How to Type Umlaut Letters (ä, ö, ü, ë, ï, ÿ) on Keyboard

Umlaut (also called diaeresis) is the name for the two dots (¨) that sit above a letter, usually a vowel. They slightly change how the vowel is pronounced in languages such as German, Swedish, Finnish, Hungarian, Albanian, and others.

Common umlaut letters are:

• Lowercase: ä, ö, ü, ë, ï, ÿ
• Uppercase: Ä, Ö, Ü, Ë, Ï, Ÿ

In this guide you’ll learn how to type these umlaut letters on:

• Windows – using Alt codes and Word shortcuts
• Mac – using Option (⌥) shortcuts
• Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• Copy-and-paste, Character Map, and the Windows emoji / symbol panel

Quick Reference – All Umlaut Letters (Click to Copy)

• Lowercase umlaut letters:
  ä, ö, ü, ë, ï, ÿ
• Uppercase umlaut letters:
  Ä, Ö, Ü, Ë, Ï, Ÿ

Main Windows Alt Codes for Umlaut Letters

Use these Alt codes on Windows with the numeric keypad:

Letter	Description	Alt code (Windows)
Ä	A umlaut (upper)	Alt 0196
ä	a umlaut (lower)	Alt 0228
Ë	E umlaut (upper)	Alt 0203
ë	e umlaut (lower)	Alt 0235
Ï	I umlaut (upper)	Alt 0207
ï	i umlaut (lower)	Alt 0239
Ö	O umlaut (upper)	Alt 0214
ö	o umlaut (lower)	Alt 0246
Ü	U umlaut (upper)	Alt 0220
ü	u umlaut (lower)	Alt 0252
Ÿ	Y umlaut (upper)	Alt 0159
ÿ	y umlaut (lower)	Alt 0255

Quick tip: On Windows, Alt codes work best in desktop apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Notepad, and many text fields. Some browser fields may not accept them—if that happens, use copy and paste instead.

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Method 1 – Type Umlaut Letters on Windows (Alt Codes)

This method works on Windows only and uses the numeric keypad.

1. Open your document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email, etc.).
2. Place the cursor where you want the letter.
3. Make sure Num Lock is turned on.
4. Hold down the Alt key.
5. While holding Alt, type the 4-digit code on the numeric keypad.
6. Release Alt – the umlaut letter should appear.

Examples

• To type ü: hold Alt, type 0252, release Alt → ü
• To type Ö: hold Alt, type 0214, release Alt → Ö
• To type ë: hold Alt, type 0235, release Alt → ë

Important: The number keys above the letters (0–9 row) usually don’t work for Alt codes. You need the separate numeric keypad or a laptop’s Fn + NumLock numeric pad.

Use the table in the Quick Reference section for all the codes.

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Method 2 – Type Umlaut Letters on Mac (Option + U)

On a Mac, umlaut letters are very easy: you use Option + U and then the letter.

1. Place the cursor where you want the letter.
2. Press Option (⌥) + U together, then release both keys.
   • This tells macOS you want an umlaut.
3. Now type the letter you need: a, e, i, o, u, y.
4. The umlaut version appears.

Examples

• ä – press Option + U, release, then press a
• ö – press Option + U, release, then press o
• ü – press Option + U, release, then press u
• ÿ – press Option + U, release, then press y

To type uppercase umlaut letters:

• Turn on Caps Lock before step 3, or
• Hold Shift while typing the final letter.

Examples

• Ä – Option + U, release, then Shift + A
• Ö – Option + U, release, then Shift + O
• Ü – Option + U, release, then Shift + U

This works in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, browsers, and most Mac apps.

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Method 3 – Type Umlaut Letters in Word (Windows Shortcut)

If you use Microsoft Word (or Outlook) on Windows, there’s a built-in shortcut that doesn’t need Alt codes:

Word shortcut for umlauts (Windows):
Ctrl + Shift + ;, then the letter

Steps:

1. Place your cursor in the Word document.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + ; together, then release.
3. Now type the vowel you want: a, e, i, o, u, y.
4. Word will insert the umlaut version of that letter.

Examples

• Ctrl + Shift + ; → release → u → ü
• Ctrl + Shift + ; → release → o → ö
• Ctrl + Shift + ; → release → a → ä

To get capital letters, turn on Caps Lock first or hold Shift while typing the vowel.

Note: On some keyboard layouts, you may need Ctrl + Shift + : (colon) instead of semicolon. If one doesn’t work, try the other.

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Method 4 – Insert Umlaut Letters in Word (Insert > Symbol)

You can also insert umlaut letters from the Symbol dialog in Word.

1. In Word, click the place where you want the letter.
2. Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols…
3. In the Subset dropdown, choose Latin-1 Supplement (or scroll until you see the umlaut letters).
4. Click the umlaut letter you want (Ä, ä, Ö, ö, Ü, ü, Ë, ë, Ï, ï, Ÿ, ÿ).
5. Click Insert, then Close.

This works on Windows and Mac versions of Word.

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Method 5 – Type Umlaut Letters in Excel

In Excel, you can use the same methods:

Option A – Alt Codes (Windows)

1. Click the cell where you want the letter.
2. Turn Num Lock on.
3. Hold Alt and type the code (for example 0246 for ö).
4. Release Alt.

Option B – Mac Shortcut (Option + U)

On Mac Excel:

1. Click in a cell or in the formula bar.
2. Press Option + U, release, then type the letter.
3. Example: Option + U, then u → ü.

Option C – Insert > Symbol (Windows & Mac)

1. Select the cell.
2. Go to Insert > Symbol.
3. Find the umlaut letter under Latin-1 Supplement.
4. Double-click it, or click Insert.

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Method 6 – Type Umlaut Letters in PowerPoint

PowerPoint uses the same tools as Word and Excel:

• Windows Alt codes – work in text boxes and placeholders.
• Word shortcut – Ctrl + Shift + ; then the letter (on Windows).
• Mac shortcut – Option + U, then the letter.
• Insert > Symbol – Insert tab → Symbol → More Symbols → Latin-1 Supplement.

So you can reuse exactly the same steps inside slide titles, bullet points, and shapes.

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Method 7 – Copy and Paste Umlaut Letters

If you only need a few umlaut letters, the fastest way is often copy and paste.

1. Scroll back up to the Quick Reference section.
2. Click the letter you need to copy it (ä, ö, ü, ë, ï, ÿ, Ä, Ö, Ü, Ë, Ï, Ÿ).
3. Go to your document and paste with Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac).

For a quick manual copy, here are the main umlaut letters again:

• Lowercase: ä ö ü ë ï ÿ
• Uppercase: Ä Ö Ü Ë Ï Ÿ

This works in:

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Google Docs & Google Sheets
• Browsers (Gmail, Outlook.com, forms, social media, etc.)

Later, you can also link to your Online Symbol Keyboard or a German Umlauts Keyboard tool from here so users can copy many symbols in one place.

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Method 8 – Character Map & Windows Emoji / Symbol Panel

A. Character Map (Windows)

Character Map lets you insert any special character, including umlaut letters.

1. On Windows, click Start and search for Character Map.
2. Open Character Map.
3. Choose your font (e.g. Arial, Calibri).
4. Tick Advanced view if you see it.
5. Scroll until you find Ä ä Ë ë Ï ï Ö ö Ü ü Ÿ ÿ.
6. Click the character → click Select → click Copy.
7. Go back to your document and paste with Ctrl+V.

B. Windows Emoji & Symbol Panel

On Windows 10/11 you can also use the emoji panel:

1. Place your cursor in any text field.
2. Press Windows key + . (period) or Windows key + ;.
3. In the panel, go to the symbols or language section.
4. Look for accented letters and pick the one you need.

This is handy in apps that don’t accept Alt codes.

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FAQs about Umlaut Letters

1. Are umlaut and diaeresis the same thing?

Visually yes – both are written as two dots (¨) above a letter.

• In German, it is usually called an umlaut and signals a vowel change (ä, ö, ü).
• In other languages, you may see it called diaeresis, used to show that two vowels are pronounced separately (for example ë in some names).

In everyday typing guides, people usually just say “umlaut”.

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2. How do I type the German letter ß (sharp S / Eszett)?

The ß character is not an umlaut, but it appears in German words together with ä, ö, and ü, so many people look for it on the same page.

You can type ß like this:

• Windows Alt code:
  • Hold Alt, type 0223 on the numeric keypad, release → ß
• Mac shortcut:
  • Press Option + S → ß

There is also a capital form ẞ, but it’s less common.

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3. Alt codes don’t work on my laptop. What can I do?

If Alt codes don’t work:

• Make sure Num Lock is on.
• Check that you’re using the numeric keypad. On many laptops, you must press Fn + NumLock to turn on the embedded keypad.
• Some apps (or browser search boxes) ignore Alt codes. In that case, use copy and paste or the Character Map / emoji panel.

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4. Is there a way to type umlauts without codes at all?

Yes. Two simple options:

• Change your keyboard layout to German or US-International and use the dedicated keys / combinations.
• Use an online keyboard (for example, a German Umlauts Keyboard on your site) and copy the letters into your document.

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Summary

To recap, here are the easiest ways to type umlaut letters:

• On Windows:
  • Use Alt codes like Alt 0228 (ä), Alt 0246 (ö), Alt 0252 (ü).
  • In Word, use Ctrl + Shift + ;, then the vowel for ä, ö, ü, etc.
• On Mac:
  • Use Option + U, then the letter – for example Option + U, then u for ü.
• In Word, Excel & PowerPoint:
  • Use Insert > Symbol and look under Latin-1 Supplement.
• Anywhere:
  • Use copy and paste from the quick-reference box or Character Map.

If you often need these characters, you can bookmark this page and/or use your own Online Symbol Keyboard so you can copy umlaut letters with a single click.