How to Type French Accents (é è ç œ «») on Any Keyboard
Quick answer: on Windows, every French letter has a real Alt code (é is Alt+0233, ç Alt+0231, œ Alt+0156; the full list is in the table above). If you write French often, the free US-International layout is faster: type ' then e for é. On a Mac use the Option dead keys (Option+E then E = é), and on phones press and hold a letter.
Quick reference: every method
Every Alt code below is verified against the real Windows code pages — where none exists we say so, rather than list one that won’t work.
| Char | Name | Windows | Mac | HTML | Word (Alt+X) | Unicode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| é | Latin Small Letter E With Acute | Alt+0233 |
Option+E, E |
é |
00E9 + Alt+X |
U+00E9 |
| è | Latin Small Letter E With Grave | Alt+0232 |
Option+`, E |
è |
00E8 + Alt+X |
U+00E8 |
| ê | Latin Small Letter E With Circumflex | Alt+0234 |
Option+i, then e |
ê |
00EA + Alt+X |
U+00EA |
| ë | Latin Small Letter E With Diaeresis | Alt+0235 |
Option+u, then e |
ë |
00EB + Alt+X |
U+00EB |
| à | Latin Small Letter A With Grave | Alt+0224 |
Option+`, then a |
à |
00E0 + Alt+X |
U+00E0 |
| â | Latin Small Letter A With Circumflex | Alt+0226 |
Option+i, then a |
â |
00E2 + Alt+X |
U+00E2 |
| ç | Latin Small Letter C With Cedilla | Alt+0231 |
Option+C |
ç |
00E7 + Alt+X |
U+00E7 |
| î | Latin Small Letter I With Circumflex | Alt+0238 |
Option+i, then i |
î |
00EE + Alt+X |
U+00EE |
| ï | Latin Small Letter I With Diaeresis | Alt+0239 |
Option+u, then i |
ï |
00EF + Alt+X |
U+00EF |
| ô | Latin Small Letter O With Circumflex | Alt+0244 |
Option+i, then o |
ô |
00F4 + Alt+X |
U+00F4 |
| ù | Latin Small Letter U With Grave | Alt+0249 |
Option+`, then u |
ù |
00F9 + Alt+X |
U+00F9 |
| û | Latin Small Letter U With Circumflex | Alt+0251 |
Option+i, then u |
û |
00FB + Alt+X |
U+00FB |
| ü | Latin Small Letter U With Diaeresis | Alt+0252 |
Option+U, U |
ü |
00FC + Alt+X |
U+00FC |
| ÿ | Latin Small Letter Y With Diaeresis | Alt+0255 |
Option+u, then y |
ÿ |
00FF + Alt+X |
U+00FF |
| œ | Latin Small Ligature Oe | Alt+0156 |
Copy / paste | œ |
0153 + Alt+X |
U+0153 |
| æ | Latin Small Letter Ae | Alt+0230 |
Copy / paste | æ |
00E6 + Alt+X |
U+00E6 |
| « | Left-Pointing Double Angle Quotation Mark | Alt+0171 |
Copy / paste | « |
00AB + Alt+X |
U+00AB |
| » | Right-Pointing Double Angle Quotation Mark | Alt+0187 |
Copy / paste | » |
00BB + Alt+X |
U+00BB |
The French characters
- Accent aigu: é
- Accent grave: è à ù
- Accent circonflexe: â ê î ô û
- Tréma: ë ï ü ÿ
- Cédille: ç
- Ligatures: œ (cœur, sœur) and the rarer æ
- Guillemets: « » for quotations
Windows: Alt codes
All French letters are in Windows-1252, so the leading-zero Alt codes in the table work on any Western Windows PC: hold the left Alt key, type the four digits on the numeric keypad, release. Capitals have their own codes: É Alt+0201, À Alt+0192, Ç Alt+0199, Œ Alt+0140. If a code fails, see Alt codes not working.
Windows: US-International layout
Add the layout in Settings → Time & language → Language & region → your English language → Language options → Add a keyboard → United States-International, then switch with Win+Space. The accent keys become "dead keys" that wait for the next letter:
| Type | Result |
|---|---|
' then e | é |
` then e / a / u | è à ù |
^ then a / e / i / o / u | â ê î ô û |
" then e / i / u | ë ï ü |
' then c (or AltGr+,) | ç |
| AltGr+[ and AltGr+] | « » |
To type a plain apostrophe, press the key and then Space. œ has no key on this layout; use Alt+0156. More on the layout in how to type accented letters.
Windows: AZERTY
The French AZERTY layout puts é, è, à, ç and ù directly on the number row and uses dead keys for ^ and ¨. It is ideal on a French keyboard, but on a QWERTY keyboard the letters A/Q, Z/W and M move, which confuses most people. US-International is usually the better choice.
Mac
- Acute: Option+E, then the letter (é)
- Grave: Option+`, then the letter (è à ù)
- Circumflex: Option+I, then the letter
- Tréma: Option+U, then the letter
- ç: Option+C; œ: Option+Q; æ: Option+'
- « »: Option+\ and Shift+Option+\
Holding a letter key down also shows a menu of its accented forms. These shortcuts are for the US and ABC layouts.
iPhone and Android
Press and hold e, a, u, i, o or c and slide to the accent you need. Adding a French keyboard gives French autocorrect too. Guillemets are usually under the long-press of the quotation mark key.
French punctuation spacing
French puts a space before ; : ! ? and inside guillemets: « Bonjour ! ». In careful typography this is a non-breaking space so the mark never starts a new line; see non-breaking spaces.
Related: Spanish, German, Portuguese, our French alphabet page and the accent keyboard tool.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type é on an English keyboard?
On Windows hold Alt and type 0233 on the numeric keypad, or add the US-International layout and type the apostrophe then e. On a Mac press Option + E, then E. On a phone, press and hold the e key.
How do I type œ?
On Windows use Alt+0156 (Alt+0140 for Œ). On a Mac press Option + Q. In Word you can also type 0153 and press Alt+X.
Do I need an AZERTY keyboard to type French?
No. Alt codes, the US-International layout and the Mac Option keys all produce every French character on a normal QWERTY keyboard.
Should capital letters keep their accents in French?
Yes. French style guides recommend keeping accents on capitals, for example ÉCOLE and À bientôt, because they can change meaning and pronunciation.
Looking for something else? Browse 1,000+ copy-paste symbols, the full Alt Codes finder, or the emoji picker.