French special characters
French Accents & Special Characters
To type French accents, click a letter below to copy it, or use the shortcut next to it: on Windows hold Alt and type the code on the number pad (Alt+0233 = é), on a Mac use the Option key (Option+E, then E), and on a phone press and hold the letter.
Click to copy
French uses the acute accent only on é, the grave accent on è, à and ù, the circumflex on â ê î ô û, the diaeresis to keep vowels apart (naïf, Noël), the cedilla on ç before a, o and u, and the ligatures œ and æ. Quotations use guillemets « ».
Keyboard shortcuts for every French character
| Character | Name | Windows (Alt code) | Mac | US-International |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| é | e with acute accent | Alt+0233 | Option+E, then E | ' then E |
| É | capital e with acute accent | Alt+0201 | Option+E, then Shift+E | ' then Shift+E |
| è | e with grave accent | Alt+0232 | Option+`, then E | ` then E |
| È | capital e with grave accent | Alt+0200 | Option+`, then Shift+E | ` then Shift+E |
| ê | e with circumflex | Alt+0234 | Option+I, then E | ^ then E |
| Ê | capital e with circumflex | Alt+0202 | Option+I, then Shift+E | ^ then Shift+E |
| ë | e with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0235 | Option+U, then E | " then E |
| Ë | capital e with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0203 | Option+U, then Shift+E | " then Shift+E |
| à | a with grave accent | Alt+0224 | Option+`, then A | ` then A |
| À | capital a with grave accent | Alt+0192 | Option+`, then Shift+A | ` then Shift+A |
| â | a with circumflex | Alt+0226 | Option+I, then A | ^ then A |
| Â | capital a with circumflex | Alt+0194 | Option+I, then Shift+A | ^ then Shift+A |
| î | i with circumflex | Alt+0238 | Option+I, then I | ^ then I |
| Î | capital i with circumflex | Alt+0206 | Option+I, then Shift+I | ^ then Shift+I |
| ï | i with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0239 | Option+U, then I | " then I |
| Ï | capital i with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0207 | Option+U, then Shift+I | " then Shift+I |
| ô | o with circumflex | Alt+0244 | Option+I, then O | ^ then O |
| Ô | capital o with circumflex | Alt+0212 | Option+I, then Shift+O | ^ then Shift+O |
| û | u with circumflex | Alt+0251 | Option+I, then U | ^ then U |
| Û | capital u with circumflex | Alt+0219 | Option+I, then Shift+U | ^ then Shift+U |
| ù | u with grave accent | Alt+0249 | Option+`, then U | ` then U |
| Ù | capital u with grave accent | Alt+0217 | Option+`, then Shift+U | ` then Shift+U |
| ü | u with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0252 | Option+U, then U | " then U |
| Ü | capital u with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0220 | Option+U, then Shift+U | " then Shift+U |
| ÿ | y with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0255 | Option+U, then Y | " then Y |
| Ÿ | capital y with umlaut / diaeresis | Alt+0159 | Option+U, then Shift+Y | " then Shift+Y |
| ç | c cedilla | Alt+0231 | Option+C | ' then C |
| Ç | capital C cedilla | Alt+0199 | Option+Shift+C | ' then Shift+C |
| œ | oe ligature | Alt+0156 | Option+Q | – |
| Π| capital OE ligature | Alt+0140 | Option+Shift+Q | Р|
| æ | ae ligature | Alt+0230 | Option+' | AltGr+Z |
| « | left guillemet | Alt+0171 | Option+\ | AltGr+[ |
| » | right guillemet | Alt+0187 | Option+Shift+\ | AltGr+] |
| € | euro sign | Alt+0128 | Option+Shift+2 | AltGr+5 |
How to type French accents on Windows
- Alt codes: turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, type the four digits on the number pad (not the number row), then let go of Alt.
- United States-International layout: in Settings → Time & language → Language & region, add the keyboard “United States-International” to English. Then press the accent key and the letter – for example ' then e gives é. Type the accent key followed by a space to get the plain symbol.
- A French keyboard: add French as a language in the same settings to use its own layout.
How to type French accents on a Mac
- Press and hold a letter: a menu shows its accented versions – press the number or click one.
- Option shortcuts: press the Option combination, let go, then type the letter (add Shift for a capital) – see the table above.
How to type French accents on Android and iPhone
Press and hold the letter on the on-screen keyboard, slide your finger to the accented letter and let go. Adding French as a keyboard language also gives you the right autocorrect.
French Accents – Frequently Asked Questions
How do I type French accents on Windows?
Hold Alt and type the four-digit code on the number pad – for example Alt+0233 gives é. Without a number pad, add the United States-International keyboard in Windows settings and use its accent keys, or copy the letters from this page.
How do I type French accents on a Mac?
Press and hold a letter key to see its accented versions, or use the Option shortcuts – for example Option+E, then E gives é.
How do I type French accents on a phone?
Press and hold the letter on the on-screen keyboard (Android and iPhone) and slide to the accented letter.
Can I type French with accents online?
Yes. Use the French keyboard: its keys type every accented letter directly, and you can copy the text anywhere.
Why do Alt codes not work on my laptop?
Alt codes need the separate number pad. On laptops without one, use the United States-International layout, the on-screen keyboard on this site, or click a letter above to copy it.
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Last updated 14 October 2026