How to Insert Degree Symbol in Google Docs

The degree symbol (°) is commonly used to represent angles, temperatures, or dimensions in technical, scientific, and mathematical contexts. However, this symbol may not be readily available on your keyboard.

Fortunately, inserting the degree symbol in Google Docs is quick and easy using a few different methods.

Why Use the Degree Symbol

Before jumping into the how-to guide, let’s briefly go over some of the main reasons you may need to insert a degree symbol into a Google Doc:

• Represent temperatures in Celsius (°C), Fahrenheit (°F), or Kelvin (K)
• Indicate angles and dimensions in geometry, engineering, architecture, etc.
• Show precision or accuracy of measurements
• Add professional formatting to scientific and technical documents

No matter what field you work in, chances are you’ll eventually need to add this common symbol into a document.

Method 1: Insert Special Characters

The easiest way to insert a degree symbol is by using the Insert > Special Characters menu:

1. Open the Google Docs document
2. Click on Insert in the top menu
3. Select Special Characters from the drop-down menu
4. In the search bar, type “degree”
5. Find and select the Degree Sign symbol

The degree symbol will now be inserted wherever your cursor is located.

If you need to add multiple degree symbols, keep the Special Characters menu open instead of closing it each time. You can continue selecting symbols without having to reopen the window repeatedly.

Method 2: Custom Keyboard Shortcuts

For quick access, you can set up custom keyboard shortcuts to insert a degree symbol:

1. Go to Tools > Preferences
2. Click on the Substitutions tab
3. In the left “Replace” box, enter “deg”
4. In the right “With” box, hold ALT and type 0176 on your numeric keypad
5. Click OK to save

Now just type “deg” and press Space anytime you want to add a ° degree symbol.

Tip: Make sure Num Lock is enabled to use ALT code shortcuts.

Method 3: Auto Replace Text

You can also set Google Docs to automatically replace abbreviations with special characters:

1. Go to Tools > Preferences
2. Click on the Substitutions tab
3. In “Replace”, type “degrees”
4. In “With”, hold ALT and type 0176
5. Click OK

Now typing “degrees” will be automatically changed to the ° symbol.

Method 4: Copy and Paste

If the above methods don’t work for you, a final option is to copy and paste the degree symbol from another source:

• On Windows, open Character Map and select the ° symbol
• On Mac, open the Special Characters viewer and find the symbol
• Copy the symbol and paste it into your Google Doc

While not as convenient, copy-pasting does provide another fallback method.

Tips for Using the Degree Symbol

When inserting degree symbols into Google Docs, keep these formatting tips in mind:

• Use proper spacing, with no space between the number and symbol (e.g. 37°F)
• Make sure the symbol is not covering up parts of text or numbers
• Adjust text size as needed so the symbol displays clearly
• For temperatures, type the proper scale (°C, °F, K) after the number

Add a Professional Touch with Special Characters

The humble degree symbol is just one of many special characters available in Google Docs.

Symbols like copyright (©), registered trademark (®), section sign (§), and paragraph symbol (¶) can help add a professional touch to documents.

Follow the same steps above to open the Special Characters menu and browse hundreds of additional symbols to enhance your documents.

No matter what field you work in, leveraging special characters is an easy way give your Google Docs an extra layer of polish and visual appeal.

So next time you’re creating a document, presentation, spreadsheet, or form, don’t forget about the special characters menu!