The short answer: to type a degree symbol in a cell, press Alt + 0176 on the numeric keypad (Windows) or Shift + Option + 8 (Mac) — or copy it from the box below.
To show a temperature like 25°C while keeping the cell a real number you can average and chart, use a custom number format: Ctrl + 1 → Custom → 0"°C". Inside a formula, =UNICHAR(176) inserts the sign.
The trick most people miss: typing 25°C straight into a cell turns it into text, so you can’t average it, chart it, or do math with it. A custom number format shows the “°C” on screen while the stored value stays a plain 25 — so every formula still works. Here’s every method, and when to use each.
Quick reference
| Goal | How |
|---|---|
| Type ° in a cell | Alt + 0176 (numpad) · Mac Shift + Option + 8 · or copy above |
| ° inside a formula | =UNICHAR(176) |
| Show 25°C but keep the number | Custom format 0"°C" (Ctrl + 1 → Custom) |
| Combine a number with ° as text | =A1&UNICHAR(176)&"C" |
| No numpad (laptop) | Win + . picker, or Insert → Symbol |
| Menu method | Insert → Symbol, pick ° |
1. Type the degree symbol directly
Best when you just need one or two, or when you want the ° to live inside label text.
- Windows: hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on). No numpad? See the laptop options below. (If nothing happens, check the Alt codes not working guide.)
- Mac: press Shift + Option + 8.
- Any version: copy ° from the box at the top and paste it into the cell.
On a Windows laptop with no numpad, you have two extra options:
- Press Win + . (Windows key + period) to open the emoji/symbol picker, switch to the Symbols tab, and pick the degree sign.
- Open Character Map (search
charmap), find the degree sign, and copy it.
On a Mac, you can also open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space, search “degree”, and double-click to insert.
2. Use the UNICHAR (or CHAR) function
Best when the symbol needs to come from a formula.
Use =UNICHAR(176) — it returns the Unicode degree sign (°) and behaves the same on Windows and Mac. UNICHAR is available in Excel 2013 and later.
You’ll also see =CHAR(176) recommended online. CHAR is the older function, and it reads from the system’s legacy character set — which isn’t the same on Windows and Mac — so a raw CHAR code can produce a different character depending on the platform. To get an identical result everywhere, use UNICHAR(176).
3. Custom number format — the best way for °C and °F
Best when you have a column of temperatures (or angles) and you still need to calculate with them.
This shows the unit on screen but keeps the underlying value numeric, so AVERAGE, SUM, charts, and math all keep working:
- Select the cells.
- Press Ctrl + 1 to open Format Cells.
- Go to Number → Custom.
- In the Type box, enter the format you need (see table).
- Click OK.
| You want to show | Custom format code |
|---|---|
| 25°C | 0"°C" |
| 25.0°F | 0.0"°F" |
| 90° (angle, no unit) | 0"°" |
| -5°C with a sign | 0"°C";-0"°C" |
Now a cell holding 25 displays as 25°C, but =AVERAGE() still treats it as 25. To type the ° inside that Type box, paste it or use Alt + 0176.
Already have a list of plain numbers? Just select the whole column first, then apply the format — Excel adds the unit to every cell at once, and nothing about the stored values changes.
4. Combine a number and a degree sign as text
Best when you actually want text — for a chart title, a sentence, or a merged label.
=A1&UNICHAR(176)&"C"
If A1 is 25, this returns 25°C as text. Because the result is text, don’t use it in cells you still need to do math on — use the custom format (Method 3) for those.
5. Degree signs in Excel charts
If your data cells use the 0"°C" custom format, the chart axis and data labels pick up the degree sign automatically — no extra work. If your cells are plain numbers, either apply the custom format to the axis (Format Axis → Number → Custom → 0"°C") or type the ° directly into the label text.
6. Degree symbol in Google Sheets
The same idea works in Google Sheets under Format → Number → Custom number format, using 0"°C". You can also paste ° straight into a cell, and =UNICHAR(176) works there too. (More: symbols in Google Sheets.)
7. ° vs º vs ˚ — make sure you’re using the right one
Three lookalike characters get pasted into spreadsheets by mistake:
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ° | Degree sign | U+00B0 | Temperature, angles, coordinates |
| º | Masculine ordinal indicator | U+00BA | Spanish/Portuguese ordinals (1º, 2º) |
| ˚ | Ring above | U+02DA | A combining diacritic, not a degree |
They look almost identical in many fonts, but only ° (U+00B0) is the real degree sign. If a paste from the web looks slightly off — narrower, higher, or underlined — you’ve probably grabbed the ordinal º by accident. Copy the ° from the top of this page to be sure. (Full breakdown: ° vs º vs ⁰.)
Examples
- Temperatures: format a column as
0"°C"so 18, 21, 25 display as 18°C, 21°C, 25°C and still average correctly. - Angles:
0"°"shows 90°, 45°. - Coordinates:
=B2&UNICHAR(176)&"N"→ 40°N.
Troubleshooting
- My numbers stopped calculating after I typed “°C”. Typing the unit turned the cell into text. Delete the “°C”, leave the plain number, and apply the custom format
0"°C"so the value stays numeric. - CHAR(176) shows the wrong symbol on my Mac. Use
=UNICHAR(176)instead — it’s consistent across Windows and Mac. - Alt + 0176 does nothing. You need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. On a laptop without one, use Win + ., Insert → Symbol, or copy the ° above.
- The degree looks like a small raised circle in one font but fine in another. That’s normal — the glyph’s size and height vary by font. The character is still U+00B0; it’s just drawn differently.
- My pasted degree sign looks slightly off. You may have copied the masculine ordinal º (U+00BA) instead of the degree ° (U+00B0). See the comparison table above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I insert the degree symbol in Excel?
Type Alt + 0176 on the numeric keypad in Windows, or Shift + Option + 8 on a Mac. In a formula, use =UNICHAR(176), or simply copy and paste the degree sign (°) into the cell.
How do I show degrees Celsius in Excel without breaking calculations?
Use a custom number format. Select the cells, press Ctrl + 1, choose Custom, and enter:
0"°C"
The cell will display 25°C while keeping the underlying value as 25 for calculations.
What is the CHAR code for the degree symbol in Excel?
CHAR(176) returns the degree sign on Windows. On a Mac it may return a different character, so UNICHAR(176) is recommended because it works on both platforms.
How do I add a degree symbol to a number with a formula?
Concatenate the symbol with the value:
=A1&UNICHAR(176)&"C"
This returns text such as 25°C.
How do I show °F instead of °C?
Use the custom number format 0″°F” to display whole numbers with the Fahrenheit symbol, or 0.0″°F” if you want one decimal place. Apply it in Format Cells → Custom.
Why does my degree symbol look wrong?
You may have inserted the masculine ordinal indicator (º, U+00BA) instead of the degree sign (°, U+00B0). Although they look similar, they are different characters. Use the true degree sign (°) for temperatures and angles.
Recap
For display that stays calculable, use the custom format 0"°C". For a literal symbol, type Alt + 0176 / Shift + Option + 8, or use =UNICHAR(176) in a formula. Need it somewhere other than Excel? See how to type the degree symbol on any device. Need a different symbol in Excel — check marks, ≠, ±, currency? See how to insert symbols in Excel.
Written by Igor R. Tested in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows 11 and macOS. Last updated September 2026. The degree sign is U+00B0 in the Unicode Standard.