How to Type Accents on a Keyboard (Every Method, Every Device)

Accent marks — also called diacritics — appear in dozens of languages and are essential for correct spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. Whether you’re writing in French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, or any other accented language, this guide covers every way to type accent marks on any device.

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What Are Accent Marks?

Accent marks are small symbols added to letters to indicate a change in pronunciation, tone, or meaning. In many languages, leaving out an accent mark is a spelling error — and in some cases, it changes the word entirely. For example, in Spanish, el means “the” while él means “he.”

The most common accent marks you’ll encounter are:

Accent	Name	Example
´	Acute accent	é, á, í, ó, ú
`	Grave accent	è, à, ù
^	Circumflex	ê, â, î, ô, û
¨	Umlaut / Diaeresis	ë, ä, ï, ö, ü
~	Tilde	ñ, ã, õ
,	Cedilla	ç
°	Ring above	å
–	Macron	ā, ē, ī, ō, ū

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How to Type Accents on Windows

Method 1: Alt Codes (Numpad)

Windows supports inserting accented characters using Alt codes. Make sure Num Lock is on, hold Alt, type the numeric code on the numpad, then release Alt.

Acute accents (´)

Character	Alt Code
á	Alt + 160
é	Alt + 130
í	Alt + 161
ó	Alt + 162
ú	Alt + 163
Á	Alt + 0193
É	Alt + 0201

Grave accents (`)

Character	Alt Code
à	Alt + 133
è	Alt + 138
ì	Alt + 141
ò	Alt + 149
ù	Alt + 151

Circumflex (^)

Character	Alt Code
â	Alt + 131
ê	Alt + 136
î	Alt + 140
ô	Alt + 147
û	Alt + 150

Umlaut / Diaeresis (¨)

Character	Alt Code
ä	Alt + 132
ë	Alt + 137
ï	Alt + 139
ö	Alt + 148
ü	Alt + 129

Other common accents

Character	Alt Code
ñ	Alt + 164
ç	Alt + 135
å	Alt + 134
æ	Alt + 145
œ	Alt + 0156

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Method 2: Unicode Input (Microsoft Word)

In Microsoft Word, you can type the Unicode code point followed by Alt + X to convert it to the accented character.

For example:

• Type 00E9 then press Alt + X → produces é
• Type 00F1 then press Alt + X → produces ñ
• Type 00E7 then press Alt + X → produces ç

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Method 3: Character Map

1. Open Start and search “Character Map”
2. Browse or search for the accented letter you need
3. Click Select, then Copy
4. Paste it into your document

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Method 4: Change Keyboard Language (Best for Frequent Use)

If you regularly type in a foreign language, adding that language’s keyboard layout is the most efficient long-term solution.

1. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region
2. Click Add a language and choose your target language
3. Switch between keyboard layouts using Windows key + Space

Common layouts to add: French (AZERTY), Spanish (QWERTY Español), German (QWERTZ), Portuguese (Brazil or Portugal).

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How to Type Accents on Mac

Mac makes typing accents significantly easier than Windows, with two excellent built-in methods.

Method 1: Press and Hold (Easiest)

On macOS, simply press and hold any vowel or supported letter and a popup menu will appear showing all available accent options. Click the character you want or press the corresponding number key.

For example:

• Hold e → choose from è, é, ê, ë, ē, ě
• Hold a → choose from à, á, â, ä, æ, ã, å, ā
• Hold n → choose from ñ
• Hold c → choose from ç
• Hold u → choose from ù, ú, û, ü, ū

This works in virtually every app on macOS.

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Method 2: Option Key Shortcuts

Mac has dedicated keyboard shortcuts for accent marks using the Option key. Press the Option shortcut first, release, then type the letter.

Accent	Shortcut	Then type	Result
Acute (´)	Option + E	a, e, i, o, u	á, é, í, ó, ú
Grave (`)	Option + `	a, e, i, o, u	à, è, ì, ò, ù
Circumflex (^)	Option + I	a, e, i, o, u	â, ê, î, ô, û
Umlaut (¨)	Option + U	a, e, i, o, u	ä, ë, ï, ö, ü
Tilde (~)	Option + N	a, n, o	ã, ñ, õ
Cedilla	Option + C	—	ç
Ring (å)	Option + A	—	å
Æ ligature	Option + ‘	—	æ

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Method 3: Character Viewer

1. Press Control + Command + Space
2. Search for the accented character by name (e.g., “e acute”)
3. Double-click to insert

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How to Type Accents on iPhone and iPad

Method 1: Press and Hold (Built-In)

Just like on Mac, iOS supports accent popups natively. Press and hold any letter on the keyboard and a row of accented variants will appear. Slide your finger to the one you want and release.

This works for: a, c, e, i, l, n, o, s, u, y, z — and their uppercase versions.

Method 2: Switch Keyboard Language

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards
2. Tap Add New Keyboard and choose a language
3. Switch keyboards while typing by tapping the globe icon on the keyboard

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How to Type Accents on Android

Method 1: Press and Hold

Like iOS, most Android keyboards support press-and-hold for accented characters. Press and hold a letter and a popup of variants will appear.

Method 2: Add a Language Keyboard

1. Go to Settings > General Management > Language and Input
2. Open your keyboard settings (e.g., Gboard)
3. Tap Languages and add your target language
4. Switch between keyboards using the globe or language icon while typing

Method 3: Gboard Symbols

In Gboard, tap ?123 then =< to access additional symbols, or use the emoji panel to search for specific characters.

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How to Type Accents in Microsoft Word

Word has several dedicated methods beyond the general Windows techniques:

Built-In Keyboard Shortcuts (Word Only)

Accent	Shortcut	Example
Acute (´)	Ctrl + ‘ then letter	Ctrl + ‘ + e → é
Grave (`)	Ctrl + ` then letter	Ctrl + ` + a → à
Circumflex (^)	Ctrl + Shift + ^ then letter	Ctrl + Shift + ^ + o → ô
Umlaut (¨)	Ctrl + Shift + : then letter	Ctrl + Shift + : + u → ü
Tilde (~)	Ctrl + Shift + ~ then letter	Ctrl + Shift + ~ + n → ñ
Cedilla	Ctrl + , then c	Ctrl + , + c → ç
Ring (å)	Ctrl + Shift + @ then a	Ctrl + Shift + @ + a → å

Insert > Symbol

Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, filter by font and subset (e.g., “Latin Extended-A”), find your character, and click Insert.

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How to Type Accents in HTML and CSS

For web developers, accented characters should always be encoded properly to ensure cross-browser compatibility:

Character	HTML Entity	Unicode
é	é	é
è	è	è
ê	ê	ê
ë	ë	ë
á	á	á
à	à	à
â	â	â
ä	ä	ä
ñ	ñ	ñ
ç	ç	ç
ü	ü	ü
ö	ö	ö
å	å	å
æ	æ	æ
œ	œ	œ

Best practice: If your HTML file is saved as UTF-8 (which it should be), you can paste accented characters directly into your HTML without needing entities. Always include <meta charset="UTF-8"> in your <head>.

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Accents by Language: Quick Reference

Spanish

Key characters: á, é, í, ó, ú, ü, ñ, ¡, ¿

• Most common need: ñ and vowels with acute accents

French

Key characters: à, â, æ, ç, é, è, ê, ë, î, ï, ô, œ, ù, û, ü, ÿ

• Most common need: é, ç, and circumflex vowels

German

Key characters: ä, ö, ü, Ä, Ö, Ü, ß

• Most common need: umlauts and the ß (eszett/sharp S)

Portuguese

Key characters: á, â, ã, à, ç, é, ê, í, ó, ô, õ, ú

• Most common need: ã, õ, and cedilla

Italian

Key characters: à, è, é, ì, í, î, ò, ó, ù, ú

• Most common need: grave accents on final vowels

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Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Method	Windows	Mac	iPhone	Android
Easiest	Alt codes (numpad)	Hold the letter	Hold the letter	Hold the letter
In Word/Pages	Ctrl + accent shortcut	Option + accent key	—	—
Full access	Character Map	Character Viewer	Add language keyboard	Add language keyboard
Best for frequent use	Add language keyboard	Add language keyboard	Add language keyboard	Add language keyboard

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Final Thoughts

For casual or occasional use, the press-and-hold method on Mac and mobile and Alt codes on Windows will cover most needs. If you regularly write in another language, adding that language’s keyboard layout is by far the most efficient solution — you’ll type naturally without thinking about codes or shortcuts. Developers working in HTML should use named entities or simply ensure their files are UTF-8 encoded and paste characters directly. Either way, accented characters are more accessible than ever across every modern platform.