How to Type French Accent on Any Device

When you write in French, you have to use accent marks. Many people who are just starting to learn English say things like, “Do they really matter?” But knowing how to read and write accent marks in French is only half the battle. Since we live in the 21st century, we should also know how to Type French Accent.

The problem is that most US English keyboards don’t have accent marks for French. Don’t worry! It’s not as hard as it looks to type French accents, and you don’t even need a French keyboard.

This guide will show you how to type French accent marks on English keyboards for PC, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices. This information will help you learn French, whether you’re taking a class or private lessons, planning a trip to Paris, or just starting out. You can get more help at the Microsoft Support Center.

How to Type French Accent on Any Device

Using a Mac

1. Go to System Preferences.
2. Choose “Keyboard,” then “Input Sources.”
3. Click the + Sign, then choose “English” as the language to see a list of keyboards. 
4. Select “US International” and then “Add.” 

On Windows

• Try using a shortcut key combination. If you’re typing in a word processing app like Microsoft Word or similar, you can press a combination of keys to type French-accented characters. This is helpful for when you don’t need to type in French very often. Here’s the list of shortcuts:
  • é: Press and hold Control+', and then type an e.
  • è à ù: Press and hold Control+`, then press the key for the desired vowel.
  • ç: Press Control+, and then type a c.
  • â ê î ô û: Press Control+^, then press the key for the desired vowel.
  • ë ï ö: Press Control+:, then press the key for the desired vowel.
• Open the Start 
•  menu and click Settings . If you need to type in French a little more often, you can use the International Keyboard. This keyboard lets you use fast keyboard shortcuts in any app to create accented characters without having to change your whole keyboard layout.
• Click Time & Language. It’s in the third row of settings
• Click Language. It’s in the left panel.
• Scroll down and click your language. It’s near the bottom of the right panel below the “Add a Language” option. Some buttons will expand below your language.
• Click Options below your language.
• Scroll down and click + Add a keyboard. It’s under the “Keyboards” header in the right panel. A list of keyboards will appear.
• Click United States-International or UK International Keyboard in the menu. This adds the keyboard to the list under the “Keyboards” header.
• Click your keyboard language on the taskbar. The language appears to the left of the clock in the taskbar, which usually runs along the bottom of the screen. A menu will expand.

Using a Phone or Tablet

Tap the field in which you want to type a French-accented letter. This springs open your keyboard.

• Typing accented characters is generally the same regardless of keyboard app. You should be able to use this method on any Android, iPhone, or iPad.
• If you’re using the SwiftKey keyboard, you’ll need to enable accented characters first. Here’s how:
  • Tap the + to the left of the prediction bar on the keyboard.
  • Tap Keys.
  • Slide the “Accented Characters” switch to the On (purple) position
• Tap and hold the key with the letter that needs the accent. In about a second, you’ll see all possible accents for that letter. Don’t lift your finger from the screen.
• Drag your finger to the accented letter. This highlights the selected letter.
• Lift your finger from the screen. The selected accented letter will appear.

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