How to Type Symbols and Letters With Accent Marks | Digital Trends (2024)

Emoji, accent marks, and other special characters bring an element of fun and accuracy to the texting experience, but what if you’re on your PC and you want to break up plain old text with cool symbols and special characters? Assuming you’re using a QWERTY keyboard, you might not be able to find these special characters.

Contents

  • Typing symbols in Windows 10 or Windows 11
  • Emoji symbols
  • IP symbols
  • Math symbols
  • Uppercase accented symbols
  • Lowercase accented letters
  • Currency symbols
  • Using the character map on Windows
  • Typing symbols in MacOS
  • Typing symbols using the Character Viewer in MacOS

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In this guide, we’ll show you how to insert special characters into your copy using the character map (character viewer on Mac) and keyboard shortcuts. You can also check out our guide on the best keyboard shortcuts for Windows 10 and MacOS.

How to Type Symbols and Letters With Accent Marks | Digital Trends (1)

Typing symbols in Windows 10 or Windows 11

Your Windows PC has many alt-key shortcuts programmed into it that are pretty easy to type out. However, it should be noted that if you’re using Windows and you have a keyboard with a full number pad, you can only execute these keyboard shortcuts if you use the number keys on your number pad, with the number lock key turned on. Using the number keys located directly below the row of F-keys will not work, which we discovered during independent testing.

If you don’t have a keyboard with a number pad, you can use the on-screen keyboard in Windows to perform these tasks. To find the keyboard in Windows 10, roll your cursor over to the lower-right side of the screen and right-click on the taskbar. Then, click on Show Touch Keyboard button. You can then long-tap or long-hold your mouse down on any given letter to find symbols and other alternate characters.

On Windows 11, you'll need to right-click on the Taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. From there, toggle the switch for Touch keyboard to on. You can then summon the touch keyboard as needed.

Step 1: Open your word processor and locate either Alt key on your keyboard. Typically, the Alt keys are located on either side of your spacebar.

Step 2: Scan the lists below for the symbol you want to type out.

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Step 3: Make sure the cursor is located in the place where you want to insert the symbol of your choice. Then enter its corresponding keyboard shortcut. For instance, holding the Alt key and pressing the 1 on your numpad will insert a smiley face (☺) in your copy.

Emoji symbols

Emoji Symbol
Alt + 1
Alt + 2
Alt + 3

IP symbols

IP Symbol
Alt + 0169 ©
Alt + 0153
Alt + 0174 ®

Math symbols

Math Symbol
Alt + 35 #
Alt + 241 ±
Alt + 0188 ¼
Alt + 0189 ½
Alt + 0190 ¾
Alt + 0247 ÷
Alt + 60 <
Alt + 62 >
Alt + 242
Alt + 243

Uppercase accented symbols

Uppercase Accented Letter Symbol
Alt + 0192 À
Alt + 0193 Á
Alt + 0194 Â
Alt + 0195 Ã
Alt + 0196 Ä
Alt + 0199 Ç
Alt + 0200 È
Alt + 0201 É
Alt + 0202 Ê
Alt + 0203 Ë
Alt + 0204 Ì
Alt + 0205 Í
Alt + 0206 ú
Alt + 0207 û
Alt + 165 Ñ
Alt + 0210 Ò
Alt + 0211 Ó
Alt + 0212 Ô
Alt + 0213 Õ
Alt + 0214 Ö
Alt + 0217 Ù
Alt + 0218 Ú
Alt + 0219 Û
Alt + 0220 Ü
Alt + 0221 Ý
Alt + 0159 Ÿ
Alt + 0142 Ž

Lowercase accented letters

Lowercase Accented letters Symbol
Alt + 0224 à
Alt + 0225 á
Alt + 0226 â
Alt + 0227 ã
Alt + 0228 ä
Alt + 0229 å
Alt + 0230 æ
Alt +0231 ç
Alt + 0232 è
Alt + 0233 é
Alt + 0234 ê
Alt + 0235 ë
Alt + 0236 ì
Alt + 0237 í
Alt + 0238 î
Alt + 0239 ï
Alt + 164 ñ
Alt + 0242 ò
Alt + 0243 ó
Alt + 0244 ô
Alt + 0245 õ
Alt + 0246 ö
Alt + 0154 š
Alt + 0249 ù
Alt + 151 ù
Alt + 150 û
Alt + 0252 ü
Alt + 0253 ý
Alt + 0255 ÿ
Alt + 0158 ž

Currency symbols

Currency Symbol
Alt + 0164 ¤
Alt + 155 ¢
Alt + 156 £
Alt + 157 ¥
Alt + 158
Alt + 159 ƒ
How to Type Symbols and Letters With Accent Marks | Digital Trends (2)

Using the character map on Windows

Character Map is installed onto every Microsoft operating system; it allows you to copy and paste accented letters and symbols into documents, whether you use Word, WordPad, Google Docs, or another program.

Step 1: Head to the Windows Start Menu and then type in character map to search. After that, click it to open the application. Then, click it to open the app when it appears in the search results.

Step 2: Once opened, you'll see a list of characters. Scroll through the list until you locate your desired symbol or letter. Once found, click the Selectbutton next to the text field. Your selected symbol or letter will then appear in the text field labeled Characters to copy.

Step 3: Click Copy, then paste them in their respective places within your document.

How to Type Symbols and Letters With Accent Marks | Digital Trends (3)

Typing symbols in MacOS

It's much simpler to type out symbols on a Mac. Each Mac shortcut utilizes the Option button, which is usually between the Command and Control keys. You'll also need to press Shift for certain combinations, which could be a little tricky. You can generally find the Shift key in the row above the Option key.

Or you can simply hold down a given key on your keyboard until an alternate character (like a letter with a tilde) appears for selection. That will help you fly through the steps below.

Step 1: Launch your word processor of choice, and locate either of the Option keys on your keyboard.

Step 2: Find the symbol you want,

Step 3: Click the exact location of your document where you want the symbol to appear, and simply enter the corresponding keyboard shortcut.

How to Type Symbols and Letters With Accent Marks | Digital Trends (4)

Typing symbols using the Character Viewer in MacOS

If you find yourself struggling with MacOS keyboard combinations, you can skip over the above method and manually insert special characters and symbols through the character viewer. It takes a bit longer, but it's easy and straightforward, as long as you're using the latest version of MacOS.

Step 1: Click on the area where you’d like to insert a symbol or unique character.

Step 2: Depending on your keyboard, press Fn or the Globe icon,and a window for the character viewer should pop up immediately. If it doesn’t pop up, hit the Apple button, thenSystem Preferences > Keyboard, and then select the character viewer.

Step 3: Either look for the symbol using the search field at the top of the window or click on the icon next to the search box to manually search for your specific special character.

Finding and inserting special characters couldn't be easier to do, and you can accomplish it right from your keyboard. These shortcuts will save you time and eliminate the need to search for and copy and paste your symbol.

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How to Type Symbols and Letters With Accent Marks | Digital Trends (2024)

FAQs

How do you put accent marks on letters when typing? ›

For example, for è you would press Ctrl + ` , release and then type e. To type a lowercase character by using a key combination that includes the SHIFT key, hold down the CTRL+SHIFT+symbol keys simultaneously, and then release them before you type the letter.

How do you get symbols when typing? ›

Press Alt + [the number code for the symbol or accented letter]. For example, Alt + 1 inserts ☺, while Alt + 0153 inserts the trademark ™. Here's a quick list of some of the more common accented letters and symbols. For more, refer to the ANSI character set page.

How do I get é on my keyboard? ›

To type é in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel or Outlook, hold “Ctrl,” press the apostrophe key, release “Ctrl,” then press e (or your letter of choice).

How to type letters with accents on Chromebook? ›

Use the accents menu
  1. Hold down the key for the letter you want to add an accent to.
  2. When the menu opens, press Tab or the right arrow to enter the menu.
  3. Use the arrow keys to highlight the accent you want.
  4. Press Enter, Space, or continue to type to insert the highlighted option.

How to type special letters on keyboard? ›

Inserting ASCII characters

To insert an ASCII character, press and hold down ALT while typing the character code. For example, to insert the degree (º) symbol, press and hold down ALT while typing 0176 on the numeric keypad. You must use the numeric keypad to type the numbers, and not the keyboard.

What is the alt key for é? ›

French
CharacterALT CodeALT Code
É02010217
é02330249
Ê02020219
ê02340251
10 more rows

How do you write text with symbols? ›

Go to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols. Go to Special Characters. Double-click the character that you want to insert.

Why is my keyboard typing symbols and not letters? ›

Check the num lock key

Occasionally, when typing on the keyboard, numbers and symbols replace the letters. Typically, this issue occurs when the num lock key is pressed, enabling a mode in which the keyboard doubles as a number pad.

What are the keyboard shortcuts for accents? ›

Typing Accented Characters
To insert this:Press these keys:
á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, ÝCtrl+' (apostrophe), the letter
â, ê, î, ô, û, Â, Ê, Î, Ô, ÛCtrl+Shift+^ (caret), the letter
ã, ñ, õ, Ã, Ñ, ÕCtrl+Shift+~ (tilde), the letter
ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ, Ä, Ë, Ï, Ö, Ü, ŸCtrl+Shift+: (colon), the letter
10 more rows

How to type ó on keyboard? ›

Key strokes
  1. Microsoft Windows users can type an "ó" by pressing Alt + 0243 on the numeric pad of the keyboard. "Ó" can be typed by pressing Alt + 0211.
  2. In Microsoft Word, pressing Ctrl + ' (apostrophe) , then O will produce the character ó. Pressing Ctrl + ' (apostrophe) , then ⇧ Shift + O will produce the character Ó.

How to type æ on keyboard? ›

For example, to enter the Æ character, hold down both the Fn key and the Alt key, then type each key in sequence: J, then U, then O; when you release the Fn and Alt keys, the Æ character will appear in your text entry box.

How do I put an accent over a letter on my keyboard? ›

Press Control + ', then the letter to add an acute accent.

Hold Control, then tap the apostrophe key. You can find the apostrophe next to the enter key. Release the keys. Then select the desired letter to accent.

How do I type é on my keyboard in Chrome? ›

The apostrophe key (left of the enter key) followed by the letter will make an ​acute accent (aigu)​, or a ​cédille​if you type a c: ​á, é, ç​. The caret (^) key (Shift-6) plus a letter will make a ​circonflexe​: ​û, ê​. The quotation mark (Shift-') key plus a letter will make a ​tréma/umlaut:​ ü, ö​.

What is AltGr on Chromebook? ›

AltGr (also Alt Graph) is a modifier key found on many computer keyboards (rather than a second Alt key found on US keyboards). It is primarily used to type special characters and symbols that are not widely used in the territory where sold, such as foreign currency symbols, typographic marks and accented letters.

What is the keyboard shortcut for accents? ›

Keyboard shortcuts for international characters
To insert thisPress
à, è, ì, ò, ù, À, È, Ì, Ò, ÙCTRL+` (ACCENT GRAVE), the letter
á, é, í, ó, ú, ý Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, ÝCTRL+' (APOSTROPHE), the letter
â, ê, î, ô, û Â, Ê, Î, Ô, ÛCTRL+SHIFT+^ (CARET), the letter
ã, ñ, õ Ã, Ñ, ÕCTRL+SHIFT+~ (TILDE), the letter
12 more rows

How to put a tilde over a letter? ›

Insert the tilde (~) symbol

First, press the "Ctrl," "Shift," and grave keys simultaneously. Then, press the key for your desired letter. For example, to create "ñ," press "Ctrl" + "Shift" + " `," then "n." In some operating systems, you may press the "Command" key instead of the "Ctrl" key.

How do I put accent marks on Microsoft Word? ›

Generally, we use CTRL+' (ACCENT GRAVE), the letter to implement accent marks. If it doesn't work, you could try to add most accented characters using the Insert > Symbol > More Symbols command in Word.

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