How to Type Spanish Accents, ñ, ¿ and ¡ on Any Keyboard

How-To Guides · 2 min read · Published October 25, 2026

Quick answer: Spanish needs nine special characters: á é í ó ú ü ñ ¿ ¡. On Windows each has a real Alt code (ñ is Alt+0241, ¿ Alt+0191; see the table above). On a Mac, Option+E then a vowel gives the accent and Option+N then N gives ñ. On phones, press and hold the 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.

Windows: Alt codes

Use the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. Laptop without one? See Alt codes not working.

Windows: US-International layout

Add United States-International as a keyboard (Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Language options → Add a keyboard) and switch with Win+Space. Then:

• ' then a vowel → á é í ó ú
• " then u → ü
• ~ then n → ñ, or AltGr+N
• AltGr+/ → ¿ and AltGr+1 → ¡

Press the apostrophe or quote key and then Space when you want the plain character.

Mac

• Accented vowels: Option+E, then the vowel (á é í ó ú)
• ü: Option+U, then u
• ñ: Option+N, then n
• ¿: Shift+Option+?; ¡: Option+1

Holding a vowel or n also shows its accented forms.

Phones

Press and hold a vowel, n, ? or ! and slide to the character. Adding a Spanish keyboard (Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards on iPhone; Gboard settings → Languages on Android) also adds Spanish autocorrect, which adds many accents for you.

Spanish punctuation

Questions and exclamations open with the inverted mark: ¿Dónde está?, ¡Hola!. The opening mark goes where the question or exclamation starts, which can be mid-sentence: Si llueve, ¿vienes?

Related: French, Portuguese, our Spanish alphabet page, accented letters and the accent keyboard.

Frequently asked questions