How to Type Degree Symbol ° — Every Method Explained

You're typing the temperature, or an angle, or maybe just talking about how well-done you want your steak. And then you hit a wall: there's no degree symbol on your keyboard. The little circle above everything else in math class. The ° you need for 32°F or 90° or a 45° angle.

So what do you do? Type "degrees" out? Copy it from somewhere else? Guess wrong and hope nobody notices (pro tip: they will)?

I've collected every method for typing ° on any device. Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, Chromebook, Linux, even HTML. Pick your poison.

The Universal Solution: Copy and Paste

Before we get into keyboard shortcuts, let's acknowledge the method that works 100% of the time:

°

Just copy that. Done. It works on every device, every operating system, every app. No special keys, no combinations to remember, no software to install.

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. If you need the degree symbol occasionally, just bookmark this page and grab ° whenever you need it. We also have a full math symbols collection with related characters like ² ³ ⁴ if you need those too.

Windows: Alt Code and Emoji Picker

Alt Code Method

This is the classic Windows method:

1. Make sure Num Lock is ON
2. Hold down the Alt key
3. Type 0176 on the numeric keypad (on the right side of your keyboard)
4. Release Alt key

You should see ° appear. If it doesn't work, check that Num Lock is on and you're using the numeric keypad, not the numbers at the top of the keyboard. The number row doesn't work for Alt codes.

Fun detail: 176 is the ASCII/Unicode decimal for the degree symbol. Alt + 176 also works, but 0176 is more reliable across different Windows versions.

Emoji Picker Method (Newer Windows)

On Windows 10 and 11, you have a built-in emoji picker that includes special characters:

1. Press Win + . (Windows key + period) or Win + ; (Windows key + semicolon)
2. Type "degree" in the search box
3. Click the ° symbol

This is faster if you have a newer Windows machine. The emoji picker also has temperature symbols like ℃ and ℉ if you need those. And if you're feeling lazy, you can just copy the emoji and strip the letter — it's the same degree symbol character.

Character Map

The old-school method: search for "Character Map" in Windows, open it, find the degree symbol, and copy. It's clunky but it's always there if other methods fail.

Mac: Emoji & Symbol Viewer

Mac doesn't have a direct Alt code equivalent (Apple keeps it simple). Here's how you get °:

Emoji & Symbol Viewer

1. Press Control + Command + Space
2. Type "degree" in the search box
3. Double-click the ° symbol

The Character Viewer on Mac is actually pretty good. It shows recently used symbols, so once you find °, it'll be right there next time.

Text Replacement Shortcut

Here's a pro tip: set up a text replacement so you never have to hunt for the degree symbol again:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements
2. Click the + button
3. Replace: deg (or whatever shortcut you prefer)
4. With: °

Now whenever you type "deg" and hit space, it automatically expands to °. I use this constantly. Set up shortcuts for any special characters you use regularly.

iPhone and iPad

iOS doesn't make it obvious, but the degree symbol is hiding in the keyboard:

1. Tap the 123 button to switch to numbers
2. Tap and hold the 0 key
3. A popup appears — select °

That's it! ° is in the long-press menu for zero. This works on both iPhone and iPad, in every app.

Pro tip: if you type temperatures a lot, you might want to set up a text replacement in Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. Same concept as Mac — type something short and it expands to °.

Android

Android keyboards vary, but most modern keyboards (Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, etc.) have a similar approach:

1. Tap the ?123 button to switch to symbols
2. Tap and hold the 0 key (or sometimes o)
3. Select ° from the popup

If that doesn't work on your keyboard, try switching to symbols/emoji and searching — most keyboards have a search function now. Type "degree" and it should pop up.

Or just open a browser, come here, copy °, and paste it. Sometimes that's honestly faster than hunting through menus.

Chromebook

Chromebooks have a dedicated emoji/symbol panel:

1. Press Search + Shift + Space or click the clock and select the emoji icon
2. Search for "degree"
3. Click °

Alternatively, use the on-screen keyboard option and hold 0, similar to mobile devices. The emoji panel is generally easier if you're comfortable with Chromebook shortcuts.

Linux

Linux varies by distribution, but here are the most common methods:

Unicode Input (Most Distros)

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U
2. Type b0 (the hexadecimal code for °)
3. Press Enter

° should appear. This works on Ubuntu, Fedora, and most other mainstream distributions with the standard GTK input method.

Compose Key

If you've set up a Compose key (many Linux users have), the sequence is typically:

Compose + o + o

Or sometimes Compose + * + o. It depends on your distribution and configuration. The Unicode input method is more reliable across different systems.

HTML for Web Developers

If you're writing HTML code, you have several options:

• Named entity: ° → °
• Decimal code: ° → °
• Hexadecimal code: ° → °

The named entity ° is the most readable. Most developers remember that one. But all three work identically in the browser.

Don't confuse ° with ˚ (ring above character, like å) or º (masculine ordinal indicator, º). They look similar but they're different characters. The masculine ordinal indicator (º) is specifically for ordinal numbers in Portuguese and Spanish, not for degrees.

Common Uses of the Degree Symbol

The degree symbol shows up in several contexts:

• Temperature: 32°F (Fahrenheit), 100°C (Celsius)
• Angles: 45°, 90°, 180°
• Geographic coordinates: 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W (latitude/longitude)
• Academic degrees: PhD, BA (usually written without the symbol, but you might see it as Ph.D° historically)
• Doneness levels: medium-rare°, well done° (not standard, but people get creative)

The temperature and angle uses are technically different symbols in Unicode: the degree sign (°) for angles and the degree Celsius/fahrenheit symbols (℃ ℉) for temperature. But in practice, most people use ° for everything, and it works fine.

If you want to be technically correct about temperature, use ℃ or ℉ — they're single characters that include the degree sign. But ° followed by C or F is widely understood and accepted.

Related Temperature Symbols

Speaking of temperature symbols, here are the related characters you might need:

• ℃ — Degree Celsius
• ℉ — Degree Fahrenheit
• ° — Degree sign (general purpose)
• ⁰ — Superscript zero (looks similar but not the same)

The superscript zero (⁰) is sometimes used in place of ° but it's wrong for this purpose. It's specifically for superscript text in mathematics and chemistry. Stick with ° for degrees.

You can find more mathematical symbols in our math symbols collection, including superscripts and subscripts.

Quick Reference Table

Troubleshooting

If none of these methods are working, here are some things to check:

• Num Lock: Windows Alt codes require Num Lock to be ON. If nothing happens, check the Num Lock light on your keyboard.
• Number pad vs. number row: Alt codes only work with the numeric keypad on the right side. The numbers at the top don't work.
• Wrong character: Make sure you're not accidentally using the superscript zero (⁰) or the masculine ordinal indicator (º). They look similar but they're wrong.
• Font issues: If ° shows up as a box or weird character, the font you're using doesn't include that character. Switch to a standard font like Arial, Times New Roman, or whatever your system defaults to.
• Keyboard layout: Some non-US keyboard layouts map keys differently. If you're on a weird keyboard layout, standard shortcuts might not work as expected.

Wrapping Up

The degree symbol is simple but annoying to type because it's not on any standard keyboard. The good news is that every device has a way to type it, you just have to know which button to press or which sequence to type.

My recommendation: set up a text replacement shortcut if your device supports it. Type "deg" or "deg" and get °. It's the fastest method once you've done the initial setup. For occasional use, just copy ° from this page.

And if you need more mathematical or technical symbols, browse our math symbols collection or other symbol categories. We've got the obscure stuff covered so you don't have to hunt for it.