A data analyst building a temperature dashboard has very different needs from someone typing up a one-time report. The method that feels like a shortcut in one context creates formatting problems in another. ⚙️

Your specific workflow — how the data flows through your spreadsheet, what formulas it feeds, and how often you're entering these values — is what ultimately determines which approach holds up best.