Spanish letters with accent marks are letters like ñ, á, é, í, ó, ú, ü (and the uppercase versions Ñ, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ü). These marks matter because they can change meaning.

Quick examples:

• niño (child)
• mañana (tomorrow / morning)
• corazón (heart)
• pingüino (penguin)

This guide shows the best ways to type Spanish letters with accent marks on Windows, Mac, Word, Google Docs, Excel/Sheets, and iPhone/Android—without overwhelming you.

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1-Minute Answer (Fastest Ways)

Windows (fastest)

• Alt codes (best with a numeric keypad): Hold Alt + type a code (example: Alt+0241 = ñ, spanish n with a tilde).
• Symbol panel: Press Win + . (or Win + ;) → Symbols → pick the accented letter.
• Best long-term: Add US-International or a Spanish keyboard so you can type accents quickly.

Mac (fastest)

• Option “dead keys” (best):
  • Option+E, then vowel → á é í ó ú
  • Option+N, then n → ñ
  • Option+U, then u → ü
• Press-and-hold: Hold a/e/i/o/u/n and choose the accented letter (works in many apps).
• Character Viewer: Control + Command + Space

Microsoft Word (fastest)

• Use Word accent shortcuts (quickest) or Insert → Symbol.

Google Docs (fastest)

• Insert → Special characters → search (example: “n tilde”, “u umlaut”, “a acute”).

iPhone/Android (fastest)

• Press and hold n, a, e, i, o, u → choose ñ, á, é, í, ó, ú, ü.

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Quick Reference (Small Table)

Letter	Unicode	Windows Alt code	Mac shortcut pattern
ñ / Ñ	U+00F1 / U+00D1	Alt+0241 / Alt+0209	Option+N, then n/N
á / Á	U+00E1 / U+00C1	Alt+0225 / Alt+0193	Option+E, then a/A
é / É	U+00E9 / U+00C9	Alt+0233 / Alt+0201	Option+E, then e/E
í / Í	U+00ED / U+00CD	Alt+0237 / Alt+0205	Option+E, then i/I
ó / Ó	U+00F3 / U+00D3	Alt+0243 / Alt+0211	Option+E, then o/O
ú / Ú	U+00FA / U+00DA	Alt+0250 / Alt+0218	Option+E, then u/U
ü / Ü	U+00FC / U+00DC	Alt+0252 / Alt+0220	Option+U, then u/U

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Copy/Paste Letters with the Spanish Accent Marks

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Detailed Step-by-Step Methods

A) Windows

Method 1: Type Spanish letters with accent marks using Alt codes (Windows)

Alt codes work best if your keyboard has a numeric keypad.

1. Click where you want the letter.
2. Turn Num Lock ON.
3. Hold Alt.
4. Type the code on the numeric keypad (not the number row above letters).
5. Release Alt.

Common Alt codes:

• Alt+0241 = ñ
• Alt+0209 = Ñ
• Alt+0225 = á
• Alt+0193 = Á
• Alt+0252 = ü

Laptop without a numpad? Use one of these instead:

• The Win + . symbols panel (Method 2)
• Add a Spanish keyboard layout (Method 3)
• Add the US-International keyboard (Method 4)
• Character Map (Method 5)

Extra tip for ñ/Ñ: Some PCs also accept Alt+164 (ñ) and Alt+165 (Ñ).

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Method 2: Windows symbol panel (Win + .)

This is the easiest method when Alt codes won’t work.

1. Click where you want the letter.
2. Press Win + . (or Win + ;).
3. Open Symbols (not emoji).
4. Click the accented letter you need.

If you use Spanish accents often, jump to Method 4 (US-International) for faster typing.

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Method 3: Add a Spanish keyboard layout (Spain / Latin America)

Best if you type Spanish regularly.

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Time & language → Language & region
3. Add Spanish (Spain) or Spanish (Latin America)
4. Add the keyboard layout
5. Switch keyboards with Win + Space

Note: A Spanish layout changes where some keys are. If you want something closer to a US/UK layout, use US-International next.

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Method 4: US-International keyboard (best for Spanish accents)

This is one of the best ways to type Spanish letters with accent marks quickly on Windows.

Turn it on

1. Open Settings → Time & language → Language & region
2. Add keyboard: United States-International
3. Switch with Win + Space

How to type the letters (easy patterns)

• á é í ó ú: press ‘ (apostrophe) then the vowel
  • Example: ‘ then a → á
• ü: press ” (double quote) then u
  • Example: “ then u → ü
• ñ: press Right Alt (AltGr) + n, release, then press n
  • Result: ñ

Need a normal apostrophe (‘) or quote (“)?

• Press the key, then press Space
  • Example: ‘ then Space → ‘

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Method 5: Character Map (Windows)

Good for copying once when you don’t need speed.

1. Press Start and search Character Map
2. Open it
3. Find ñ / á / ü
4. Click the character → Select → Copy
5. Paste with Ctrl + V

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B) Mac

Method 1: Option “dead keys” (fastest)

Mac typing is very consistent. Learn the pattern once and you can type Spanish accents anywhere.

• Option+E, then vowel → á é í ó ú
  • Option+E, then a → á
• Option+N, then n → ñ
  • Option+N, then n → ñ
• Option+U, then u → ü
  • Option+U, then u → ü

Uppercase: use Shift (or Caps Lock) for the final letter.
Example: Option+E, then Shift+A → Á

Want a plain ~ (tilde) by itself?
Press Option+N, then Space.

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Method 2: Press-and-hold (easy)

1. Press and hold a/e/i/o/u/n
2. Pick the accented letter from the popup
3. Release

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Method 3: Character Viewer (Control + Command + Space)

1. Press Control + Command + Space
2. Search for “n tilde”, “u umlaut”, “a acute”
3. Double-click to insert

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C) Microsoft Word (Windows + Mac)

Method 1: Word shortcuts (mini-table)

These are fast and reliable inside Word.

Letter	Word shortcut (type this, then the letter)
ñ / Ñ	Ctrl + Shift + ~ then n/N
á é í ó ú	Ctrl + ‘ then a/e/i/o/u
ü / Ü	Ctrl + Shift + ; then u/U

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Method 2: Insert → Symbol

1. Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols
2. Set Subset to Latin-1 Supplement
3. Double-click ñ, á, ü (and others)

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Method 3: AutoCorrect tip (optional)

If you type Spanish every day, create your own shortcuts:

1. File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options
2. Add entries like:

• n~ → ñ
• u: → ü

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Method 4: Alt+X (advanced)

In Word, you can type a Unicode value and convert it.

• Type 00F1, then Alt + X → ñ
• Type 00D1, then Alt + X → Ñ
• Type 00FC, then Alt + X → ü

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D) Excel / Google Sheets

Method 1: Alt codes (Windows)

Click the cell and use the Alt code (same as the Windows section).

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Method 2: CHAR() / UNICHAR() formulas (2–4 examples only)

Useful when you want a letter created by a formula.

• =CHAR(241) → ñ
• =CHAR(209) → Ñ
• =CHAR(225) → á
• =CHAR(252) → ü

In some versions, =UNICHAR(241) also works.

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Method 3: Insert Symbol

Use Insert → Symbol (Excel) to insert letters like ñ, á, ü.

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E) Google Docs

Insert → Special characters

1. Go to Insert → Special characters
2. Search:

• n tilde
• u umlaut (or “u diaeresis”)
• a acute / e acute / etc.

3. Click to insert

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F) iPhone / Android

iPhone

1. Tap and hold the letter:

• hold n → ñ
• hold a → á
• hold u → ú or ü

2. Slide to choose

Android

1. Tap and hold the letter
2. Choose the accented version

Tip: The options you see depend on your keyboard app and language settings.

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Best Long-Term Solution (If You Type Spanish Often)

If you type Spanish regularly, the best fix is to add a Spanish keyboard (or US-International) on every device.

Quick switching:

• Windows: Win + Space
• Mac: Globe key (or the input menu)

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Troubleshooting

Alt codes not working

• You must use the numeric keypad, not the number row.
• Turn Num Lock ON.
• Try codes with a leading zero (example: Alt+0241).
• If you don’t have a numpad, use Win + ., Character Map, or a keyboard layout method.

“I can type ~ but not ñ”

• On most keyboards, typing ~ then n will not make ñ.
• Use US-International (AltGr method), Alt codes, or Mac Option+N then n.

Google Docs search isn’t finding it

Try different search words:

• “n tilde” (ñ)
• “u umlaut” or “u diaeresis” (ü)
• “a acute” (á)

How to type uppercase accents (Á É Í Ó Ú Ñ Ü)

• Windows: use the uppercase Alt codes (example: Alt+0193 = Á)
• Mac: use the same Option pattern, then type an uppercase letter
• Word shortcuts: use Caps Lock or Shift for the final letter

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FAQ (People Also Ask)

How do I type ñ on Windows / Mac?

• Windows: Alt+0241 (or Win + . → Symbols)
• Mac: Option+N, then n

What are the Alt codes for á é í ó ú?

• á Alt+0225, é Alt+0233, í Alt+0237, ó Alt+0243, ú Alt+0250
  (Uppercase versions use different codes like Á Alt+0193.)

How do I type ü in Spanish?

• Windows: Alt+0252
• Mac: Option+U, then u
• Phone: press and hold u

How do I type Spanish letters with accent marks in Word / Google Docs?

• Word: use Word shortcuts (Ctrl + ‘ then vowel) or Insert → Symbol
• Google Docs: Insert → Special characters → search “a acute”, “n tilde”, “u umlaut”

Why isn’t my Alt code working?

Usually because:

• No numeric keypad
• Num Lock is off
• You used the number row instead of the keypad
• You need the leading-zero version (like Alt+0241)

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Quick Recap

• Fastest on Windows: Alt codes or Win + .
• Fastest on Mac: Option patterns (Option+E / Option+N / Option+U)
• Best long-term: add US-International or Spanish keyboard and switch quickly