1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Spanish Language

Type Accented Letters in Windows

By Gerald Erichsen, About.com

The standard keyboard used in Windows computers doesn't have any of the accented letters or special punctuation of in Spanish. Fortunately, typing those characters is easy, even if it isn't intuitive.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 minutes

Here's How:

  1. Press the Windows key near the lower left corner of the keyboard. In a standard computer configuration, a menu will pop up.
  2. Use your mouse or keyboard to select the 'Run' command.
  3. Type 'charmap' (without the quote marks) in the space provided.
  4. Press the Enter key or click on 'OK.'
  5. A box with all the available characters will appear. Double-click on the character you wish to use.
  6. You should see the character appear in the box at the upper right.
  7. Press (click on) the 'Copy' button. This copies the character into the clipboard.
  8. Click on your document and place your cursor where you wish the character to appear.
  9. Press the Ctrl and V keys at the same time to paste the character in place.
  10. The non-English character should now be in place.

Tips:

  1. This method should work with standard Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 and XP configurations. However, not all configurations are standard.
  2. See the top link below for less cumbersome methods to use if you will be typing accents frequently.
  3. If the Charmap box shows Greek or other nonstandard characters, use the pull-down menu at top to change the font.

Explore Spanish Language

About.com Special Features

A Smarter Future

Tips that will help finance your education, excel in the classroom, and advance your career. More >

How to Ace the GRE

Being well prepared is the first step; here are more essential suggestions. More >

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Spanish Language
  4. Written Spanish
  5. Type Accented Letters in Windows>

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.