If you’re using the standard US English keyboard on your Windows 10 PC, you might have noticed that you cannot use accent characters. Typing in out in your native or second language might be difficult in this case, and you end up searching on the Internet to copy-paste the accented characters.

There are, however, some easy ways to quickly use an accented character or to add a foreign keyboard on your Windows 10.

How do I use accented characters in Windows 10?

1. Use Alt codes to type accented characters

1. Turn on the Num Lock key on your keyboard
2. When starting to type, press and hold the Alt key, then type any combination of numbers from your number pad (located on the right side of your keyboard)
3. Follow the image below to check the Windows Alt Codes for Accented Vowels
4. After you select the accented character that you want to type, release the Alt key
5. Repeat the process for any accented character that you want to use

2. Add a new keyboard layout

1. Another way to type in your native or secondary language characters is to use an additional Windows keyboard
2. To add a new keyboard, head over to the bottom-left corner of your Taskbar, under the Search bar, type Edit language and keyboard options, and select the first option
3. Choose your current default language and click on Options
4. At the Keyboards section, select Add a keyboard
5. Choose which keyboard layout to add
6. Your new keyboard layout has been added
7. To type using accented characters, select your foreign keyboard, then while pressing on the Shift key, input the accented characters by using the [ ] ; ‘ . / keys

3. Switch between different keyboard layouts

1. You can switch between your different keyboards on Windows 10 by following the next steps
2. Head over to the bottom-right of your Taskbar and click on the Keyboards icon
3. Choose which keyboard layout you need
4. You can also press the Windows key + Spacebar to switch between your different keyboards

4. Remove a keyboard layout

1. To remove a keyboard layout you no longer need, head over to Edit language and keyboard options
2. Choose your default language again, then click on Options
3. Go to the Keyboards section, choose the keyboard that you wish to discard, then click on the Remove button
4. Your select keyboard will be uninstalled from your Windows 10 PC

Typing with accented characters in Windows is fairly straightforward, and there are multiple ways to do it.

Windows 10 has made it very practical to add and remove new keyboard layouts for foreign languages while keeping those layouts constantly updated and adding new ones as well.

Looking for a new keyboard? Check out our list for the best Windows 10 keyboards to get.