On a French AZERTY keyboard, é, è, ç and à have their own keys. On a US keyboard, use US-International, Alt codes (é is Alt+0233) or Option on a Mac.
French uses five accent marks, plus the ligature œ. Whatever your keyboard, there is a way to type each of them: some are one key away, others take two keys or a short code. This guide covers the French AZERTY keyboard, a US keyboard on Windows and on a Mac, and phones.
The French accents at a glance
| Accent | Letters | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Acute (accent aigu) | é | café, été |
| Grave (accent grave) | è, à, ù | très, à, où |
| Circumflex (accent circonflexe) | â, ê, î, ô, û | château, fête, île, hôtel, sûr |
| Diaeresis (tréma) | ë, ï, ü | Noël, naïf |
| Cedilla (cédille) | ç | ça, français |
| Ligature | œ | cœur, sœur |
Accents are not decoration: they change words. "A" means "has" and "à" means "to"; "ou" means "or" and "où" means "where".
On a French AZERTY keyboard
The French keyboard was made for these letters, so most of them are one key away.
- é, è, ç and à have their own keys on the number row: é on 2, è on 7, ç on 9 and à on 0. Press them without Shift (with Shift, you get the number).
- ù is on the key just right of M.
- Circumflex: press the ^ key (right of P), then the vowel: ^ then e gives ê. The ^ key is a dead key: nothing appears until you type the letter.
- Diaeresis: Shift + the same key gives ¨; then type the vowel: ¨ then i gives ï.
- Capitals with a circumflex or a diaeresis work the same way: ^ then Shift + E gives Ê.
- É, È, Ç and À in capitals have no key on a Windows AZERTY keyboard. Hold Alt and type the code on the numeric keypad: É is Alt+0201, È Alt+0200, Ç Alt+0199, À Alt+0192. On a Mac French keyboard, turn on Caps Lock and press the key: é gives É.
- œ has no key either: Alt+0156 on Windows, Option + O on a Mac French keyboard.
The Belgian AZERTY keyboard puts é, è, ç and à in the same places. The Swiss keyboard has é, è and à on their own keys, next to P and L.
On a US keyboard with Windows
The US-International layout
The most comfortable option if you write French regularly. Add it once in Windows Settings (Time & language, then Language & region: add the "United States-International" keyboard to English), then switch with Windows + Space. Your keys stay where they are; a few of them become dead keys:
| Type | Then | You get |
|---|---|---|
| ' (apostrophe) | e or c | é, ç |
| ` (backtick, left of 1) | a, e or u | à, è, ù |
| ^ (Shift + 6) | a, e, i, o or u | â, ê, î, ô, û |
| " (Shift + ') | e, i or u | ë, ï, ü |
Right Alt + E also gives é, and Right Alt + comma gives ç. The catch: an apostrophe before a vowel now turns into an accent. To type a plain apostrophe or quotation mark, press the key, then Space.
Alt codes
They work without changing anything, on any Windows PC with a numeric keypad (Num Lock on): hold Alt, type the four digits on the keypad, release Alt.
| Letter | Code | Letter | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| é | 0233 | ê | 0234 |
| è | 0232 | ë | 0235 |
| à | 0224 | â | 0226 |
| ù | 0249 | û | 0251 |
| ç | 0231 | î | 0238 |
| œ | 0156 | ï | 0239 |
| É | 0201 | ô | 0244 |
On a laptop without a numeric keypad, use US-International or the symbols panel instead: Windows + period opens it, and its Ω tab lists accented letters.
On a Mac with a US keyboard
- Press and hold a letter: a small menu shows its accented versions, each with a number. Press the number, or click.
- Option shortcuts are faster once learned:
| Press | Then | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Option + E | a vowel | é (and other acute accents) |
| Option + ` | a, e or u | à, è, ù |
| Option + I | a, e, i, o or u | â, ê, î, ô, û |
| Option + U | e, i or u | ë, ï, ü |
| Option + C | ç | |
| Option + Q | œ |
For a capital letter, add Shift to the second key: Option + E, then Shift + E gives É. Option + Shift + C gives Ç.
On a phone or tablet
Press and hold a letter on the on-screen keyboard, then slide to the accented version. If you write French often, add a French keyboard in your phone's settings: it also corrects missing accents as you type.
Which method should you choose?
- You write French every day: switch to a French keyboard layout. If you want to keep the letters where they are on your QWERTY keyboard, choose Canadian French: é has its own key (on the / key), and Shift + / gives É. The other accents use dead keys: the apostrophe key then e gives è, the [ key then e gives ê, and the ] key then c gives ç.
- You write French now and then: US-International on Windows, the Option shortcuts on a Mac.
- You need one accent a week: Alt codes or press-and-hold.
Practise typing in French
Typocto has a full touch-typing course and a French speed test for French keyboards (AZERTY from France or Belgium, Swiss French and Canadian French), in French. The page accents sur le clavier AZERTY shows where each accent is on your keyboard and lets you practise them, and the French typing test uses real French words, accents included.
Questions
How do I type é on a US keyboard?
On Windows, Alt+0233 on the numeric keypad, or ' then e with the US-International layout. On a Mac, Option + E, then e, or hold the e key.
How do I type ç?
On a French AZERTY keyboard, it is on the 9 key. With US-International, type ' then c. On a Mac, Option + C. Alt code: Alt+0231.
Why does my apostrophe turn into an accent?
Your keyboard is set to US-International, where the apostrophe is a dead key. Press it and then Space to get a plain apostrophe, or switch back to the US layout with Windows + Space.