The Excel DEGREES function converts an angle measured in radians into degrees — the natural partner to RADIANS and the way you turn the radian output of inverse trig functions back into readable degrees.
Syntax
| Argument | Description | |
|---|---|---|
angle | Required | The angle in radians you want to convert to degrees. |
How to use it
DEGREES applies the simple conversion degrees = radians × 180/π. Its most common job is reading back the result of an inverse trig function, which Excel always returns in radians:
To go the other way — degrees into radians for SIN, COS, and TAN — use RADIANS. The two functions are exact inverses: =DEGREES(RADIANS(57)) returns 57.
Reading inverse trig: ASIN, ACOS, and ATAN all return an angle in radians. Wrap them in DEGREES — e.g. =DEGREES(ASIN(0.5)) = 30 — to see the answer in familiar degrees.
Try it: interactive demo
Pick a DEGREES example to see the formula and its result.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How does DEGREES convert the value?
=DEGREES(PI()) = 180 and =DEGREES(1) ≈ 57.296.When would I actually need DEGREES?
=DEGREES(ATAN(1)) turns the radian answer into a clean 45.What is the difference between DEGREES and RADIANS?
=DEGREES(RADIANS(57)) returns 57.Does DEGREES round its result?
=DEGREES(1) is 57.2957795... Use ROUND if you want fewer decimals.Master functions like this in one day
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