Use the Symbol Library Method #2: Use the Superscript

CHEAT SHEET: 3 WAYS TO GET A DEGREE SYMBOL

To get a degree symbol in Excel there are 3 methods you can use. Each example below creates 180o. Method #1: Use the symbol library 1. In a cell, type ‘180’ (without the quotes). 2. Then go to Insert tab and click the Symbol icon (far right). This shows you all the characters in every font on your computer. 3. In the top dropdown box, select the Symbol font. 4. Scroll down and select the degree symbol. 5. Click Insert. NB. You can expand the dialog by hovering over the dialog frame and with the double-headed arrow click-and-drag to the size you require. Method #2: Use the Superscript tool 1. In a cell, type ‘180’ (without the quotes). 2. Type a lower case ‘o’. 3. Using the mouse (or press Shift plus left or right arrow on the keyboard) highlight just the ‘o’. 4. Right click and choose Format Cells to display the ‘Format Cells’ dialog (or press Ctrl 1). Only the Font tab is displayed because you are still editing the cell contents. 5. Tick the Superscript box. 6. Click OK. The superscript can be used for other things. For example, if you’re laying some concrete or turf and you want to record the area to be covered, let’s say it’s 20 square meters, you can display it as 20m2.

1. Type 20m2. 2. Highlight just the 2 at the end. 3. Right click and choose ‘Format Cells’. 4. Tick the Superscript box (in the Font tab) 5. Another common application of superscript is when you need to display a particular date format like 6th June. 6. Subscript does the opposite to superscript. The text is little and sits below the baseline. 7. For example, the chemical symbol for water - H2O. That 2 actually sits below the baseline. To do that, you 8. Type H2O. 9. Highlight just the 2. 10. Right click and choose ‘Format Cells’. 11. Tick the Subscript box (in the Font tab).

Method #3: Use an Alt Code Every character (letter, number or symbol) has what’s called an ASCII code which can be inserted by holding down the ALT key and typing the appropriate code. The ASCII for a degree symbol is 176. Here’s how you enter it in Excel.

1. Position the cursor where you want the degree symbol. 2. Hold down the ALT key and type 0176.

FYI: ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange.