French Alt Codes: The Complete Guide to Typing Every Accent

If you write in French on a Windows PC, you’ll eventually need to type accented letters like é, è, ç, or œ. The fastest way to do this without switching your keyboard layout is with an Alt code: hold the Alt key, type a short number sequence on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.

This guide covers every French accented letter, the exact Alt code for each one, the Mac equivalent, and how to type them in Word, Excel, and Google Docs.

Quick Facts

• Total French accented characters: 40, including two ligatures (œ, æ)
• Accent types: acute (´), grave (`), circumflex (^), diaeresis/tréma (¨), cedilla (¸)
• Windows input method: Alt + a 4-digit code, typed on the numeric keypad
• Requirement: Alt codes only work with the numeric keypad, not the number row across the top of the keyboard. Laptops without a numpad need Fn+Alt or the Windows on-screen keyboard instead.

Quick Answer Table (Most-Searched Codes)

French Alt Codes by Accent Type

Acute Accent (accent aigu)

The acute accent is used only on é in French, and it always indicates the /e/ sound, like the “ay” in “play.” It’s the single most common French accent, used in words like étudiant, café, and résumé.

Grave Accent (accent grave)

Used on à, è, and ù. On è, it signals the /ɛ/ sound (as in “bed”). On à and ù, it doesn’t change pronunciation at all; it’s purely a spelling marker used to distinguish words that would otherwise look identical, like a (verb “has”) versus à (preposition “to”), or ou (“or”) versus où (“where”).

Circumflex (accent circonflexe)

The “little hat” over â, ê, î, ô, and û usually marks a letter (typically an “s”) that was dropped from the word over time. Hôpital comes from Old French hospital, and forêt comes from forest. English cognates often still carry the “s.” A 1990 spelling reform made the circumflex optional on i and u for many words, but it’s still standard in most writing.

Diaeresis / Tréma

The two dots over ë, ï, ü, and ÿ signal that a vowel is pronounced separately from the one next to it, rather than blended into a single sound. Noël is pronounced “no-EL,” not “nwel.” Naïve is “na-EEV,” not “nayv.”

Cedilla (cédille)

Used only under ç. It softens the “c” sound from /k/ to /s/ before a, o, or u, in words like garçon, leçon, and façade. Without the cedilla, these words would be pronounced with a hard /k/.

Ligatures (œ and æ)

Two letters fused into one. Œ/œ appears in words like sœur (sister), cœur (heart), and œuvre (work). Æ/æ is rarer in modern French but still appears in some Latin-derived and proper nouns.

French Punctuation and Currency

How to Use Alt Codes on Windows

1. Make sure Num Lock is on.
2. Press and hold the Alt key.
3. While holding Alt, type the 4-digit code on the numeric keypad (not the number row at the top of the keyboard).
4. Release Alt. The accented character appears.

If you’re on a laptop without a dedicated numeric keypad, you have three options: enable the hidden numpad with Fn+NumLock (check your laptop’s manual for the exact key combination), use the Windows on-screen keyboard’s numpad mode, or switch to a French/international keyboard layout for frequent typing.

Typing French Accents on Mac

Mac doesn’t use Alt codes. Instead, it uses the Option key as a “dead key” modifier: press Option plus a symbol key, release, then type the base letter.

Tip: on modern macOS, you can also press and hold any letter key to bring up a small popover of accented variants, then click or press the number shown.

Download the Alt Codes Chart

For quick reference away from your keyboard, download the complete list as a PDF: Download French Alt Codes PDF

French Accents in Word, Excel, and Google Docs

• Microsoft Word and Excel: Alt codes work exactly as described above. Word also supports typing the character’s Unicode hex value (for example, 00e9 for é) followed by Alt+X, which converts the code into the character.
• Google Docs: Alt codes generally don’t work inside the browser. Instead, use Insert > Special characters and search by name (e.g., “e acute”), or use your operating system’s native input method (Alt codes on Windows, Option-key shortcuts on Mac) at the OS level, which Google Docs will accept as regular keystrokes.
• Google Sheets and other web apps: same as Google Docs; OS-level input methods work, but in-app Alt codes typically don’t.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Alt code for é?

é is Alt+0233. The uppercase É is Alt+0201.

What is the Alt code for è?

è is Alt+0232. The uppercase È is Alt+0200.

What is the Alt code for ç (c cedilla)?

ç is Alt+0231. The uppercase Ç is Alt+0199.

What is the Alt code for œ?

œ is Alt+0156. The uppercase Œ is Alt+0140.

What is the Alt code for æ?

æ is Alt+0230. The uppercase Æ is Alt+0198.

Why do Alt codes only work on the numeric keypad?

Windows reads Alt code input specifically from the numpad’s key scan codes, not from the number row. Laptops without a physical numpad need to enable a hidden numpad (often via Fn+NumLock) or use the on-screen keyboard.

Are French accents optional?

No. Accents often change a word’s meaning entirely, such as a (“has”) versus à (“to”), or sur (“on”) versus sûr (“sure”). Dropping an accent in formal writing is treated as a spelling error.

How do I type French accents on a Mac laptop?

Use the Option key as a modifier. For example, Option+E then E produces é. See the full Mac shortcut table above.

Do Alt codes work in Google Docs?

Not reliably inside the browser tab itself. Use Insert > Special characters, or rely on your operating system’s own input method (Alt codes on Windows, Option-key shortcuts on Mac), which most web apps will accept.

Conclusion

Once you’ve used a few of these codes a handful of times, most people find the common ones (é, è, à, ç) become muscle memory within a week or two. For the less frequent ones like œ, æ, or the guillemets, keep this page bookmarked or grab the PDF chart above so you’re never stuck retyping a word without its accent. And if you write in French often enough that Alt codes start to feel slow, switching to a French or international keyboard layout in Windows settings is worth the one-time setup, since every accented letter becomes a single keystroke instead of a four-digit code.

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