How to Type German Characters on a Non-German Keyboard
- Pancheva
- Feb 12, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 13, 2022
By Pancheva, from Glück Learn German
If you are a German language learner, you would probably need to type special German letters on your computer for example: ä, ö, ü (Umlaut) or ß (Eszett). Unfortunately, these characters are not included on an ordinary English keyboard. But sit back and relax because I have gathered the easiest ways to type German characters in any programs using either Windows or Mac keyboard.
Part 1: Windows keyboard – using Alt key codes
1. Turn on Num Lock on your keyboard.
2. Press and hold the Alt button. Then, type these following numbers on the number pad for the letter that you want:
Small letter Capital letter Euro symbol
ä Alt + 0228 Ä Alt + 0196 € Alt + 0128
ö Alt + 0246 Ö Alt + 0214
ü Alt + 0252 Ü Alt + 0220
ß Alt + 0223 ẞ Alt + 7838
Part 2: Windows keyboard – using Character Map
1. Search for ‘Character Map’ on your computer.
2. Select the letter that you want and that’s it!
Part 3: Mac keyboard – using your English keyboard
1. Simply long press the letter that you want on your keyboard.
2. Next, a tiny window with accented characters will pop up.
3. While holding on the letter, press the number for the character that you want.
Part 4: Mac keyboard – using Option key
1. Press and hold the Option key on your keyboard.
2. As holding to Option, press the following key for the character that you want:
ä, ö, ü Option + U + (your desirable character: a, o, u)
ß Option + S
€ Option + Shift + 2
Conclusion
By following and memorising these easy steps, typing German characters won’t be a burden anymore. Enjoy typing German and viel Glück!
Window Keyboard Graphic by: Tomiĉo, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://bit.ly/3GO1p50, via Wikimedia Commons
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