Windows: 4-digit codes

To type accented letters and other symbols on a Windows PC, you can use either the numeric codes or the short cuts listed below. The numeric codes work in any application but the short cuts seem to only work in Word.

NB. In Word 2000, the shortcut for acute accents (Áá) is ctrl-' (apostrophe) plus the letter

Examples:

To type a lower case letter with an acute accent on it (á é í ó ú) you can:
Press the ctrl key and the , (comma) key together, release the keys, then press a, e, i o or u.
or
Press the alt key and the numeric code on the number pad together.

To type a upper case letter with an acute accent on it (Á É Í Ó Ú):
Press the ctrl key and the , (comma) key together, release the keys, then press the shift key and a, e, i o or u.
or
Press the alt key and the numeric code on the number pad together.  

  numeric shortcut   numeric shortcut   numeric shortcut   numeric
á alt-0225 ctrl-, a Á alt-0193 ctrl-, shift-a à alt-0224 ctrl-` a À alt-0192
é alt-0233 ctrl-, e É alt-0201 ctrl-, shift-e è alt-0232 ctrl-` e È alt-0200
í alt-0237 ctrl-, i Í alt-0205 ctrl-, shift-i ì alt-0236 ctrl-` i Ì alt-0204
ó alt-0243 ctrl-, o Ó alt-0211 ctrl-, shift-o ò alt-0242 ctrl-` o Ò alt-0210
ú alt-0250 ctrl-, u Ú alt-0218 ctrl-, shift-u ù alt-0249 ctrl-` u Ù alt-0217
ä alt-0228 ctrl-shift-; a Ä alt-0196 ctrl-shift-; shift-a â alt-0226 ctrl-shift-6 a  alt-0194
ë alt-0235 ctrl-shift-; e Ë alt-0203 ctrl-shift-; shift-e ê alt-0234 ctrl-shift-6 e Ê alt-0202
ï alt-0239 ctrl-shift-; i Ï alt-0207 ctrl-shift-; shift-i î alt-0238 ctrl-shift-6 i Î alt-0206
ö alt-0246 ctrl-shift-; o Ö alt-0214 ctrl-shift-; shift-o ô alt-0244 ctrl-shift-6 o Ô alt-0212
ü alt-0252 ctrl-shift-; u Ü alt-0220 ctrl-shift-; shift-u û alt-0251 ctrl-shift-6 u Û alt-0219
ÿ alt-0255 ctrl-shift-; y Ÿ alt-0159 ctrl-shift-; shift-y å alt-0229 ctrl-shift-2 a Å alt-0197
ã alt-0227 ctrl-shift-` a à alt-0195 ctrl-shift-` shift-a ø alt-0248 ctrl-/ o Ø alt-0216
ñ alt-0241 ctrl-shift-` n Ñ alt-0209 ctrl-shift-` shift-n ç alt-0231 ctrl-shift-` shift-n Ç alt-0199
õ alt-0245 ctrl-shift-` o Õ alt-0213 ctrl-shift-` shift-o ¿ alt-0191 alt-ctrl-/ ¡ alt-0161
ß alt-0223 ctrl-shift-7 s                

Windows: 3-digit codes and other methods

Some characters also have 3-digit codes, or can be inserted using the "Character Map" program.

Character Map:

  1. Open Character Map. Open the "Character Map" inside the Accessories portion of the Windows Start Menu.
  2. Click the Font box, and then click a font.
  3. Double-click each character you want. The character(s) will appear in the Characters To Copy box.
  4. Click Copy.
  5. In your document, click where you want the character(s) to appear, click the Edit menu, and then click Paste.
  6. Select the character(s), and then change them to the same font you used in Character Map.

Tips:

Using 3-digit codes:

3-digit character lists can vary among computer manufacturers. Most manufacturers use the same characters for codes 0-127, but can vary with regard to codes 128 and above. The most common USA set of 3-digit codes is below, but if they do not work you will have to consult your computer's documentation or use the 4-digit codes above. If they do work for you, they may be easier to remember than the 4-digit codes.

To enter an IBM ANSI character, hold down alt and type the 3-digit code from the ANSI chart below on your numeric keypad.

128 Ç 144 É 160 á 176 _ 192 + 208 - 224 _ 240 _
129 ü 145 æ 161 í 177 _ 193 - 209 - 225 ß 241 ±
130 é 146 Æ 162 ó 178 _ 194 - 210 - 226 _ 242 _
131 â 147 ô 163 ú 179 _ 195 + 211 + 227 243 _
132 ä 148 ö 164 ñ 180 _ 196 - 212 + 228 _ 244 _
133 à 149 ò 165 Ñ 181 _ 197 + 213 + 229 _ 245 _
134 å 150 û 166 ª 182 _ 198 _ 214 + 230 µ 246 ÷
135 ç 151 ù 167 º 183 + 199 _ 215 + 231 _ 247 _
136 ê 152 ÿ 168 ¿ 184 + 200 + 216 + 232 _ 248 °
137 ë 153 Ö 169 _ 185 _ 201 + 217 + 233 _ 249 •
138 è 154 Ü 170 ¬ 186 _ 202 - 218 + 234 _ 250 ·
139 ï 155 ¢ 171 _ 187 + 203 - 219 _ 235 _ 251 _
140 î 156 £ 172 _ 188 + 204 _ 220 _ 236 _ 252 n
141 ì 157 ¥ 173 ¡ 189 + 205 - 221 _ 237 _ 253 _
142 Ä 158 P 174 ´ 190 + 206 + 222 _ 238 _ 254 _
143 Å 159 ƒ 175 ª 191 + 207 - 223 _ 239 _ 255 _