Write degrees Celsius as two characters, the degree sign then a capital C, giving °C. Unicode does have a single ℃ glyph at U+2103, but it exists only for compatibility with old East Asian encodings and is not what SI or any style guide asks for. Type the degree sign with Alt+0176.
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "Degree Celsius" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 2103, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 2103, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | ℃ · \2103 (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Windows
- Open Character Map: Win+R, type charmap, press Enter.
- Search or scroll for Degree Celsius (U+2103).
- Select it, click Copy, then paste where you need it.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "Degree Celsius" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2103.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to ℃.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ℃ (U+2103) | A single compatibility character | Only when reproducing legacy East Asian text exactly. It will not line-break or search the same. |
| º (U+00BA) | Masculine ordinal indicator | A Spanish and Portuguese ordinal marker. It is not the degree sign. |
| ○ (U+25CB) | White circle, a geometric shape | A drawing element, far larger than the raised degree ring. |
05 FAQ
Should I use ℃ or °C?
Use °C, written as the degree sign followed by a capital C. The single-character ℃ is a compatibility form kept for converting old encodings, and Unicode itself does not recommend it for new text.
Is there a space before the degree sign?
Yes in SI style, as in 21 °C, ideally a non-breaking space. Most English publishing closes it up as 21°C, so follow your house style and be consistent.
How do I type the degree sign?
Alt+0176 on Windows, Option+Shift+8 on a Mac. On a phone, press and hold the zero key on the numeric layer.
Why is Celsius capitalised?
It is named after Anders Celsius, and SI capitalises unit symbols derived from a person's name. The unit written out in words stays lowercase, as in twenty degrees celsius.
What is the code point for the single character?
U+2103, decimal 8451. Unicode classes it as a compatibility character, and normalisation decomposes it into the degree sign plus C.