Easy Accented E: Keyboard Shortcuts For Unique Characters

If you want to type an accented e on your keyboard, the process will differ depending on whether you're using a Windows PC or a Mac. On a Windows PC, you can use the Alt Code method or the Ctrl shortcut method. For the Alt Code method, make sure your Num Lock is on, then press and hold the Alt key and type the alt code for the specific accented e you want. For example, for é, type Alt+0233. On a Mac, it's even simpler. Just press and hold the e key, and a small menu will appear with various accented e characters for you to choose from. You can also use the Emoji & Symbols Viewer to find and insert accented e characters.

How to type an accented e on a Windows PC

There are several ways to type an accented e on a Windows PC. Here are some methods:

Using Shortcut Keys

If you are using Microsoft Word or Outlook, you can use shortcut keys to add accent marks. For a grave accent, press and hold Control + ``` (accent grave), then release and type e. For an acute accent, press and hold Control + ' (apostrophe), then release and type e.

Using the Windows Character Map

Open the Start menu and search for "Character Map". Once the application is open, find the accented letter you need, click on it, and then click Select. This will place the accented character in the field at the bottom of the Character Map. Click Copy to paste it elsewhere.

Using Alt Key Codes

Using the numeric keypad on the right side of your keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type in the corresponding code for the accent you want. For example, to type a lowercase e with an acute accent (é), hold down the Alt key and type Numpad 0, Numpad 2, Numpad 3, Numpad 3. Make sure that Num Lock is turned on, and use the keys on the number pad, not the number keys at the top of your keyboard.

How to type an accented e on a Mac

There are several ways to type an accented e on a Mac.

The Press and Hold Method

If you're not in a rush, you can press and hold the "e" key on your keyboard, and a number of options will appear above the letter. When you see the accent you'd like to add, simply type the corresponding number or use the arrow keys to select the accented letter and then press enter.

The Option Key Method

The Option key helps you add accent and diacritic marks to your text. For an acute accent, press and hold the Option key (the same as the Alt key), then press the "e" key, release them, and press the letter key to which you'd like to add the accent.

For example, to add an acute accent to the letter "e", you'd press Option + e, and then the letter "e" again.

Special Character Palette

You can also use the Special Character Palette, which can be kept on your desktop and accessed whenever needed. To open it, click on "Special Characters", select "Roman" from the dropdown menu, and then choose the "Accented Latin Character Palette". Position your cursor where you want the accented character and click on it in the palette.

Keyboard Viewer

The Keyboard Viewer can be used to see which keys you need to press to create accented letters. Go to "System Preferences", select the Keyboard icon, and ensure that "Show keyboard and emoji viewers in the menu bar" is checked. Then, click on the keyboard icon in your top menu bar and select "Show Keyboard Viewer". When you hold down the Option key, an orange outline will appear around the dead keys that can be used to enter accent marks.

KeyCaps

KeyCaps is available on OS9 and below. It works similarly to the Option key method, but when you hold the Option key, a small keyboard appears with the accents that can be clicked. To enable KeyCaps, simply open it, and a keyboard will appear on the desktop. Hold down the Option key to see the available accents.

How to type an accented e on a mobile device

There are several ways to type an accented e on a mobile device, depending on the type of mobile device you are using and the operating system it runs on.

On an iPhone or iPad

To type an accented e on an iPhone or iPad, open the app where you want to type the accented letter and tap a text field to bring up the keyboard. Toggle the capitalization on or off by tapping the arrow pointing up, then tap and hold the "E" on the keyboard. This will bring up a selection of Es with different accents. Slide your finger to the one you want to use and release your finger to select it.

On an Android device

There are several ways to type an accented e on an Android device. One way is to use the Gboard or the Samsung Keyboard. To do this, open the app where you want to type the accented letter and tap a text field to bring up the keyboard. Toggle the capitalization on or off by tapping the arrow pointing up, then tap and hold the "E". This will bring up a selection of Es with different accents. Slide your finger to the one you want to use and release your finger to select it.

Another way is to use a third-party keyboard app like Smart Keyboard Pro, which you can purchase from the Google Play Store. Once you have installed the app, go to your device Settings and select "Language and Input" or "Keyboard list and default" (the exact name depends on your device model). Tap "On-screen keyboard" or "Smart Keyboard Pro" and then tap "OK" to enable it. To use the keyboard, open the app where you want to type the accented letter and tap a text field to bring up the keyboard. Tap and hold the letter "E" and a list of accents for that letter will appear. Tap the accented letter you want to use.

On a Windows device

To type an accented e on a Windows device, open the app where you want to type the accented letter and tap a text field to bring up the keyboard. Toggle the capitalization on or off by tapping the arrow pointing up, then tap and hold the "E" on the keyboard. This will bring up a selection of Es with different accents. Slide your finger to the one you want to use and release your finger to select it.

Alternatively, you can use keyboard shortcuts. To type a lowercase "è", for example, press and hold the "Ctrl" key, then press the "`" key, release both keys, and then type "e". To type a capital "È", press and hold "Ctrl" and "Shift", then press "`, release all keys, and then type "E".

You can also use the Windows Character Map to insert accented letters. To open it, click the Start Menu and find it in the list of applications.

How to type an accented e using the Character Map

There are several ways to type an accented e using the Character Map on Windows. Firstly, open the Windows Start menu and search for "Character Map" in the available search field. Click on the Character Map app in the search results to open it.

Once the Character Map dialog box appears, you can scroll through the map to find the accented letter you need. The map includes a wide range of special characters, including those used in various languages. After finding the desired accented e, click on it to select it, then click the "Copy" button. Finally, paste the accented character into your desired location by placing your insertion pointer and pressing Ctrl+V.

Another method for Windows users is to utilise shortcut keys. For example, to add an acute accent, hold down the "Control" key and tap the apostrophe key, then release and type the letter "e". Similarly, to add a circumflex accent, hold "Control" and "Shift," then tap the number "6" key before releasing and typing "e".

For Mac users, a simple way to type accented letters is to hold down the desired letter key on your keyboard. This will pull up a menu of accented versions of that letter, from which you can select the appropriate one. This method works across all Apple devices, including iPads and iPhones.

How to type an accented e using the Emoji & Symbols viewer

To type an accented e using the Emoji & Symbols viewer, follow these steps:

On a Mac:

• Place your cursor where you want to type the accented e.
• Go to the menu bar and click 'Edit', then 'Emoji & Symbols'.
• Find the accented e in the viewer and double-click it. It will appear in your text.

On a Windows PC:

• Press the Windows key and the Semicolon key at the same time to open the Emoji/Symbol panel window.
• Click the Symbols tab.
• Click the Latin symbols tab.
• Click the accented e you want to add.

On a Mobile Device:

• Tap and hold the E on the keyboard.
• A pop-up will show various accented characters.
• Slide your finger to the accented e and release to insert it into your text.

Frequently asked questions