How to Insert/Type DEGREE Symbol in Excel

Top 5 Ways to Add a Degree Symbol in Excel Quickly

While working on that data I found that in Excel you can enter/type a degree symbol using five different ways. And the good news is that these methods work in both the Windows and Mac versions of Excel, with a different keyboard shortcut and CHAR code on a Mac (see below). So, let’s get started.

1. Add a Degree Symbol using a Keyboard Shortcut

A keyboard shortcut key is a quick and simple way to add this symbol to a cell. You can use Alt + 0 1 7 6 to insert it.

1. First of all, select the cell where you need to enter it.
2. Press F2 to edit the cell.
3. And in the end, hold the ALT key and press 0 1 7 6 from the numeric keypad.

This shortcut only works with the numeric keypad on Windows. On a laptop without one, use the CHAR or UNICHAR function below. On a Mac, press Option + Shift + 8 instead.

Once you enter it, you can also copy and paste it into other cells instantly, or you can press this shortcut key for every cell one by one.

2. Using CHAR Function to Add a Degree Symbol

If you are familiar with the CHAR function, then I’m sure you know that you can insert some special characters with it.

By using this function, you can also add a degree symbol with a number to show it as Celsius or Fahrenheit.

All you have to do is insert the CHAR function in a cell, specify 176 in the argument and press Enter. Once you do that, it will return a degree symbol.

And if you want to add it with a number, you just need to insert a formula like the one we have below.

=29&CHAR(176)

And press Enter. The other way is to combine this formula with IF and ISNUMBER so that if there is a number in the cell, it combines that number with a degree symbol, and otherwise leaves the value as it is:

=IF(ISNUMBER(A2),A2&CHAR(176),A2)

To add the unit as well, join a “C” or “F” after the symbol:

=A2&CHAR(176)&"C"

CHAR uses the character set of your computer, so on a Mac, CHAR(176) doesn’t return a degree symbol (the Mac character set has it at 161). The UNICHAR function, available in Excel 2013 and later, returns the same symbol on both Windows and Mac:

=UNICHAR(176)

Just remember that a formula that joins a number and a symbol returns text, so you can’t use the result in calculations. To keep the number, use custom formatting (method 6 below).

3. Insert Degree Symbol from Symbol Dialogue Box

If you want to add a degree symbol just one time, then you can also insert it from the symbol dialog box. Follow these simple steps:

1. Select the cell where you want to insert it and then go to Insert ➜ Symbols ➜ Symbol.
   
2. In the dialogue box, select “Latin-1 Supplement” from Subset and select the degree symbol from all the symbols.
   
3. In the end, click on Insert and then close.

You can also copy and paste it into other cells, or even use it in a formula.

4. Using Excel AUTO Correct to Add a Degree Symbol in a Cell

In Excel, there is an option called AutoCorrect, which you can use to add a degree symbol in a cell by using an abbreviation. It works something like this.

You enter DYGR in a cell, and Excel converts (autocorrects) it into a real degree symbol.

But first of all, you need to create this auto-correct, and here are the steps:

1. Go to File ➜ Options (Excel Options).
2. In the Options dialogue box, select Proofing ➜ Autocorrect Options.
3. In the Autocorrect dialogue box, enter DYGR in the Replace box and a degree symbol (use a shortcut key to insert it) in the With box.
4. Click Add and then OK.

Now, if you type the text DYGR, it will automatically get converted into a degree symbol.

Important: This auto-correct is case sensitive and applies to all the Office applications, like Word, PowerPoint, etc.

5. VBA Code to Quickly Insert a Degree Symbol in a Cell

VBA codes are time savers. I’m sure you know that. And, the code which I’m gonna share with you next is one of those codes.

Let’s say you have a list of numbers in a column, and you want to add a degree symbol to all of them. Here, the best way is to run this macro in a single go.

1. First of all, add the below code in your VB editor.
2. After that, select all the cells where you want to insert these symbols.
3. And simply run this code from the developer tab.

Sub degreeSymbol()

Dim rng As Range

For Each rng In Selection
rng.Select

If ActiveCell <> "" Then
If IsNumeric(ActiveCell.Value) Then
ActiveCell.Value = ActiveCell.Value & "°"
End If
End If

Next

End Sub

This code checks each and every cell of the range and inserts a degree symbol at the end of every cell that has a number. Like the formula method, it turns the numbers into text, and you can’t undo a macro, so save a copy of your file first.

6. Show a Degree Symbol with Custom Formatting

All the methods above turn the number into text. If you want to show the degree symbol but keep the value as a number that you can use in calculations, use a custom number format:

1. First of all, select the cells with the numbers.
2. After that, press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box.
3. Now, go to Custom and enter 0° in the Type box (or 0°C, or 0.0° for one decimal). Use Alt + 0176 to type the symbol.
4. In the end, click OK.

Now, a cell with 29 shows 29°, but the cell still holds 29, so SUM, AVERAGE and charts work as usual.

Conclusion

A degree symbol is a specific symbol that we need to use with a specific kind of data (like temperature). It’s better to have different methods to insert it so that you can choose the one that suits you best.

I hope you found these methods useful and now tell me one thing. 

Do you have any other method to insert this symbol?

Please share it with me in the comment section; I’d love to hear from you. And don’t forget to share this tip with your friends.

Frequently Asked Questions