The short answer: on a Mac press Shift + Option + 8. On Windows, press Alt + 0176 on the numeric keypad. On a phone, press and hold the 0 key on the number keyboard. On a Chromebook, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then Enter. Or just copy it below.
The degree symbol (°) is used for temperatures, angles, and coordinates. Here’s every way to type it, device by device.
Quick reference
| Platform | How |
|---|---|
| Mac | Shift + Option + 8 |
| Windows | Alt + 0176 (numeric keypad, Num Lock on) |
| iPhone / Android | Press and hold the 0 key |
| Chromebook | Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then Enter |
| Linux | Compose, o, o — or Ctrl + Shift + U, 00b0 |
| Word | Type 00B0 then Alt + X |
| Excel | Custom number format (keeps the number calculable) |
| HTML | ° or ° |
| Unicode | U+00B0 |
Windows
Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. Release Alt and the ° appears.
No numpad (laptops)? In Word, type 00B0 then press Alt + X. Elsewhere, copy the ° above, or open Character Map (search “Character Map” in the Start menu), find the degree sign, and copy it.
Legacy alternative: Alt + 248 also produces ° on most Windows setups. If Alt + 0176 fails, this sometimes works instead.
If Alt codes aren’t working at all, see Alt codes not working for fixes.
Mac
Press Shift + Option + 8. It works in nearly every app.
Watch out for the look-alikes on Mac. The Option key sits next to two similar characters:
- Option + 0 (zero) → º — the ordinal indicator, not the degree sign.
- Option + K → ˚ — a “ring above” accent, also not the degree sign.
For temperatures and angles, always use Shift + Option + 8 (°). More on the difference below.
iPhone
Open the number keyboard (tap 123), then press and hold the 0 key. A popup appears with the degree symbol — slide to it and release.
Android
Switch to the numbers/symbols layout (tap ?123), then press and hold the 0 key to get the ° popup. This works in Gboard and most default keyboards, though the exact long-press options can vary by keyboard app. If your keyboard doesn’t show it, copy the ° from the box above.
Chromebook (ChromeOS)
Use Unicode input: press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then press Enter or Space. The ° appears.
This works in most text fields, but a few apps and web forms don’t support ChromeOS Unicode input — if nothing happens, copy the ° from the box above.
Linux
Two reliable methods:
- Compose key: press Compose, then o, then o → °. (You’ll need a Compose key configured in your keyboard settings.)
- Unicode input: Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then press Enter or Space. Works in most GTK-based apps.
Word & Google Docs
- Word: type 00B0 then press Alt + X, or go to Insert → Symbol.
- Google Docs: Insert → Special characters, then search “degree.”
Excel
If you just want the ° shown as text, type it like anywhere else. But if you want a temperature to stay calculable — so 25°C still holds the value 25 — apply a custom number format instead of typing the ° into the cell:
- Select the cells → Ctrl + 1 (Format Cells) → Custom.
- In the Type box, enter a format like:
0"°C" - The cell shows 25°C but the underlying value is still 25, so your formulas keep working.
Full walkthrough: the degree symbol in Excel.
HTML & the web
Use ° (the named entity) or ° (the decimal). Both render as °.
Examples
20°C · 90° angle · 41°N latitude · a 45° turn
Troubleshooting
- Alt + 0176 does nothing. You need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on — the number row across the top won’t work. On a laptop without a numpad, copy the ° above, use Word’s 00B0 + Alt + X, or open Character Map.
- You got º or ˚ instead of °. These are different characters (see below). On Mac, you likely hit Option + 0 or Option + K instead of Shift + Option + 8.
- ° vs º. The degree sign is ° (U+00B0). The masculine ordinal º (U+00BA), used in Spanish like 1º, looks similar but is a different character — use ° for temperatures and angles.
- Avoid the combined glyphs. Single characters like ℃ (U+2103) and ℉ (U+2109) exist, but they display inconsistently across fonts. The safe, universally compatible way to write a temperature is number + ° + letter, e.g. 25°C.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I type the degree symbol on Windows?
Hold Alt and type 0176 on the numeric keypad with Num Lock turned on. In Microsoft Word, you can also type 00B0 and then press Alt + X.
How do I type the degree symbol on a Mac?
Press Shift + Option + 8 to insert the degree symbol (°). Avoid Option + 0 and Option + K, which produce the look-alike characters º and ˚.
How do I type the degree symbol on a phone?
Open the number keyboard, then press and hold the 0 key. A popup menu will appear where you can select the degree symbol (°).
What is the difference between ° and º?
The degree sign (°) is used for temperatures and angles, such as 25°C or 90°.
The masculine ordinal indicator (º) is a different character used mainly in Spanish and Portuguese ordinals, such as 1º (first). Although they look similar, they are not the same symbol and should not be used interchangeably.
How do I type the degree symbol on a Chromebook?
Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00b0, then press Enter or Space. If it doesn’t work in a particular field, copy the ° from the box at the top of this page.
How do I add the degree symbol in Excel without breaking calculations?
Use a custom number format like 0″°C” (Format Cells → Custom). The cell displays 25°C while the actual value stays 25, so formulas still work.
Recap
Mac Shift + Option + 8, Windows Alt + 0176, phone hold 0, Chromebook Ctrl + Shift + U → 00b0. For the web, °; for Excel, format the cell so the number stays calculable.
Written by Igor R. Tested on Windows 11, macOS, iOS, and ChromeOS, using the built-in keyboards and Gboard. Last updated June 2026. The degree sign is U+00B0 in the Unicode Standard.
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