How to Type Degree Symbol on Mac [Video]

Here's how to quickly and easily type the degree symbol on Mac. The degree symbol is used to indicate temperature, coordinate, and angle measurements.

There are several ways to insert a degree symbol on a Mac, we've outlined them below starting with the simplest keyboard shortcut method.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT

The fastest way for Mac users to type the degree symbol is using the built-in keyboard shortcut.

Step One

Begin typing in a text editor or text field, then press the keyboard shortcut Shift + Option + 8 (°). In this example, we are typing the degree temperature symbol.






That's all there's to it!

Note: There are a few other keyboard shortcuts that look like degree symbols. Those include the following keyboard shortcuts:

● Option + K (˚) which is used to type the ring above a diacritic. This looks like a small degree symbol.
● Option + 0 (º) which is the Masculine Ordinal Indicator, often used in written languages.

Make sure you use the correct degree symbol.

CHARACTER VIEWER

It's also possible to type the degree symbol on macOS using the character viewer.

Step One

Use one of these four ways to open the character viewer:

● In an app on your Mac, choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols to open Character Viewer.


● With the cursor in a text field, press Control+Command+Space.


● Click "Show Emoji & Symbols" from the Input Menu found on the Mac menu bar at the top right of your screen. If you don't see the Input Menu, there are instructions on how to enable it below.


● Press the Fn key or Globe key on your Mac keyboard. If this key doesn't launch Character Viewer, there are instructions on how to enable the shortcut below.


Previously called the Special Characters Menu, the Character Viewer looks similar to the emoji keyboard or symbols keyboard on iOS. Clicking the expand button in the upper-right corner of the viewer will reveal all the symbols available for insertion.

Step Two

Type the word 'degree' into the search bar.

Step Three

The search results will bring up several degree symbol options including the degrees symbol, degrees fahrenheit symbol and degrees celcius symbol. Click to insert the degree symbol into your document or textfield.


Note: If you have the expanded Character Viewer option, you will need to double click degree sign from the symbols menu.

HOW TO ENABLE INPUT MENU

Here's how to enable the Input menu if you don't see it in your menu bar.

Step One

Select System Settings from the Apple menu at the top left of your screen. On older versions of macOS you would open System Preferences from the Apple menu.

Step Two

Select Keyboard from the System Settings menu.

Step Three

Click the Edit... button.

Step Four

Toggle the Show Input menu in menu bar switch to the ON position. Then click Done.

Step Five

The Input menu will now appear in your menu bar. Note that you may need to log out and log back in before you see the menu bar item.

ENABLE FUNCTION (Fn) / GLOBE KEYBOARD SHORTCUT

Here's how to set the function / globe keyboard shortcut to bring up the Emoji and Symbols viewer.

Step One

Select System Settings from the Apple menu at the top left of your screen. On older versions of macOS you would open System Preferences from the Apple menu.

Step Two

Select Keyboard from the System Settings menu.

Step Three

Choose Show Emoji & Symbols from the Press [Globe] key to dropdown.

Step Four

You can now press the Fn/Globe key on your Mac's keyboard to bring up the Character Viewer.