How to Type German Umlauts (ä ö ü) and ß on Any Keyboard
Quick answer: on Windows hold Alt and type 0228 for ä, 0246 for ö, 0252 for ü and 0223 for ß on the numeric keypad. On a Mac press Option+U then the vowel for an umlaut, and Option+S for ß. On phones, press and hold a, o, u or s.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ä | Latin Small Letter A With Diaeresis | Alt+0228 |
Option+U, A |
ä |
00E4 + Alt+X |
U+00E4 |
| ö | Latin Small Letter O With Diaeresis | Alt+0246 |
Option+U, O |
ö |
00F6 + Alt+X |
U+00F6 |
| ü | Latin Small Letter U With Diaeresis | Alt+0252 |
Option+U, U |
ü |
00FC + Alt+X |
U+00FC |
| ß | Latin Small Letter Sharp S | Alt+0223 |
Option+S |
ß |
00DF + Alt+X |
U+00DF |
| Ä | Latin Capital Letter A With Diaeresis | Alt+0196 |
Option+u, then A |
Ä |
00C4 + Alt+X |
U+00C4 |
| Ö | Latin Capital Letter O With Diaeresis | Alt+0214 |
Option+u, then O |
Ö |
00D6 + Alt+X |
U+00D6 |
| Ü | Latin Capital Letter U With Diaeresis | Alt+0220 |
Option+u, then U |
Ü |
00DC + Alt+X |
U+00DC |
| „ | Double Low-9 Quotation Mark | Alt+0132 |
Copy / paste | „ |
201E + Alt+X |
U+201E |
| “ | Left Double Quotation Mark | Alt+0147 |
Option+[ |
“ |
201C + Alt+X |
U+201C |
Windows
Alt codes (numeric keypad, Num Lock on):
| Character | Alt code | Capital | Alt code |
|---|---|---|---|
| ä | Alt+0228 | Ä | Alt+0196 |
| ö | Alt+0246 | Ö | Alt+0214 |
| ü | Alt+0252 | Ü | Alt+0220 |
| ß | Alt+0223 | (ẞ) | no Alt code |
US-International layout: add it under Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Language options → Add a keyboard. Then AltGr+Q = ä, AltGr+P = ö, AltGr+Y = ü, AltGr+S = ß, or type " followed by the vowel.
German layout (QWERTZ): puts ä ö ü ß on their own keys, but swaps Y and Z and moves many symbols, so it suits a German keyboard best.
Mac
- Umlaut: Option+U, then the vowel (works for capitals too: Option+U then Shift+A = Ä)
- ß: Option+S
- German quotes: „ is Shift+Option+W and “ is Option+[
Holding a, o, u or s also opens the accent menu.
Phones
Press and hold a, o, u or s and slide to the character. A German keyboard adds German autocorrect, which turns "strasse" into "Straße" for you.
ß and the capital ẞ
ß (Eszett, "sharp s") is used after long vowels and diphthongs: Straße, groß, weiß. In Switzerland it is not used at all; "ss" is written instead. Because ß traditionally had no capital, words in capitals are written with SS (STRASSE). The capital ẞ (U+1E9E) has been an allowed alternative since 2017; it has no Alt code, so type 1E9E then Alt+X in Word or copy it from here: ẞ.
German quotation marks
German usually opens quotes low and closes them high: „Hallo“. On Windows, „ is Alt+0132 and “ is Alt+0147. Some publishers use reversed guillemets »so« instead.
When umlauts are not possible
In e-mail addresses, file names and old systems, write ae, oe, ue and ss: Müller → Mueller, Straße → Strasse. This is an accepted spelling, not a mistake.
Related: French, accented letters, our German alphabet page and straight vs curly quotes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type ä, ö and ü on Windows?
Hold Alt and type 0228 (ä), 0246 (ö) or 0252 (ü) on the numeric keypad. Capitals are Alt+0196 (Ä), Alt+0214 (Ö) and Alt+0220 (Ü).
How do I type ß?
Windows: Alt+0223, or AltGr + S on the US-International layout. Mac: Option + S. Phones: press and hold s.
Is there a capital ß?
Yes. The capital sharp s ẞ (U+1E9E) exists and has been allowed in official German spelling since 2017, but SS is still the usual capital form. In Word type 1E9E and press Alt+X.
What if a website does not accept umlauts?
Use the standard replacements: ae for ä, oe for ö, ue for ü and ss for ß, for example Mueller for Müller.
Looking for something else? Browse 1,000+ copy-paste symbols, the full Alt Codes finder, or the emoji picker.