Learning how to type degree symbol in Excel is one of those small skills that quietly saves hours of frustration once you master it. Whether you are logging daily temperatures for a weather dashboard, recording angles for an engineering project, or building a geography lesson plan, the degree symbol (°) needs to appear cleanly inside your cells without breaking your formulas or formatting. The good news is that Excel offers at least seven reliable ways to insert this character, ranging from a single keyboard shortcut to advanced custom number formats that apply the symbol automatically across thousands of rows.
Most users never learn beyond copying and pasting the symbol from another document, which is slow and error-prone. A better approach is to memorize one or two methods that fit your workflow and use them consistently. The Alt code Alt+0176 on the numeric keypad is the fastest single-cell method on Windows, while Option+Shift+8 handles the job on Mac. For bulk data, the CHAR(176) function combined with concatenation lets you append the degree symbol to entire columns of numbers in seconds.
This guide walks through every method with concrete examples, real keystroke sequences, and edge cases you will only discover after using them in production spreadsheets. We will also cover custom number formats that display the degree symbol without storing it as text, which is critical for keeping cells calculable. If your worksheet contains temperatures used in formulas like AVERAGE or MAX, you cannot afford to convert numbers into strings just to show a unit.
By the end of this article, you will know which method to use for one-off entries, which scales to thousands of rows, and which works best when sharing files between Windows, Mac, and Excel for the web. You will also learn the difference between the masculine ordinal indicator (º) and the true degree sign (°), a distinction that matters when copying from word processors or web pages where autocorrect quietly substitutes one for the other.
We will round out the guide with troubleshooting tips for laptops without a numeric keypad, mobile Excel users, and accessibility considerations for screen readers. The degree symbol may seem trivial, but in scientific, financial, and educational spreadsheets it carries real meaning. A temperature reading of 72 is ambiguous; 72° F is precise. An angle of 45 is unclear; 45° is unmistakable. Small typographic choices like these separate amateur workbooks from professional deliverables.
If you want to test your overall Excel knowledge as you learn, the free practice quizzes linked throughout this article cover keyboard shortcuts, character functions, and formatting tricks that build on the same foundations. Knowing how to type degree symbol in Excel is a gateway skill that opens the door to broader Unicode handling, custom number formats, and text functions you will use every day.
Let us start with the fastest method possible, then build up to advanced techniques that handle entire datasets at once. Each section includes the exact keystrokes, the menu paths for different Excel versions, and a verification step so you can confirm the symbol rendered correctly before saving your file.
Hold the Alt key and type 0176 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. The degree symbol appears instantly. This requires Num Lock enabled and a real numeric keypad, not the top row of number keys.
Press Option+Shift+8 simultaneously inside any cell. The degree symbol appears immediately. This shortcut works in every Mac version of Excel from 2011 onward and never conflicts with system shortcuts.
On laptops without a numeric keypad, enable the function lock and use the embedded number pad, usually mapped to the J, K, L, U, I, O keys with Fn held down. Alternatively, copy the symbol from Character Map.
Browser-based Excel does not support Alt codes. Use the Insert menu, choose Symbol, search for degree sign, and click insert. You can also paste the character from any source document or clipboard.
On iOS and Android, long-press the zero key on the on-screen keyboard. A popup appears with the degree symbol option. Tap it to insert directly into the active cell or formula bar.
Always confirm the symbol renders as ° and not as a question mark or º. Different fonts handle Unicode differently, so test in your final font before distributing the workbook to colleagues or clients.
Beyond keyboard shortcuts, Excel provides programmatic methods to insert the degree symbol that scale far better when you are working with large datasets. The CHAR function is the workhorse here. CHAR(176) returns the degree character in any cell, and you can concatenate it with numeric values using the ampersand operator. For example, =A1&CHAR(176)&" F" takes a temperature in cell A1 and produces output like 72° F. This approach keeps your source numbers pure while displaying formatted strings in adjacent columns.
The Symbol dialog box is the discovery tool of choice when you forget the shortcut. Navigate to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click Symbol on the far right, and a dialog opens showing every available character. Set the font to Arial or Calibri, change the subset to Latin-1 Supplement, and you will find the degree sign at character code 00B0. Double-click it to insert, then close the dialog. Excel remembers recently used symbols, so subsequent inserts take just two clicks.
For users who frequently need the degree symbol, AutoCorrect is a game changer. Go to File, Options, Proofing, AutoCorrect Options, and create a replacement rule. Type something memorable like (deg) in the Replace field and paste the actual ° character in the With field. Now every time you type (deg) followed by a space or punctuation, Excel automatically substitutes the degree symbol. This works in cells, formulas, and even chart titles, which is where many users get stuck.
The UNICHAR function, introduced in Excel 2013, gives you direct Unicode access. UNICHAR(176) returns the same degree symbol as CHAR(176), but UNICHAR can reach characters above code point 255 that CHAR cannot. While CHAR is sufficient for the degree sign, UNICHAR is the future-proof choice if your workbooks ever need other Unicode glyphs like the celsius sign U+2103 or the fahrenheit sign U+2109, which differ subtly from the bare degree symbol.
Custom number formats deserve special attention because they let you display the degree symbol without converting your numbers to text. Select the cells, press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells, go to the Number tab, choose Custom, and enter 0°"F" or 0.0°"C" in the Type box. Now cell values remain pure numbers usable in SUM, AVERAGE, and other formulas, while the display shows the degree symbol and unit. This is the professional standard for temperature columns.
VBA users can automate degree symbol insertion using ChrW(176) in macros. A simple subroutine can loop through a selection and append the symbol to every cell, or replace specific patterns. This is particularly useful when importing data from text files where the source system stripped the symbol. The Chr(176) function also works but ChrW is preferred because it explicitly handles Unicode and avoids code page surprises on non-English systems.
Finally, do not overlook the Windows Character Map utility and Mac Character Viewer. These system tools let you browse every installed Unicode character, search by name, and copy directly to the clipboard. When you cannot recall a shortcut and the Insert Symbol dialog feels slow, a quick Cmd+Ctrl+Space on Mac or charmap on Windows brings up a searchable interface that finds the degree symbol in seconds.
AutoCorrect is the most efficient method for users who insert the degree symbol dozens of times per week. Navigate to File, Options, Proofing, and click AutoCorrect Options. In the Replace field type a unique trigger like degsym or (deg), and in the With field paste the actual ° character. Click Add and then OK to save the rule.
From this point forward, typing your trigger followed by space or punctuation automatically replaces it with the degree symbol. This works across all Office applications, so the same trigger functions in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Choose a trigger string that you would never type accidentally to avoid unwanted substitutions in normal text content.
The copy-paste method is the universal fallback that works in every Excel version, every operating system, and every cell context. Simply locate a degree symbol in any document, web page, or even this article, select it, copy with Ctrl+C or Cmd+C, then paste into your target cell with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V. The symbol transfers cleanly without formatting baggage when you use paste special as text.
For convenience, keep a scratchpad worksheet in your personal macro workbook containing common symbols you reuse often. A single tab labeled Symbols with degree, plus-minus, micro, and copyright signs becomes a reusable resource. You only need to copy once and the symbol stays in your clipboard history for repeated pasting throughout the session.
The Insert Symbol dialog is built into every Excel version and never requires memorization. Click the Insert tab on the ribbon, then click Symbol in the Symbols group on the right edge. The dialog opens showing characters in the current font. Set the subset dropdown to Latin-1 Supplement and you will see the degree sign in the second row, character code 00B0.
Double-click the symbol to insert it at your cursor position, or click Insert and then Close. Excel maintains a recently used symbols list at the bottom of the dialog, so subsequent insertions take just two clicks. This method is foolproof for one-off entries but becomes tedious if you need the symbol in dozens of cells across a workbook.
Always use a custom number format like 0.0°"F" instead of typing 72°F directly into cells. This keeps values as real numbers usable in AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, and chart axes while still displaying the degree symbol. Mixing text and numbers in the same column breaks formulas silently and is one of the most common Excel mistakes in scientific workbooks.
Troubleshooting degree symbol issues usually comes down to three root causes: missing numeric keypad, font rendering problems, and confusion between similar Unicode characters. The first issue affects nearly every modern laptop, where space-saving designs omit the dedicated number pad. The fix is to enable the embedded numeric keypad using Fn+NumLock, which remaps the J, K, L, U, I, O, M keys to numbers temporarily. Alternatively, install an on-screen keyboard or use the dedicated character entry methods covered earlier.
Font rendering surprises occur when the symbol appears correctly in your editing font but breaks when displayed in another. This happens most often with specialty fonts that lack Latin-1 Supplement coverage. The symbol may render as a hollow box, a question mark, or simply disappear. The solution is to use universal fonts like Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, or Segoe UI for any cells containing the degree symbol, then verify the appearance after applying any font changes through conditional formatting.
The most subtle issue is the visual similarity between the degree sign (°, U+00B0) and the masculine ordinal indicator (º, U+00BA). These two characters look nearly identical in most fonts but have different Unicode points and semantic meanings. The ordinal indicator appears in Spanish and Portuguese ordinal numbers like 1º meaning first. When you copy text from web pages or word processors with autocorrect enabled, you may accidentally pick up the wrong character. Always verify with the UNICODE function which returns the actual code point.
Excel files saved in older formats like XLS may not preserve Unicode characters reliably. The legacy binary format predates full Unicode support and can substitute or strip characters during save operations. Always save files as XLSX, XLSM, or XLSB to guarantee Unicode preservation. If you must support legacy systems, store the symbol using CHAR(176) in formulas rather than typing it directly, since the character code travels reliably across format conversions.
CSV exports present their own challenges because the encoding determines whether the degree symbol survives. Default Excel CSV export uses Windows-1252 encoding on Windows or MacRoman on Mac, neither of which is ideal for cross-platform sharing. Use the Save As dialog and choose CSV UTF-8 explicitly to preserve Unicode characters. When importing CSV files containing degree symbols, use the Get Data wizard and set the file origin to 65001 UTF-8 to avoid mojibake.
Screen reader accessibility deserves consideration when building workbooks for diverse audiences. NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver all read the degree symbol as the word degree, which is what you want. However, if you replace the symbol with a graphic or use it inside an image, screen readers cannot announce it. Always keep the symbol as live text in cells, with appropriate cell descriptions or named ranges that include the unit information for accessibility compliance.
Finally, when sharing workbooks via cloud services like SharePoint, OneDrive, or Google Drive, verify that the degree symbol survives the round trip. Most modern cloud platforms handle Unicode correctly, but legacy plugins or document converters in the pipeline can still corrupt characters. Always do a sample download-and-reopen test before distributing a critical workbook to external partners or clients.
Advanced users can take degree symbol handling to the next level with conditional formatting, data validation, and template design. For example, you can create a conditional format rule that highlights any temperature reading above 100° F in red, below 32° F in blue, and normal ranges in default formatting. The custom format uses syntax like [Red][>100]0°"F";[Blue][<32]0°"F";0°"F" all in a single format string, which displays temperature units consistently while applying color coding automatically.
Data validation can prevent users from typing degree symbols inconsistently across a column. Create a validation rule that allows only decimal numbers, then apply the custom number format to display the degree symbol. Users enter clean numbers like 72.5, and the cell displays 72.5° F. This pattern eliminates the entire class of bugs where some cells contain real numbers and others contain text strings that happen to look like temperatures.
Power Query offers another path for cleaning imported data containing degree symbols. When pulling in weather data, scientific measurements, or geographic coordinates from external sources, the symbol may arrive as a literal character, an HTML entity like °, or an escape sequence. A simple Power Query step using Text.Replace can normalize all variants to a consistent format, after which a custom column applies the proper display format.
For dashboard builders, the degree symbol often appears in chart axis labels, KPI tiles, and conditional formatting indicators. Excel chart axes support custom number formats just like cells, so you can apply 0°"F" to a temperature axis and have all tick labels display with units. This is far cleaner than including the unit in the axis title alone, especially on small chart areas where space is limited and the unit needs to appear with every value.
VBA automation opens advanced possibilities for handling degree symbols at scale. A macro can scan an entire workbook, identify cells with temperature data based on column headers, apply consistent custom number formats, and ensure no stray text-formatted cells remain. The Application.WorksheetFunction.Char(176) call works inside macros just like the worksheet CHAR function, making it easy to build the symbol into output strings programmatically.
Template design benefits from establishing a single source of truth for degree symbol formatting. Create a named cell style called Temperature_Fahrenheit and Temperature_Celsius in your workbook, each with the appropriate custom number format baked in. Users apply the style with one click, ensuring every temperature cell looks identical across the entire workbook. When you need to adjust the format later, modifying the style propagates the change to every cell that uses it instantly.
Finally, for power users building reusable Excel solutions, consider creating a small add-in that provides a degree symbol button on a custom ribbon tab. The button runs a one-line macro that inserts CHAR(176) at the active cell or applies the temperature format to the selection. Add-ins distribute via XLAM files that users can install once and reuse across every workbook, eliminating the need to teach each new user the keyboard shortcuts and dialog navigation.
Bringing it all together, the best degree symbol method depends on your specific workflow. For single entries during normal editing on a desktop with a numeric keypad, the Alt+0176 shortcut is unbeatable for speed. For Mac users, Option+Shift+8 fills the same role. For laptop users without a real keypad, AutoCorrect with a unique trigger like (deg) provides nearly the same speed without any hardware dependency, and the rule persists across all Office apps automatically.
For bulk data work, custom number formats are the professional choice. They preserve numeric integrity, display the symbol consistently, and integrate cleanly with formulas, pivot tables, and charts. Set up cell styles in your template workbooks to make application a one-click operation. This approach scales from single cells to entire columns and remains correct even when users edit values manually, because the format is independent of the underlying data.
For programmatic generation in formulas, CHAR(176) is the standard choice for most situations. Use UNICHAR(176) if your workbook needs to handle other Unicode characters as well, since UNICHAR is the more general function. Concatenate with the ampersand operator to build display strings like =ROUND(A1,1)&CHAR(176)&" F" that combine numeric formatting with unit symbols in a single formula output column.
Cross-platform compatibility requires attention when sharing files. Save in modern XLSX format, use UTF-8 CSV when exporting, and test the symbol survives the round trip before distributing. Stick to universal fonts like Calibri, Arial, or Segoe UI to avoid rendering surprises. Verify with the UNICODE function that you have the true degree sign (176) and not the masculine ordinal indicator (186), since the two look nearly identical but behave differently.
When teaching others how to type degree symbol in Excel, focus on one method at a time. Most users need only the keyboard shortcut and the Insert Symbol dialog for daily work. Power users benefit from learning the CHAR function and custom number formats. Save advanced techniques like VBA automation and Power Query cleanup for users who already have a strong Excel foundation, since these require broader knowledge of the underlying technologies.
Practice is essential to build muscle memory for any keyboard shortcut. Set aside ten minutes to enter twenty temperatures into a worksheet using only the Alt+0176 shortcut, then twenty more using only the custom number format approach. After this short drill, the methods become automatic and you will use them confidently in real work. The same approach works for AutoCorrect rules and the CHAR function pattern, both of which become second nature after a single dedicated practice session.
Excel rewards users who invest small amounts of time in mastering details like character entry. The degree symbol is a gateway to broader Unicode handling, custom number formats, and text manipulation skills that you will use across hundreds of future workbooks. Take the time to learn it properly once and you will save countless minutes over your career, plus deliver cleaner, more professional-looking spreadsheets to every audience you share them with.