How to Type Polish Letters (ą ć ę ł ń ó ś ź ż)
Quick answer: the easiest way is the Polish (Programmers) keyboard layout on Windows: it keeps the normal US keys and adds Polish letters with the right Alt key (AltGr). AltGr+A = ą, AltGr+L = ł, and so on. Only ó has a Windows Alt code (Alt+0243); for the others, use the layout, Word's Alt+X codes from the table above, or copy them.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ą | Latin Small Letter A With Ogonek | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ą |
0105 + Alt+X |
U+0105 |
| ć | Latin Small Letter C With Acute | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ć |
0107 + Alt+X |
U+0107 |
| ę | Latin Small Letter E With Ogonek | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ę |
0119 + Alt+X |
U+0119 |
| ł | Latin Small Letter L With Stroke | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ł |
0142 + Alt+X |
U+0142 |
| ń | Latin Small Letter N With Acute | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ń |
0144 + Alt+X |
U+0144 |
| ó | Latin Small Letter O With Acute | Alt+0243 |
Option+e, then o |
ó |
00F3 + Alt+X |
U+00F3 |
| ś | Latin Small Letter S With Acute | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ś |
015B + Alt+X |
U+015B |
| ź | Latin Small Letter Z With Acute | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ź |
017A + Alt+X |
U+017A |
| ż | Latin Small Letter Z With Dot Above | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | ż |
017C + Alt+X |
U+017C |
| Ł | Latin Capital Letter L With Stroke | Copy / paste | Copy / paste | Ł |
0141 + Alt+X |
U+0141 |
Windows: Polish (Programmers)
- Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language → Polish (or add the keyboard to your existing language).
- Make sure the keyboard is Polish (Programmers), not "Polish (214)", which rearranges the keys.
- Switch with Win+Space.
| Letter | Keys | Letter | Keys |
|---|---|---|---|
| ą | AltGr + A | ó | AltGr + O |
| ć | AltGr + C | ś | AltGr + S |
| ę | AltGr + E | ź | AltGr + X |
| ł | AltGr + L | ż | AltGr + Z |
| ń | AltGr + N |
Add Shift for capitals (AltGr+Shift+L = Ł). If your keyboard has no right Alt key, Ctrl+Alt works as AltGr.
Why there are no Alt codes
Windows' Alt codes come from two old 256-character tables made for Western European languages. Polish letters (except ó) are not in them, so they have no Alt code on a Western Windows PC. In Word you can type the code and press Alt+X instead: 0105 ą, 0142 ł, 017C ż (all codes are in the table above).
Mac
Add the Polish – Pro input source in System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit → +. It works like the Windows Programmers layout: hold Option with the matching letter (Option+A = ą, Option+L = ł). The plain US layout has no Option shortcuts for Polish letters.
Phones
Add a Polish keyboard, or press and hold a, c, e, l, n, o, s or z on many keyboards to find the Polish forms.
ż vs ź, ł vs l
ż (dot) and ź (acute) are different letters with different sounds, and ł is a separate letter, not a decorated l. Typing plain z or l changes words, so use the real letters wherever possible.
Related: Turkish, typing in other languages and our Latin Extended-A characters.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Alt codes for Polish letters?
Only ó has one: Alt+0243. The other Polish letters are above code 255, and codes above 255 do not work in most Windows programs; they only work in programs built on Microsoft's RichEdit text control, such as WordPad. Use the Polish (Programmers) layout instead.
How do I type Polish letters on a US keyboard?
Add the Polish (Programmers) layout in Windows. It keeps the US key positions and adds the Polish letters with the right Alt key: AltGr + A for ą, AltGr + L for ł and so on.
Why is ź on AltGr + X?
Because z already gives ż (AltGr + Z), the other z letter, ź, was placed on the neighbouring X key.
Looking for something else? Browse 1,000+ copy-paste symbols, the full Alt Codes finder, or the emoji picker.