How to add a degree symbol in Microsoft Word in 3 ways LeoPatrizi/Getty Images You can add the degree symbol in Word using the keyboard shortcut Alt+0176. If you prefer, you can add the degree symbol using the Symbol tool in the Insert tab of the ribbon. You can also use the Character Map utility in Windows, which lets you insert the symbol in any program. . Microsoft Word has countless symbols for math, science, accounting, and other fields, but one of the most commonly needed symbols is the one for degrees. It's easy to insert the degree symbol with just a ...