Windows includes the United States-International keyboard layout. ChromeOS offers similarly named but distinct input methods, including English (US) with International and US International (PC). On a Mac, the comparable input source is ABC – Extended. These options keep the standard QWERTY layout largely intact but use certain keys as dead keys — keys that don’t produce a character on their own but modify the next key you press.
For example:
- Press ` then e → è
- Press ‘ then e → é
- Press “ then u → ü
- Press ~ then n → ñ
- Press ^ then o → ô
It also gives you direct shortcuts for common characters. On the Windows United States-International layout, AltGr is the right Alt key:
- AltGr + , → ç
- AltGr + / → ¿
- AltGr + 1 → ¡
The result is a fast, intuitive system that feels natural once you’ve used it for a day or two — especially if you already know where those punctuation keys live.
The One Thing to Know Before You Start
The dead key system has one small quirk: when you want to type an apostrophe, quotation mark, backtick, tilde, or caret without an accent, you need to press the key and then press spacebar. So a plain apostrophe becomes ‘ + space.
This trips people up at first but becomes second nature quickly. If you type a lot of contractions in English, you may find it slightly annoying — in which case the United States-International layout is still worth using for foreign language work, but you might want to switch back to standard US for English-only writing.
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Setting Up on Windows
Windows 11
- Go to Settings → Time & language → Language & region
- Under “Preferred languages,” click the three dots next to English (United States) and select Language options
- Under “Keyboards,” click Add a keyboard
- Select United States-International
- Click Save
Windows 10
- Go to Settings → Time & language → Language
- Click English (United States), then Options
- Under “Keyboards,” click Add a keyboard
- Select United States-International
Switching Between Layouts on Windows
Once installed, you can switch between your standard US layout and United States-International using the input-language or keyboard-layout indicator on the taskbar, or with the keyboard shortcut Windows key + Spacebar.
This is handy if you want to keep standard US as your default and only switch to International when you need accents.
Setting Up on Mac
The Mac equivalent is called the ABC – Extended keyboard (formerly called US Extended), and it works on the same dead key principle.
- Go to System Settings → Keyboard. Under Text Input, click Edit
- Click the + button to add an input source
- Select English from the left column
- Choose ABC – Extended from the right column
- Click Add
Using Dead Keys on Mac
The Mac version uses the Option key as its modifier:
- Option + ` then e → è
- Option + e then e → é
- Option + u then u → ü
- Option + n then n → ñ
- Option + i then o → ô
It’s slightly different from the Windows version but follows the same logic. Once you learn the pattern — Option + the accent symbol, then the letter — it clicks quickly.
Switching Layouts on Mac
Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit and enable “Show Input menu in menu bar.” The Input menu appears on the right side of the menu bar and lets you switch layouts.
Setting Up on Chromebook
- Go to Settings (gear icon in the bottom right)
- Click Device → Keyboard → Change input settings
- Under Input methods, select Add
- Select English (US) with International and enable it
Switching Layouts on Chromebook
Once enabled, select the input-language indicator near the time on the shelf to switch layouts. You can also use Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar to move forward through your active input methods or Ctrl + Spacebar to return to the previous one.
Using Dead Keys on Chromebook
With English (US) with International selected, the Chromebook dead-key sequences closely resemble the Windows layout. Other ChromeOS international input methods may use different shortcuts, including AltGr combinations.
- ‘ then e → é
- ~ then n → ñ
- “ then u → ü
The same spacebar rule applies for plain punctuation — press the dead key followed by space to get the punctuation mark without an accent.
Quick Reference: Key Combinations
| Accent | Windows (United States-International) | Mac (ABC – Extended) |
|---|---|---|
| é | ‘ + e | Option + e, e |
| è | ` + e | Option + `, e |
| ê | ^ + e | Option + i, e |
| ë | ” + e | Option + u, e |
| ñ | ~ + n | Option + n, n |
| ü | ” + u | Option + u, u |
| ç | AltGr + , | Option + c |
| ¿ | AltGr + / | Option + Shift + ? |
| ¡ | AltGr + 1 | Option + 1 |
Need a specific character fast? Our Accent Character Finder lets you filter by language and copy with one click.
Is the United States-International Layout Right for You?
It’s a great fit if you:
- Regularly type in one or more European languages
- Want a method that works in most standard text fields and applications without plugins or extra software
- Are comfortable with a small adjustment period for the dead key punctuation quirk
It’s less ideal if you:
- Only need an accent occasionally — for those cases, copy-paste or a character picker is probably easier
- Type heavily in English and find the dead key apostrophe disruptive
Other Ways to Type Accents
The United States-International keyboard is one of the most reliable long-term solutions, but it’s not the only one. Depending on your situation, you might also consider:
- AutoCorrect shortcuts — set up text replacements so typing
e'automatically becomesé - Built-in character tools — Character Map or the Symbols panel in Windows, Character Viewer on macOS, and ChromeOS input and accent tools are useful for occasional use
- Browser extensions — useful if most of your accent typing happens in a browser
Each of these is covered in detail elsewhere on this site.
Need accents for a specific language? Check out our guides on Spanish accents, French accents, German accents, Portuguese accents, and more.
Need fixes? Alt Codes not working? Keyboard not typing accents?
