How to Type Letters With Accents on a Keyboard (Windows, Mac, Phone) + Alt Codes

Accented letters are normal letters with a small mark added above or below them. You’ll see them in names and words like café (é), niño (ñ), über (ü), and façade (ç). People need them for school work, foreign languages, correct spelling, and typing names properly.

This guide is a hub: it teaches the main methods on every device/app, then helps you jump to more specific pages (like “A with accent”, “ñ”, “umlaut letters”, etc.).

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1-Minute Answer (fastest ways)

Windows (fastest)

• Alt codes (best when you have a number pad): Hold Alt and type the code on the numeric keypad → release Alt.
• Emoji/Symbol panel (quick + easy): Press Win + . (or Win + ;) → look for accented letters (or paste/search if available).

Mac (fastest)

• Option “dead keys” (most powerful): Press Option + the accent key, release, then type the letter.
• Press-and-hold (super easy): Hold the letter key (like e) → choose é / è / ê / ë.
• Character Viewer: Press Control + Command + Space → search the character.

Microsoft Word (fastest)

• Word’s accent shortcuts: Press the Ctrl combo, then the letter (examples below).
• Or use Insert → Symbol if you prefer clicking.

Google Docs (fastest)

• Insert → Special characters → type what you want (example: “e acute”, “n tilde”, “u umlaut”).

iPhone / Android (fastest)

• Press and hold the base letter (like a, e, n, u) → pick the accented version.

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Quick Reference (the pattern that works for most accents)

Use this small table to remember the main patterns (instead of memorizing hundreds of codes).

Accent	Looks like	Mac pattern	Word shortcut pattern	Google Docs search words
Acute	é	Option + E, then letter	Ctrl + ‘ then letter	“e acute”, “a acute”
Grave	è	Option + `, then letter	Ctrl + ` then letter	“e grave”, “a grave”
Circumflex	ê	Option + I, then letter	Ctrl + Shift + ^ then letter	“e circumflex”
Tilde	ñ	Option + N, then letter	Ctrl + Shift + ~ then letter	“n tilde”
Umlaut / Diaeresis	ü	Option + U, then letter	Ctrl + Shift + : then letter	“u umlaut”, “e diaeresis”

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Copy/Paste Accented Letters