How to Type the Degree Symbol on Mac

You’re typing a temperature, an angle, or a set of coordinates, and you need the degree symbol. It’s not on the keyboard. You can’t find it in the menu. So you google it.

Here’s the answer, and a way to stop needing it.

The keyboard shortcut

Press Option + Shift + 8 to type the degree symbol ° on Mac.

That’s it. Hold Option and Shift, then press the number 8. Works in every app.

There’s also a simpler shortcut that produces a slightly different character:

For temperatures (72°F), coordinates (40.7128° N), and angles (90°), use Option + Shift + 8. That’s the real degree symbol.

Using the Character Viewer

If you forget the shortcut, macOS has a character picker built in.

1. Press Control + Command + Space in any text field
2. Search for “degree”
3. Click the ° symbol to insert it

This works but it’s slow. Three steps instead of one keystroke. Fine for a one-off, not great if you type degree symbols regularly.

Set up a permanent shortcut

If you type temperatures, angles, or coordinates often, memorizing Option + Shift + 8 gets old. A text shortcut is faster and easier to remember.

Using macOS built-in text replacement:

1. Open System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements
2. Click the + button
3. Set “Replace” to something like ;deg
4. Set “With” to ° (copy it from this page)

Now typing ;deg anywhere on your Mac produces °.

Using a text expander:

A text expansion app like TypeSnap does the same thing with more control. You can create shortcuts for the degree symbol and every other special character you use:

• ;deg for ° (degree)
• ;pm for ± (plus-minus)
• ;mu for µ (micro)
• ;ohm for Ω (ohm)
• ;inf for ∞ (infinity)

If you work in science, engineering, or anything that involves units and symbols, having all of these as text shortcuts saves real time across a day of writing.

Other common symbols and their shortcuts

While you’re here, these are the Mac shortcuts people search for most:

None of these follow an obvious pattern, which is why most people can never remember them. A text shortcut you create yourself (;cents for ¢, ;copy for ©) is always going to be easier to recall than Apple’s arbitrary key combinations.

Quick reference

Degree symbol: Option + Shift + 8

If you’re looking this up more than once a month, set up a text shortcut. You’ll never search for it again.