Spanish typing · Mac

How to type Spanish characters on Mac

Step-by-step: type ñ, accented vowels, ü, ¿, and ¡ on Mac. Quick reference for Spanish students.

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How to type them

  1. Stay on the U.S. keyboard layout (or add Spanish in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources if you prefer).
  2. For á é í ó ú: press Option + E, release, then press the vowel. For ü: Option + U, release, then U.
  3. For ñ: Option + N, release, then N. For ¡ press Option + 1; for ¿ press Option + Shift + /.

Tip: Accents use a two-key “dead key” sequence: press Option plus the accent key, release, then type the letter. Nothing appears until you press the vowel.

Quick reference

CharacterHow to type
áOption + E, then A
éOption + E, then E
íOption + E, then I
óOption + E, then O
úOption + E, then U
üOption + U, then U
ñOption + N, then N
¡Option + 1
¿Option + Shift + /