If you have an angle in radians and you want it in degrees, the DEGREES function in Google Sheets makes the switch in one step. Most of the trig functions in Sheets work in radians, so DEGREES is how you turn their output into something easier to read.
In this article, I’ll show you how DEGREES works and walk through three short examples you can drop straight into your sheet.
DEGREES Function Syntax in Google Sheets
The DEGREES function takes a single input.
=DEGREES(angle)
- angle is the value in radians you want to convert to degrees.
One radian value in, the matching degree value out.
When to Use DEGREES Function
Here are a few times DEGREES is the right call.
- Reading the result of an inverse trig function like ASIN or ACOS as an angle in degrees.
- Converting radian measurements from a data feed into a friendlier unit.
- Presenting angles in a report where degrees are expected.
- Pairing with RADIANS to move back and forth between the two units.
Example 1: Convert Common Radian Angles to Degrees
Let’s start with the angles you already know.
Below is the dataset, a column of common radian values built from pi.
The goal is to convert each radian value into degrees.
Here is the formula:
=DEGREES(A2)
A half circle is pi radians, and DEGREES returns 180 for it. From there pi/2 becomes 90, pi/3 becomes 60, pi/4 becomes 45, and pi/6 becomes 30.
Pro Tip: To convert a whole column at once, wrap it in ARRAYFORMULA: =ARRAYFORMULA(DEGREES(A2:A6)). One formula instead of filling down.
Example 2: Turn an Inverse Trig Result into Degrees
This is where DEGREES really earns its place.
Below is the dataset, a column of sine values between -1 and 1.
The goal is to read each arcsine as an angle in degrees rather than radians.
Here is the formula:
=DEGREES(ASIN(A2))
ASIN finds the angle in radians and DEGREES converts it. A sine of 1 returns 90 degrees, 0.5 gives 30, and -1 returns -90. These are the familiar angles you’d read off a protractor.
Example 3: Round Trip with RADIANS
DEGREES and RADIANS are opposites, and this example shows it.
Below is the dataset, a column of angles already written in degrees.
The goal is to send each value out to radians and back, landing on the original number.
Here is the formula:
=DEGREES(RADIANS(A2))
RADIANS turns the degree value into radians, then DEGREES turns it back. So 90 returns 90 and 360 returns 360, every value comes home unchanged.
Pro Tip: Trig functions like COS and SIN expect radians. If your angles are in degrees, wrap them in RADIANS first, for example =COS(RADIANS(60)).
Tips & Common Mistakes
- DEGREES only converts, it doesn’t do trig. It won’t give you a sine or cosine. It just changes the unit of an angle you already have.
- Watch which unit your data is already in. Running DEGREES on a value that’s already in degrees will give you a wrong, much larger number.
- Feed it numbers, not text. A text value or a blank where a number should be will return an error.
DEGREES takes an angle in radians and gives you the same angle in degrees. You saw it convert the common pi-based angles, make an inverse trig result readable, and round trip cleanly with RADIANS.
Whenever a trig formula hands you radians, DEGREES is the quick way to make the answer easy to read.
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