How to Insert a Degree Symbol (°) in Google Sheets

Sumit Bansal

Last updated August 29, 2021

Google sheets is a free, web-based application that has made online creation and sharing of work so much easier for students and office people.

While it offers so many amazing features to make work fun and less distressing, people sometimes get stuck with simple tasks such as inserting a degree symbol in Google sheets.

While there is no direct and straightforward way to insert a degree symbol in Google Sheets, it can easily be done.

In this step-by-step guide, I will show you some easy ways to insert a degree symbol in Google spreadsheets.

Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

Use the Keyboard Shortcut: ALT + 0176

Although there is no key on the keyboard for directly inserting the degree symbol, there is a simple keyboard shortcut for it.

Here are the steps to insert a degree symbol in Google Sheets using a keyboard shortcut:

First, select the cell in which you want to insert the degree symbol.
Press F2 or double click on the cell to turn the edit mode on.
Hold the ALT key and then press 0176 from the numeric keypad.

Important: Please note that the keyboard shortcut will only work if you have 10 keys in the numeric keypad on your keyboard. If you don’t have a numeric keypad, press the Num Lock key on the keyboard to enable it and then use this keyboard shortcut.

Pro Tip: Once you have used this keyboard shortcut to insert a degree symbol in the Google spreadsheet, you don’t have to repeat the steps every time you need to add the symbol. You can simply copy the symbol and paste it in a specific cell(s).

Copy and Paste the Degree Symbol

Perhaps the easiest way to insert a degree symbol in a Google spreadsheet is by copying and pasting it.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

Copy the degree symbol already available in your Google sheet or simply copy it from a web page on the internet.
Double click on the specific cell where you want to insert it.
Paste the symbol.

Below is the degree symbol that you can copy and paste in a Google Sheets cell:

°

Insert Degree Symbol Using the CHAR Formula

Google Sheets has a CHAR function that can be used to quickly get a symbol by giving its ASCII code.

And in case of a degree symbol, that code is 176.

So you can use the below formula to get the degree symbol in a cell in Google Sheets:

=CHAR(176)

Below are the steps to use this formula to get the degree symbol in Google Sheets:

Simply double click on the cell where you want to insert the symbol.
Type =CHAR(176) and then press the enter key. The formula will automatically convert to a degree symbol.

The best thing about this trick is that you can use the CHAR formula with other formulas or text strings to add the degree symbol to it.

For example, if you want to type 15° in a cell, you can simply use the formula below:

=15&CHAR(176)

In addition to this, you can combine the CHAR formula with a cell reference.

For example, if you have typed 15 in cell A1 and you want to convert it into 15°, you can simply use this formula:

=A1&CHAR(176)

You’ll get 15° in the cell as a result.

Use the Character Map

Unlike Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets don’t allow you to directly insert symbols from within the document.

The only way to insert special characters in your Google Sheets document is by copying the degree symbol from the character map of your operating system,

For the Windows Operating System

Below are the steps to insert a degree symbol in Google Sheets using the Charmap when you’re using the Windows operating system:

Double-click on the cell where you want to insert the degree symbol.
To open the character map, simply go to Start > All programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map
Click on the ‘Advanced view’ checkbox.
Choose the font style of your choice. You can also change this later in the Google Sheets
Find the degree symbol and then double-click on it. You can easily spot it in the sixth row of the character map window.
Press ‘copy’ at the bottom right of the window to copy the symbol to the clipboard.
Return to your Google sheet and paste the symbol by pressing CTRL + V or right-click then paste into the specific cell.

If you’re using Windows 7/8/10, in Step 3, you can simply type ‘Charmap’ in the search bar at the start menu to open it.

For the Mac or Linux Operating System

Below are the steps to insert a degree symbol in Google Sheets using the Charmap when you’re using a Mac or Linux operating system:

Find a list of special characters online.
Find the degree symbol in the list and copy it to the clipboard.
Open your Google spreadsheet and double click on the cell where you want to insert the symbol.
Paste the symbol in the cell.

These are four simple ways to insert a degree symbol on a Google spreadsheet and make your work easier!

I hope you found this step-by-step guide helpful.

If you know any other way of inserting a degree symbol in Google sheets, let me in the comment section below.

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