The degree symbol (°) isn’t on most keyboards. At least not anywhere obvious.
And yet it comes up constantly. Weather apps, cooking recipes, scientific papers, engineering specs, HVAC documentation, school worksheets. Anyone who types about temperature eventually runs into the problem.
Compare these three ways to write the same information:
- “Set your oven to 350F.”
- “Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.”
- “Set your oven to 350°F.”
The third option is the most professional. It’s also the shortest. The only catch is getting that tiny ° onto your screen without interrupting what you’re doing.
This page covers every method for every platform: Mac, Windows with and without a numpad, iPhone, Android, Chromebook, and Linux. Plus how to insert it in Google Docs and Word, the Unicode reference for developers, and the fastest method for people who type it constantly.
Key takeaways
- The degree symbol shortcut depends on the device you’re using. On a Mac, press Option + Shift + 8. On Windows with a numeric keypad, hold Alt and type 0176. On iPhone and Android keyboards, long-press the 0 key and choose ° from the pop-up.
- Windows Alt codes only work on a dedicated numeric keypad, so most laptops need another method. The Win + . emoji and symbols panel is the most reliable no-numpad option on Windows 11 and Windows 10. Character Map and some laptops’ hidden Fn numpads also work as backups.
- Chromebook and Linux use the same Unicode input shortcut for the degree symbol. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then press Enter. The code point behind it, U+00B0, is also what developers use in HTML entities and CSS content values.
- Degrees Fahrenheit and degrees Celsius are typed as two characters: the degree symbol followed by F or C. Unicode does include single-character ℉ and ℃ symbols, but they’re legacy compatibility characters and aren’t recommended for modern documents.
- Text expansion is the fastest option for people who type temperatures every day. A TextExpander Snippet turns a short abbreviation, such as xdegf, into °F wherever you type, so meteorologists, chefs, HVAC technicians, and science teachers don’t have to remember a different shortcut on each device.
Copy the degree symbol
Need it right now? Copy it here: °
Related symbols you might need:
- Degrees Fahrenheit: °F
- Degrees Celsius: °C
Degree symbol on Mac
Shortcut: Option + Shift + 8
Hold Option and Shift together, then press 8. That’s it. Works in every app on macOS.
If you’d rather browse for it: go to Edit > Emoji & Symbols (or press Fn + E on newer Macs with a Globe key) and search “degree.”
Degree symbol on Windows
Windows has more than one method, and which one you use depends on your keyboard.
With a numeric keypad
Hold Alt, type 0176 on the numpad, then release Alt. The ° appears.
One thing that trips people up: this only works on the dedicated numeric keypad, not the number row across the top of your keyboard.
Without a numeric keypad
Most laptops don’t have a numpad. Here are three options that work:
Win + . (emoji panel): Press the Windows key and the period key at the same time. The emoji and symbols panel opens. Type “degree” in the search box. Works on Windows 11 and Windows 10, and it’s probably the most reliable no-numpad method.
Character Map: Search for “Character Map” in the Start menu. Find the degree sign, click Copy, and paste. Slower than the shortcut, but it works on every Windows machine.
Virtual numpad via Fn: Some laptops have a virtual numpad hidden in the letter keys (look for small numbers printed on J, K, L, U, I, O, and similar keys). If yours does, try Fn + NumLk to enable it, then use Alt + 0176. Check your laptop’s documentation to confirm.
In Microsoft Word
There’s a slicker option in Word: type 00B0 and immediately press Alt + X. Word converts the code to the degree symbol. You can also use Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, search for character code 00B0, and insert it from there.
Degree symbol on iPhone
Hold down the 0 key on the iPhone keyboard. A small pop-up appears with the ° symbol. Tap it.
This works everywhere the standard iOS keyboard appears: Messages, Mail, Notes, Safari, third-party apps, all of it. The hold-and-pop gesture has been there for years and a lot of people have never discovered it.
Degree symbol on Android
Most Android keyboards follow the same pattern:
Long-press the 0 key. If you’re on Gboard (the default for most Android phones), the ° appears in a pop-up above the key. Slide up to it or lift your finger over it to select.
If that doesn’t work, tap ?123 to switch to the number keyboard, then long-press 0.
Degree symbol on Chromebook
Use Unicode input: press Ctrl + Shift + U, release all three keys, type 00b0, then press Enter or Space.
This works in most Chromebook apps, including Google Docs, Gmail, and the Chrome browser itself. You can also open the emoji picker by pressing Search + Shift + Space or by right-clicking in a text field and selecting Emoji. Type “degree” in the search bar, or select Symbols to the right of the search bar to browse.
Degree symbol on Linux
The Unicode input method works on most Linux distributions: press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then press Enter. This works in GTK apps, which covers most of what you’d use on a standard GNOME desktop.
If you’ve set up a Compose key, the sequence Compose + d + e + g inserts ° in many configurations. This varies depending on how your Compose key is mapped.
Degree symbol in Google Docs
Go to Insert > Special characters. Search for “degree” in the search box. Click the ° symbol to insert it at your cursor.
The Mac and Windows shortcuts also work while you’re editing a Google Doc. Option + Shift + 8 on Mac, or Win + . on Windows, will insert the symbol without leaving the document.
Fahrenheit symbol and Celsius symbol
The Fahrenheit symbol is °F. The Celsius symbol is °C. Both are typed as the degree symbol followed by the letter F or C.
There isn’t a separate single-character Unicode entry for °F or °C as a combined unit. You type the degree sign and the letter. The Unicode standard does include legacy symbols U+2109 (℉) and U+2103 (℃), but these are compatibility characters for older systems and aren’t recommended in modern use.
Unicode and HTML quick reference
| Context | Code |
|---|---|
| Unicode code point | U+00B0 |
| HTML named entity | ° |
| HTML numeric entity | ° |
| CSS content property | “\00B0” |
| UTF-8 hex bytes | 0xC2 0xB0 |
The fastest method for people who type this constantly
Every method above works. All of them involve stopping what you’re doing, remembering a keyboard shortcut, switching contexts, or visiting a separate tool. For someone who types the degree symbol once a month, that’s fine.
For meteorologists, HVAC professionals, chefs, science teachers, lab technicians, or anyone who writes about temperature regularly, those interruptions add up fast.
TextExpander solves this with text expansion Snippets: type a short abbreviation, and it automatically expands to the symbol in any app, on any platform, without breaking your typing flow.
You decide the abbreviations. Common setups:
- xdeg expands to °
- xdegf expands to °F
- xdegc expands to °C
- fah expands to Fahrenheit (because the spelling is genuinely difficult)
The expansion happens the instant you finish typing the abbreviation. No Alt codes, no hold-press gestures, no menu navigation. You can also set up Snippets for other symbols, corrections, and frequently-typed phrases. If your team types similar content, you can share Snippet groups so everyone uses the same abbreviations.
Want to set up these abbreviations yourself? You can try TextExpander free.
Type ° without remembering a shortcut
The degree symbol takes a different shortcut on every device. A TextExpander Snippet turns a short abbreviation like xdegf into °F wherever you type, and you can share the same abbreviations with your team.
Free forever, no credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
What is the keyboard shortcut for the degree symbol?
The keyboard shortcut for the degree symbol (°) depends on your device. On a Mac, press Option + Shift + 8. On Windows with a numeric keypad, hold Alt, type 0176 on the keypad, and release Alt. On Windows without a numeric keypad, press Win + . to open the emoji and symbols panel and search for "degree." On iPhone and Android, long-press the 0 key on the on-screen keyboard and tap ° in the pop-up. On a Chromebook or Linux, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, and press Enter.
How do I type the degree symbol without a number pad?
To type the degree symbol without a number pad on Windows, press the Windows key and the period key (Win + .) to open the emoji and symbols panel, then search for "degree" and select °. Character Map, found through the Start menu, is a slower backup that works on any Windows PC. On a Mac, Option + Shift + 8 works on every keyboard because it doesn't use a numeric keypad. On a Chromebook or Linux computer, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, and press Enter.
What is the Unicode for the degree symbol?
The Unicode code point for the degree symbol is U+00B0. Web developers can insert it in HTML with the named entity ° or the numeric entity °, and in CSS with "\00B0" inside a content property. The same code powers several keyboard methods: in Microsoft Word, type 00B0 and press Alt + X, and on a Chromebook or Linux, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, and press Enter.
How do I type the degrees Fahrenheit symbol?
To type the degrees Fahrenheit symbol (°F), insert the degree symbol using your device's method, then type a capital F. For example, press Option + Shift + 8 and then F on a Mac, or hold Alt and type 0176 on a Windows numeric keypad, then type F. No standard keyboard has a single key combination for °F. If you type °F often, a TextExpander Snippet can expand a short abbreviation into °F automatically, and the same approach works for degrees Celsius (°C).
How do I type the degree symbol on my phone?
To type the degree symbol on a phone, long-press the 0 key on the on-screen keyboard. On iPhone, a small pop-up appears with °, and you tap it to insert the symbol. On Android with Gboard, long-press 0 and slide to ° in the pop-up. If nothing appears, tap ?123 to switch to the number and symbol keyboard, then long-press 0 again. The gesture works in any app that uses the standard keyboard, including messages, email, and notes.
How do I make Word AutoCorrect type the degree symbol?
To make Microsoft Word insert the degree symbol automatically on Windows, go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options and make sure Replace text as you type is selected. Type a shortcut you won't use in normal writing, such as /deg, in the Replace box. In the With box, insert ° by holding Alt and typing 0176 on a numeric keypad, or paste it in, then select Add and OK. Microsoft says the AutoCorrect list applies across all the Office programs that support AutoCorrect, so the same shortcut can also work in apps such as Outlook and PowerPoint. AutoCorrect shortcuts don't work outside Microsoft Office.
How do I create a degree symbol shortcut in Google Docs?
To create a degree symbol shortcut in Google Docs, open a document and go to Tools > Preferences, then select the Substitutions tab. Make sure Automatic substitution is turned on, type a shortcut such as /deg in the Replace column, paste ° into the With column, and select OK. Google Docs then replaces the shortcut with ° as you type. Substitutions are a Google Docs setting, so they don't carry over to Gmail, Slack, or desktop apps. For one shortcut that works in any app, a text expansion tool such as TextExpander can insert ° from the same abbreviation wherever you type.
