Special German Letters on Keyboard (ä ö ü ß): Alt Codes + Easy Shortcuts
“Special German letters” usually means the umlaut letters (ä, ö, ü) and the German sharp S (ß).
You’ll see them in common German words and names like Mädchen, schön, über, Straße, and Grüße. These letters can change pronunciation (and sometimes meaning), so it’s worth typing them correctly.
1-Minute Answer (fastest ways)
Windows (fastest)
- Alt codes (best if you have a number pad): Hold Alt and type the code on the numeric keypad.
- Win + . symbol panel: Press Windows key + . → go to Symbols → search or browse.
- Add German keyboard: Add German in Windows keyboard settings, then switch with Win + Space.
Mac (fastest)
- Option “dead key” for umlauts: Option + U, then type a / o / u.
- ß on Mac: often Option + S.
- Character Viewer: Control + Command + Space → search “umlaut” or “eszett”.
Microsoft Word (fastest)
- Insert Symbol: Insert → Symbol → More Symbols
- Unicode + Alt+X (Word only): type the Unicode (like
00E4) then press Alt + X.
Google Docs (fastest)
- Insert → Special characters → search “a umlaut”, “sharp s”, “eszett”.
iPhone / Android (fastest)
- Press and hold:
- a → ä
- o → ö
- u → ü
- s → ß (availability varies)
- If you don’t see them, add the German keyboard on your phone.
Quick reference (short and clean)
| Letter | Unicode | Windows Alt code Shortcut | Mac method (quick note) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ä | U+00E4 | Alt + 0228 | Option + U, then a |
| Ä | U+00C4 | Alt + 0196 | Option + U, then Shift + A |
| ö | U+00F6 | Alt + 0246 | Option + U, then o |
| Ö | U+00D6 | Alt + 0214 | Option + U, then Shift + O |
| ü | U+00FC | Alt + 0252 | Option + U, then u |
| Ü | U+00DC | Alt + 0220 | Option + U, then Shift + U |
| ß | U+00DF | Alt + 0223 | often Option + S |
| ẞ | U+1E9E | (use Character Map / copy) | Character Viewer search “capital sharp s” |
Note: ẞ (uppercase ß) exists, but typing it depends on the app/keyboard. The most reliable method is Character Viewer / copy & paste / Unicode method in Word.