How to type accented characters in Windows

There are a number of solutions to the problem of typing accented characters in Windows. By accented characters we're actually referring to special characters, which include accented characters such as é, but also to other characters that might be used in the context of typing French, principally French quotation marks and the Euro sign. Which method works best for you will depend on factors such as:

• How often do you need to type accented characters?
• Do you work predominantly in one language?
• Can you touch type (or can you get used to a new keyboard layout)?
• Do you have sole access to the computer, and/or are you allowed to make configuration changes to it?

On the following pages, we'll explore a number of options for typing accents in Windows, and consider their relative merits according to the criteria above. The options we'll consider are:

• the web-based accentuation tool provided by this site's sister Spanish language learning site;
• Use "ALT codes", typed on the numeric keypad;
• Use the Windows character map utility;
• Use a keyboard that supports accents;
• Reconfigure the keyboard layout: in other words, use your usual keyboard, but 'pretend' to Windowss that you have a different one.