é, è, ê, à, ç: a few seconds of setup, then you never hunt for them again.
You know the word needs an accent, but your English keyboard has no é key. Here is how to type French accents on every common setup: Mac, Windows, Word, Google Docs, iPhone and Android, with the exact keys to press.
The fastest method is usually already on your device. The rest is a one-time setting or a short code to remember.
On a Mac, an iPhone and most Android keyboards, press and hold the letter. A small menu of accented versions appears: pick the one you need. Hold e for é, è, ê and ë; hold a for à and â; hold c for ç.
Windows has no press-and-hold, so you either switch to the US International layout (section 3) or use Alt codes (section 4).
Besides press-and-hold, the Option key gives you every accent. Press the Option combination, release, then type the letter.
| Accent | Keys | Gives |
|---|---|---|
| acute | Option + e, then e | é |
| grave | Option + `, then a, e or u | à, è, ù |
| circumflex | Option + i, then the vowel | â, ê, î, ô, û |
| trema | Option + u, then e, i or u | ë, ï, ü |
| cedilla | Option + c | ç |
For a capital, hold Shift on the letter: Option + e, then Shift + e gives É. Option + q gives œ, as in cœur. On a French AZERTY Mac keyboard, é, è, à, ù and ç have their own keys.
Add the United States-International keyboard to your language in Settings, under Time & language, then switch to it from the taskbar. The apostrophe, backtick and caret then wait for the next letter:
To type a plain apostrophe or quote, press it and then the space bar.
If you cannot change the keyboard, Alt codes work in almost any Windows program. Turn on Num Lock, hold Alt and type the four digits on the numeric keypad, not on the row above the letters.
| Letter | Alt code |
|---|---|
| é / É | 0233 / 0201 |
| è | 0232 |
| ê | 0234 |
| à | 0224 |
| ç / Ç | 0231 / 0199 |
| ù | 0249 |
Most laptops have no numeric keypad: there, the US International layout is the practical choice. On Windows 11, Windows key + . opens a panel whose symbols tab also lists accented letters.
Word has its own shortcuts, whatever the keyboard layout. Press the combination, release, then type the letter:
In Google Docs, Insert, then Special characters, lets you search for "e acute" and click the letter.
Press and hold the letter, then slide to the accent. To get accents added for you as you type French, add a French keyboard: on iPhone in Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards; on Android in your keyboard's language settings. Its autocorrect then knows that a word needs é or à.
Typing the accent is half the job; choosing it is the other half. The acute accent only goes on e (é). The grave goes on e, a and u (è, à, ù). The circumflex can sit on any vowel. The cedilla only goes under c, before a, o or u, to keep it soft: ça, garçon, reçu. The full rules are on the page French accents, with a separate page for the French cedilla.
The accent learners get wrong most often is the é at the end of verbs, mixed up with -er: see -er infinitive or -é participle.
Mac and phones: hold the key. Windows: the US International layout, or Alt codes if you have a numeric keypad. Word: Ctrl plus the accent sign, then the letter. Once typing them is easy, Apostrophe· dictations check every accent word by word and explain the rule when one is wrong.
How do I type é on a keyboard?
On a Mac or a phone, hold the e key and pick é, or press Option + e, then e. On Windows, use Alt + 0233 on the numeric keypad, or ' then e with the US International layout.
How do I type French accents on a Mac?
Hold the letter and choose from the menu, or use the Option shortcuts: Option + e for the acute, Option + ` for the grave, Option + i for the circumflex, then the letter.
What are the Alt codes for French accents?
With Num Lock on, hold Alt and type on the numeric keypad: 0233 for é, 0232 for è, 0234 for ê, 0224 for à and 0231 for ç.
How do I type French accents on Windows without a numeric keypad?
Add the US International keyboard in Settings and type ' then e for é. On Windows 11, Windows key + . also opens a panel with accented letters.
How do I type ç?
On a Mac, Option + c. On Windows, Alt + 0231, or ' then c with the US International layout. On a phone, hold the c key.
Apostrophe· reads you a sentence, corrects it word by word, and explains the exact rule behind each mistake.
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