How to Type é (e with Acute Accent) on Any Device

The é — an e with an acute accent — is probably the single most common accented character in European writing. You’ll find it in French (café, résumé, étudiant), Spanish (también, después, él), Portuguese (você, é, café), and Italian (perché, né, sé). If you type in any of these languages, here’s every method for getting é on your keyboard, organized by platform.

---

Windows

Method 1: Alt Code

Hold the left Alt key, type the number on your numeric keypad (Num Lock must be on), then release:

• Alt + 0233 → é (lowercase)
• Alt + 0201 → É (uppercase)

Note: This requires a dedicated numeric keypad. Most laptops don’t have one — if yours doesn’t, Method 2 is a better fit.

Method 2: US International Keyboard Layout

If you have the US International keyboard layout enabled:

• Press ‘ (apostrophe) then e → é
• Press ‘ then Shift + E → É

This is the fastest method for regular use and works in every Windows app without a numeric keypad.

Method 3: Copy and Paste

Need é immediately without any setup? Copy it directly:

é É

Paste it wherever you need it.

---

Mac

Method 1: Option Key Shortcut

• Press Option + e, then press e → é
• Press Option + e, then press Shift + E → É

This works in every Mac app — Pages, Word, Google Docs, Messages, and everywhere else. Once it’s in muscle memory it’s the fastest method on Mac by far.

Method 2: Hold-Key Popup

Hold down the e key and a small popup will appear showing accented versions — é, è, ê, ë, and more. Slide to é and release. Works in every app, no setup required.

Method 3: ABC Extended Keyboard

If you use the ABC Extended keyboard layout on Mac, the same Option + e combination applies. This is the Mac equivalent of the US International layout and gives you full access to all accent combinations.

---

iPhone and Android

iPhone and iPad

Tap and hold the e key. A popup will appear showing é, è, ê, ë, and other variations. Slide to é and release. Works in every app with no setup required — it’s built right into the iOS keyboard.

Android

Same method: tap and hold e and select é from the popup. If your keyboard doesn’t show accented options, switch to Gboard (Google’s keyboard), which supports accented characters across all major languages.

---

Chromebook

Method 1: US International Keyboard

With the US International keyboard enabled:

• Press ‘ then e → é
• Press ‘ then Shift + E → É

To enable it: Settings → Device → Keyboard → Change input methods → Add US International.

Method 2: Unicode Input

Enter é by Unicode without changing your keyboard layout:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + U
• Type e9 (the Unicode code for é)
• Press Enter

Works without any keyboard layout changes, though slower for regular use.

---

Takes 10 seconds. No spam.

Quick Reference

Platform	Method	Shortcut
Windows	Alt code	Alt + 0233
Windows	US International	‘ then e
Mac	Option shortcut	Option + e, e
Mac	Hold key	Hold e → select é
iPhone	Hold key	Hold e → select é
Android	Hold key	Hold e → select é
Chromebook	US International	‘ then e
Chromebook	Unicode	Ctrl+Shift+U, e9

---

When Do You Need é?

Some of the most common words where é appears:

French: café (coffee), résumé (CV), étudiant (student), après (after), été (summer), préférer (to prefer), déjà (already)

Spanish: también (also), después (after), él (he), qué (what), sé (I know), café (coffee)

Portuguese: você (you), é (is), café (coffee), até (until)

Italian: perché (because/why), né (neither), sé (oneself), è (is)

English loanwords: résumé, café, fiancé, naïveté — é appears in English more often than people realize

If you’re typing in French regularly, our French Accents guide covers every character you’ll need — é, è, ê, ë, ç, and more — in one place. For Spanish, see our Spanish Accents guide.

---

é vs. è vs. ê — What’s the Difference?

Worth knowing: these three characters look similar but are distinct:

• é (acute accent, slanting right) — common in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
• è (grave accent, slanting left) — common in French and Italian
• ê (circumflex, hat shape) — common in French and Portuguese

On Windows: è is Alt + 0232, ê is Alt + 0234. On Mac: è is Option + ` then e, ê is Option + i then e. On mobile, all three appear in the hold-key popup when you hold the e key.

---

Need other accented characters? See our guides on how to type á, how to type í, how to type ó, how to type ñ, and how to type ü.

---