Outlook doesn’t have a dedicated accent button — but it has several reliable ways to type é, ñ, ü, and other accented characters without interrupting your writing. This guide covers every method, from a one-time copy-paste to a permanent fix that works automatically.
Copy and Paste (Quickest Right Now)
é É · á Á · í Í · ó Ó · ú Ú · ñ Ñ · ü Ü · ç Ç · è È · ê Ê
Click the character, copy it with Ctrl + C, and paste into your email with Ctrl + V. Works in every version of Outlook, no setup required.
You can also use our interactive Accent Character Finder to copy any accented character instantly and see keyboard shortcuts for every device.
Takes 10 seconds. No spam.
Method 1: AutoCorrect (Best for Regular Use)
If you type the same accented words repeatedly — café, résumé, mañana, José — AutoCorrect is the best solution on this list. You set it up once, and from that point on Outlook replaces your trigger text automatically as you type. No shortcuts to remember, no interruptions.
The other advantage: AutoCorrect entries are shared across Microsoft 365 programs that support the feature, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Setting it up:
- Open Outlook and start a new email
- Classic Outlook for Windows: Go to File → Options → Mail → Spelling and Autocorrect → AutoCorrect Options
- New Outlook and Outlook on the web: Go to Editor → Editor Settings. Microsoft currently limits AutoCorrect and auto-capitalization in these versions to English languages.
- In the Replace field, type your trigger — something you wouldn’t type by accident, like cafe or resumen or nino
- In the With field, type the corrected version — café, résumé, niño
- Click Add, then OK
From now on, whenever you type your trigger and press Space or Enter, Outlook replaces it with the accented version automatically.
Suggested entries to start with:
| Replace | With |
|---|---|
| cafe | café |
| resume | résumé |
| nino | niño |
| nina | niña |
| manana | mañana |
| senor | señor |
| jose | José |
| maria | María |
| fiancee | fiancée |
For uppercase versions, add a separate entry: Nino → Niño, Jose → José, and so on.
One small note: AutoCorrect triggers on the whole word, so cafe won’t fire inside a longer word. But for common standalone words and names, it’s essentially invisible once it’s running.
Method 2: United States-International Keyboard (Best for Frequent, Varied Accents)
If you type accented characters frequently and they vary — different characters, different languages — the United States-International keyboard layout is an efficient long-term solution. It works in Outlook and most standard Windows applications without any per-app setup.
The layout looks identical to your standard keyboard but turns a few keys into dead keys — keys that modify the next character you type:
- ‘ then e → é
- ‘ then a → á
- ~ then n → ñ
- “ then u → ü
- ‘ then c → ç
Setting it up:
- Go to Settings → Time & Language → Language & Region
- Under your language, click Options
- Under Keyboards, click Add a keyboard
- Select United States-International
- Switch to it using Windows key + Space
The one adjustment: typing a standalone apostrophe or quotation mark now requires pressing the key followed by Space. Minor habit change, but most people adapt within a day or two.
Method 3: Alt Codes (For Keyboards with a Number Pad)
Alt codes are a classic Windows method. Hold the left Alt key, type the four-digit leading-zero code on your numeric keypad, and release. In compatible Windows versions of Outlook, the accented character appears in your email. Results can vary with the application or Windows code-page configuration.
Common Alt codes for accents:
| Character | Alt Code |
|---|---|
| é | Alt + 0233 |
| É | Alt + 0201 |
| á | Alt + 0225 |
| ñ | Alt + 0241 |
| Ñ | Alt + 0209 |
| ü | Alt + 0252 |
| ç | Alt + 0231 |
| è | Alt + 0232 |
| í | Alt + 0237 |
| ó | Alt + 0243 |
Two things to confirm if Alt codes aren’t working: Num Lock must be on, and you need to use numeric-keypad input — the number row across the top of your keyboard won’t work. A working embedded keypad or an external numeric keypad may also be suitable. If your laptop has neither, Method 1 or 2 is a better fit.
Method 4: Insert Symbol (Classic Outlook, No Setup)
Classic Outlook includes a built-in symbol inserter that provides many accented characters supported by the selected font. It’s slower than the other methods, but it requires no additional setup.
- In a new email, click the Insert tab in the ribbon
- Click Symbol (far right), then More Symbols
- In the Font dropdown, leave it on your current font
- Find your character — you can scroll, or change the Subset dropdown to Latin Extended-A or Latin-1 Supplement to narrow it down
- Double-click the character to insert it, then click Close
Tip: the Symbol dialog remembers recently used characters at the bottom of the window, so after the first time, your most-needed accents are one click away.
Quick Reference
| Character | AutoCorrect | US International | Alt Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| é | cafe → café | ‘ then e | Alt + 0233 |
| á | (your trigger) | ‘ then a | Alt + 0225 |
| ñ | nino → niño | ~ then n | Alt + 0241 |
| ü | (your trigger) | ” then u | Alt + 0252 |
| ç | (your trigger) | ‘ then c | Alt + 0231 |
| è | (your trigger) | ` then e | Alt + 0232 |
Which Method Is Right for You?
| If you… | Best method |
|---|---|
| Need an accent right now | Copy and paste |
| Type the same words repeatedly | AutoCorrect |
| Type varied accents across many apps | US International keyboard |
| Have a number pad and type accents occasionally | Alt codes |
| Need a one-off character in a specific font | Insert → Symbol |
Conclusion
You don’t need a special keyboard or a language switch to type accents in Outlook. AutoCorrect is the best long-term solution for anyone writing the same words regularly — set it up once and it disappears into the background. For varied accents across many applications, the US International keyboard is worth the ten-minute setup. And when you just need one character right now, the copy-paste section above is always there.
Need accents in other Office applications? AutoCorrect entries are shared across Microsoft 365 programs that support the feature. The listed Alt codes also work in compatible Windows versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint when entered with numeric-keypad input. For a full reference of shortcuts across every platform, see our Windows Alt Codes guide and US International Keyboard Layout guide.