How to Type an N With a Tilde on a Keyboard (ñ or Ñ)

Every platform has a method — most are faster than you’d expect

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Whether you’re writing a name like Señor or Español, typing the letter ñ comes up often enough that hunting through character menus every time gets old fast. The method depends on your platform, but on most of them there’s a shortcut that takes two seconds once you know it.

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The Two Characters You Might Need

ñ — lowercase n with tilde (used in words like mañana, niño, español)

Ñ — uppercase N with tilde (used at the start of names and sentences, like Ñoño)

Both are covered in the methods below.

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Mac

Method 1: The Easiest Shortcut on Any Platform

Press Option + N, then press N again.

The first keystroke places a floating tilde accent. The second keystroke applies it to the letter n. For the uppercase version, press Option + N, then Shift + N.

This is the method worth memorizing if you’re on a Mac. It works in every application — browsers, email, documents, everything — with no setup required.

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Windows

Method 1: Alt Code

Hold Alt and type 0241 on the numeric keypad for ñ. Release Alt and the character appears.

For the uppercase Ñ, hold Alt and type 0209.

• Num Lock must be on
• Use the numeric keypad, not the number row
• Doesn’t work on laptops without a dedicated numpad

Method 2: Character Map

Search for Character Map in the Start menu, find ñ or Ñ, and copy to clipboard. Slow but works on any Windows machine.

Method 3: Microsoft Word Shortcut

In Word specifically, type the letter n, then press Ctrl + Shift + ~ (tilde) immediately after. Word applies the tilde accent to the preceding letter. For uppercase, do the same starting with a capital N.

Method 4: Text Expansion (Best Long-Term Solution)

Set up a system-wide text expander like PhraseExpress or Espanso to convert a trigger like n~ or nn into ñ automatically. Works across every application, not just Word.

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iPhone and iPad

Method 1: Long Press the N Key (Fastest)

Tap and hold the N key on the keyboard. A popup appears showing accented versions of the letter — ñ is one of them. Slide your finger to it and release.

For uppercase Ñ, tap and hold the N key while Caps Lock is on, or long press the capital N directly.

This is the built-in iOS method and requires no setup. It’s the one to remember.

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Android

Method 1: Long Press the N Key

Same as iOS — tap and hold the N key and a popup of accented characters appears. Ñ will be among them. Slide to it and release.

This works on most Android keyboards including Gboard, Samsung Keyboard, and SwiftKey. If your keyboard doesn’t show it on a long press, check your keyboard’s language settings.

Method 2: Add Spanish as a Keyboard Language

If you type in Spanish regularly, adding Spanish as a keyboard language gives you faster access to ñ and other accented characters. Go to Settings → General Management → Language and Input → On-screen Keyboard → Manage Keyboards and add Spanish. You can then switch between keyboards with a single tap.

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Chromebook

Method 1: Unicode Input

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00f1 for ñ or 00d1 for Ñ, then press Enter or Space.

Method 2: Add International Keyboard

Go to Settings → Device → Keyboard → Input Methods and add the US International keyboard. With that keyboard active, type ~ followed by n to produce ñ. For uppercase, type ~ followed by Shift + N.

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Linux

Method 1: Unicode Input

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 00f1 for ñ or 00d1 for Ñ, then press Enter. Works consistently across most Linux distributions.

Method 2: Compose Key

With a Compose key configured, the sequence is Compose + ~ + n for ñ and Compose + ~ + N for Ñ. The Compose key needs to be enabled in your keyboard settings first.

Method 3: US International Keyboard Layout

Switch to the US International keyboard layout in your input settings. Type ~ followed by n to produce ñ. This is the most fluid option for anyone who types Spanish regularly on Linux.

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Microsoft Word (Any Platform)

Press Ctrl + Shift + ~ then N for ñ, or Ctrl + Shift + ~ then Shift + N for Ñ.

Word applies the tilde diacritic to the next letter you type after the accent shortcut. This works on both Windows and Mac versions of Word.

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Google Docs

The OS-level shortcut works inside Google Docs just like anywhere else — Option + N then N on Mac is the smoothest approach. On Windows, the Alt code also works inside Docs.

Alternatively, go to Insert → Special Characters, search for “tilde” or “ñ,” and click to insert. For occasional use this works fine. For regular use, the keyboard shortcut is far faster.

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US International Keyboard Layout (Worth Setting Up If You Type Spanish Often)

If you write in Spanish regularly across any platform, switching to or adding the US International keyboard layout is the most practical long-term solution.

With US International active, you type accented characters using a dead key system — press ~ first, then n, and ñ appears. The layout is nearly identical to the standard US keyboard for everything else, so the learning curve is minimal.

This is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook, and eliminates the need to remember Alt codes or multi-key shortcuts for any accented character — not just ñ.

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Quick Reference

Platform	Lowercase ñ	Uppercase Ñ
Mac	Option + N, then N	Option + N, then Shift + N
Windows	Alt + 0241 (numpad)	Alt + 0209 (numpad)
iPhone / iPad	Hold N key	Hold N key (caps on)
Android	Hold N key	Hold N key (caps on)
Chromebook	Ctrl + Shift + U, 00f1	Ctrl + Shift + U, 00d1
Linux	Ctrl + Shift + U, 00f1	Ctrl + Shift + U, 00d1
Microsoft Word	Ctrl + Shift + ~, then N	Ctrl + Shift + ~, then Shift + N

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The Bottom Line

On a Mac, Option + N then N is so clean there’s nothing else to think about. On mobile — iPhone or Android — the long press on the N key is instant and built in. On Windows, the Alt code works reliably with a numpad, and Word’s Ctrl + Shift + ~ shortcut handles it neatly in documents.

If you write in Spanish with any regularity, the US International keyboard layout is worth the five-minute setup — it makes every accented character in Spanish accessible with a simple two-key sequence and removes the need to remember platform-specific shortcuts entirely.

On a Mac it’s Option + N then N. On mobile it’s a long press. Everything else is a one-time setup away.