How to Get an Accent Over a Letter: Every Device and App

To get an accent over a letter on Windows, hold Alt and type the code on the number pad: Alt + 0233 gives é. On a Mac, press and hold the letter and choose the accent, or press Option + E and then the letter. On a phone, press and hold the letter.

Every device has at least one built-in method. This page shows the fastest one for your setup, then links to the full guide for each.

Fastest method for your device

Copy and paste

If you need an accented letter once or twice, copying is the quickest route. Go to the accent letters copy and paste tool on our homepage, click any letter to copy it, and paste it with Ctrl + V (Windows, Chromebook) or Command + V (Mac).

This works in every app, browser and form, with no setup. It is the slowest choice if you type in another language every day, so pick a keyboard method below for regular use.

Windows 10 and 11

Windows does not show accents when you hold a key on a physical keyboard. It has several other methods.

Alt codes

Turn on Num Lock, hold the Alt key, type a four-digit code on the number pad, then release Alt. Alt + 0233 gives é, Alt + 0241 gives ñ and Alt + 0252 gives ü. The number keys along the top row do not work for this.

Emoji and symbol panel

Press Win + . (period) to open the emoji panel. Open the Symbols tab and choose the Latin symbols section, then click the letter you want. This is the best choice on laptops without a number pad.

US International keyboard

Add the United States-International layout in Windows settings. Then type an accent key followed by a letter: ' then e gives é, ~ then n gives ñ, " then u gives ü. To type a plain apostrophe or quote mark, press the key and then the Space bar.

All the methods, with an Alt code table and fixes for when codes fail, are in how to type accent letters on Windows.

Mac

A Mac gives you two built-in methods that need no setup.

• Press and hold: hold down a letter key and a small menu of accented versions appears. Press the number shown under the one you want, or click it.
• Option dead keys: press Option + E, release, then type the letter for an acute accent (é). Option + ` (the grave key) gives a grave accent, Option + I a circumflex, Option + U an umlaut and Option + N a tilde.

For anything else, open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search for the letter by name. The full Option key table, capitals and the ABC Extended input source for macrons are in how to type accent letters on Mac.

Microsoft Word

Word for Windows has its own shortcuts that work only inside Office apps such as Word and Outlook. Press Ctrl plus the accent key, release, then type the letter.

Word for Mac does not use these. It uses the normal Mac Option keys. The cedilla, å, æ, ø and the Alt + X Unicode trick are covered in how to put accent marks on letters in Word.

Google Docs

Google Docs has no accent shortcuts of its own. Open Insert, then Special characters, and search for a name such as "e acute" or draw the letter in the box. Your system keyboard methods (Alt codes, Option keys, US International) also work inside Docs. See how to add accents in Google Docs for the automatic substitution trick that turns your own shortcuts into accented letters.

Chromebook

ChromeOS has no Alt codes. Add the US International keyboard in Settings, in the keyboard and input section. You then type ' then e for é, the same as on Windows. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + U, type the Unicode hex code (e9 for é), and press Space or Enter. The full walkthrough is in how to type accent letters on Chromebook.

iPhone, iPad and Android

Press and hold a letter on the on-screen keyboard. A row of accented versions pops up; slide your finger to the one you want and lift. This works on the iPhone keyboard, Gboard and Samsung Keyboard.

Adding a keyboard for a second language also gives you autocorrect in that language, which adds many accents for you as you type. Setup steps are in how to type accents on iPhone and Android.

Capital letters

Every method above also types capitals. On a Mac, add Shift to the letter, not to the Option key: Option + E, then Shift + E gives É. In Word, the same rule applies. On Windows, capitals have their own Alt codes, such as Alt + 0201 for É. On phones, tap Shift first, then press and hold.

Which method to learn

If you type accents a few times a month, copy and paste or the emoji panel is enough. If you write in Spanish, French or German every day, switch to a keyboard method: the US International layout on Windows and Chromebook, or Option dead keys on a Mac. They are faster than Alt codes once your fingers learn them, and they work in every app.