How to enter accented characters like "ü" and "ö" in Windows? (2025)

11

The easiest method is, to add a keyboard language.

If you go to Settings -> Time and language -> Language you can add a language.

Add English (United States International) and switch to it. You can now use the right alt (now known as alt gr) to type special keys, such as altgr+w = å, alt-gr + shift + ; for ° or you can type "o to type ö and "u as ü, or ~n as ñ, 'e as é, `e as è, 'c as ç ^i as î. To type the ", you type " followed by pressing space, or alternatively switch back to your other keyboard language.

• 3

  @MyCar The answer alone won't jump off the page and configure Windows for you - it's up to you to take the steps described in the answer. If you want additional help you must communicate to us what difficulties you had in attempting to implement this answer and how the results differed from what you expected or would have liked it to have been.

  –J...

  Commented Mar 24, 2022 at 23:58

• 2

  This is upvoted a lot, so I guess this is working in some version of windows. In the version of Windows 10 I am using you need to add "English (United States)" and then click on "English(United States) -> Options -> Keyboard" and choose "English (USA, International)" there.

  –Étienne

  Commented Oct 26, 2022 at 19:39

• @Étienne the keyboard is offered in certain languages, too, and it seems to me that the availability of it is wider in Windows 11 than Windows 10. For example, you can find it as an option for Spanish in latinamerican variants, not only English US.

  –cablop

  Commented Apr 8 at 0:08

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10

A few options.

1. Open up the character map using Start > Run > charmap, find the character in the table and copy it to the clipboard
2. Find the Decimal code, and use Alt + the appropriate number

e.g. Alt + 0176 results in the ° symbol.

For the 2 symbols you mention, the keyboard codes are below:

Alt + 0246 results in ö

Alt + 0252 results in ü

• 5

  These are not ASCII codes. ASCII is a 7-bit character encoding, and only has 128 characters.

  –Andreas Rejbrand

  Commented Mar 24, 2022 at 22:08

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5

As of Windows 11, the native notepad.exe program now supports shortcuts for accented characters.

As I'd personally rather not switch my keyboard for the sake of some characters I don't often use, I find the quickest and most convenient method (excluding AHK or Alt-code entry) is to simply callnotepad.exe via run (Win+R, type notepad, Enter) and type the desired accent letter (refer to Microsoft's support page on inserting international characters), use FIND TEXT for "accent" on that page; I'll also include a screenshot of the relevant table for retention).

I would then copy and paste from there:

• Works in Word as well (but not in Excel).

  –Seva Golovanov

  Commented Sep 26, 2024 at 12:30

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4

You can also do that with the numpad.

Hold down alt key and type in the following for:

• ö: alt+148
• Ö: alt+0214
• ü: alt+0252
• Ü: alt+0220

After typing in the number let off alt and you'll get your character.More key combinations here:https://www.unlockyourhistory.com/post/%C3%A4-%C3%AB-%C3%AF-%C3%B6-%C3%BC-umlaut-on-the-keyboard

• 3

  @MyCar all of the answers here work. Although the answers that switch the keyboard layout work more reliably because alt codes like this depend on the locale. So the problem is actually on your side and you didn't even stated clearly. For example did you use the numpad keys correctly? The real solution is to install a keyboard layout for your target language, for example installer German keyboard if you want to type German

  –phuclv

  Commented Mar 25, 2022 at 1:04

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3

It's hard to believe Windows makes character entry so difficult! I came here looking for a solution, but nothing was satisfactory. I wanted something as easy as the Compose key in Linux. I don't want to switch keyboard layouts, and especially don't want "dead keys".

With some further research, I found that there's an application which provides a Windows implementation of the Compose-key behavior!

If you'd like easy, intuitive character entry similar to Linux or Mac, I suggest you try WinCompose.

https://github.com/samhocevar/wincompose

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1

Look for the " (two dots) symbol on your keyboard (Which is DISTINCT from the double quote "). On some keyboards you need to use AltGr. Press first that key, and then o, a, u or whatever. The exact position on your keyboard will vary according to your language.

For example, on a US-English keyboard, you'll find the character to the left of the Return key, on the same key as the double quote, and you need to press Shift+AltGr together with the corresponding key (see image - the key has a magenta frame):

• 4

  This will only work if your keyboardlayout supports it. See my answer. On a keyboard layout with only United States, this will not work.

  –LPChip

  Commented Mar 24, 2022 at 14:36

• I wish to remove my downvote now but can't until the answer is edited. :(

  –Ross Presser

  Commented Mar 24, 2022 at 20:34

• 1

  @RossPresser I've loaned you an upvote until it is edited ;)

  –J...

  Commented Mar 25, 2022 at 0:02

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1

Of course, the easiest way is to own a German keyboard.

Otherwise, you can simply call up a page on which these umlauts appear (e.g. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umlaut) and copy them from there if it is not often necessary.

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1

Really, most of the previous answers are excessively complicated, as they depend on arbitrary codes that no one could be expected to know. It's time-consuming and difficult to find any specific character in the Windows Character Map.

I think it was in Windows 10 that the so-called "emoji picker" was introduced. Typing [Windows Key] + [Period] brings it up, and has numerous pages and tabs from which one can select (simply by clicking on) all manner of symbols and non-English characters. And of course emojis.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-keyboard-tips-and-tricks-588e0b72-0fff-6d3f-aeee-6e5116097942

• So that's where the emoji input is! I assumed Windows didn't have it. This is going to change my life

  –MXMLLN

  Commented Sep 1, 2024 at 22:13

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• windows
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