Spanish Keyboard: ñ, Accents, ¿ and ¡
This Spanish keyboard types á, é, í, ó, ú, ü and ñ, plus the opening ¿ and ¡, in the box below. Tap a key, or on a PC press Alt with the plain letter, then copy the text into any app. A Spanish layout has its own ñ key, right of L, and a dead key for the accent.
This page draws the Spanish keyboard layout used in Spain key by key from Microsoft's own data, and a switch turns it into the Latin American one. Type on your own keyboard as usual, or click any key on the screen. The highlighted keys are the ones an English keyboard does not have: ñ, the accent key and the key for ¡ and ¿. Press the accent key, then a vowel, to get á. Without the mouse, hold Alt and press the plain letter; the table under the keyboard lists each one.
On a phone you get the Spanish letters as big keys; the full Spain layout opens on a tablet or a computer. The phone's own keyboard also hides each one under its plain letter: Touch and hold A, then slide to á.
Spanish letters an English keyboard lacks dead key: it types nothing until the next key
- á é í ó ú ´, then the letter
- ñ ¡ keys of their own
- ü Shift and ¨, then the letter
- ¿ Shift and its key
One tap types each Spanish letter, ¿ and ¡ included; press Shift first for the capital.
Which keys type Spanish letters in this editor?
In the box above, hold Alt and press the plain letter: the editor types its Spanish form. Add Shift for the capital. ú and ü share one key: press Alt+U again straight away to switch between them.
| Press | Types | With Shift |
|---|---|---|
| Alt+A | á | Á |
| Alt+E | é | É |
| Alt+I | í | Í |
| Alt+N | ñ | Ñ |
| Alt+O | ó | Ó |
| Alt+U, again | ú, then ü | Ú, then Ü |
| Alt+? | ¿ | – |
| Alt+! | ¡ | – |
These keys belong to this page only; they do nothing in other apps. On a Mac the editor leaves Option to macOS, so the Mac's own accent keys work in the box as they do everywhere else: á is Option+E, then A. AltGr on a Windows keyboard is left alone too, so it types what your layout prints on the key.
Where is ñ on a Spanish keyboard layout?
On a Spanish keyboard, ñ has a key of its own, to the right of L. That is where an English keyboard has the semicolon, and Shift on it gives Ñ. Windows ships two Spanish keyboard layouts, and Microsoft draws both key by key: Spanish (opens in a new tab), the layout used in Spain, and Latin American (opens in a new tab). Neither has an á key. The accent is a dead key: press it, then the vowel.
| What you want | Spanish (Spain) | Latin American |
|---|---|---|
| ñ and Ñ | its own key, right of L | its own key, right of L |
| the accent for á é í ó ú | dead key right of ñ | dead key right of P |
| the two dots for ü | Shift on the accent key | Shift on the accent key |
| ¡ and ¿ | second key right of 0: ¡, with Shift ¿ | second key right of 0: ¿, with Shift ¡ |
| ç | its own key, right of the accent key | the accent key, then c |
| @ | AltGr with 2 | AltGr with Q |
| the key left of 1 | º, with Shift ª | the bar, with Shift ° |
The two layouts agree on ñ and part ways on the accent, ç and @. A writer who moves from one Spanish keyboard to the other finds the accent in a new place. macOS ships the same pair as input sources named Spanish and Latin American, plus an older Spanish – Legacy. We read their key maps with UCKeyTranslate on macOS 26.6.2 on 2026-10-18. The ñ key, the accent key and the ¡ ¿ key sit exactly where Microsoft puts them.
Spain writes the ñ into law. Real Decreto 564/1993 (opens in a new tab) requires every machine sold in Spain for writing to offer the letter ñ and the opening question and exclamation marks. Its title speaks of keyboards.
How do you switch to a Spanish keyboard?
To type with a keyboard in Spanish, add the Spanish layout in your system's settings. Then switch to it with a key or a menu. You can keep your own layout and swap only when you write Spanish.
Windows
Microsoft's language settings page (opens in a new tab) gives the path for Windows 11. Open Start, then Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region. Select the three dots next to your language, then Language options. Use Add a keyboard to pick a Spanish layout. If it is not in the list, add the Spanish language first. Switch by holding the Windows logo key and pressing the space bar, or from the language icon on the taskbar.
Mac
Apple's guide to writing in another language (opens in a new tab) works the same for Spanish. Choose Apple menu, then System Settings, then Keyboard. Under Text Input click Edit, then the Add button, search for Spanish and add Spanish or Latin American. Switch from the Input menu in the menu bar, or press Control and the space bar.
iPhone and Android
On an iPhone, Apple's keyboard guide (opens in a new tab) adds one from Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, Add New Keyboard. On Android, Google's Gboard help (opens in a new tab) says to tap Settings at the top of the keyboard, then Languages, then Add keyboard, and pick the language and a layout. On Gboard, touch and hold the space bar to switch.
You do not need a Spanish keyboard at all to type these letters. The Spanish keyboard shortcuts in the cards below work on an English layout, device by device. The Mac and Windows guides cover every other accent. The n with tilde page tells the story of the eñe, and the Spanish alphabet page explains where it sorts.
What are the Spanish keyboard shortcuts on each device?
Without a Spanish layout, these are the documented ways to type the letters: one card per device, letter by letter. A capital takes Shift on the last key: on a Mac, Á is Option+E, then Shift+A.
Mac
iPhone, iPad and Android
Chromebook
First: switch to the US International keyboard.
Microsoft Word
Google Docs
- á
- Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters, then search "latin small letter a with acute"
- é
- Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters, then search "latin small letter e with acute"
- í
- Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters, then search "latin small letter i with acute"
- ñ
- Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters, then search "latin small letter n with tilde"
- ó
- Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters, then search "latin small letter o with acute"
- ú
- Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters, then search "latin small letter u with acute"
- ü
- Insert, then Symbols, then Special characters, then search "latin small letter u with diaeresis"
Sources:Mac (Apple) (opens in a new tab)Windows (Microsoft) (opens in a new tab)iPhone, iPad (Apple) (opens in a new tab)Android (Google) (opens in a new tab)Chromebook (Google) (opens in a new tab)Microsoft Word (Microsoft) (opens in a new tab)Google Docs (Google) (opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions about the Spanish keyboard
How do I type the Spanish ñ on an English keyboard?
On a Mac, press Option+N, then N. On Windows, press Alt+0241 with the digits of the number pad. On a phone, touch and hold N and slide to ñ. In the editor on this page, tap the ñ key, or on a PC press Alt with N.
What is the difference between the Spain and Latin American keyboard layouts?
Both put ñ on its own key to the right of L, and both have ¿ and ¡ on the second key right of 0. The layout for Spain has the accent key right of ñ and a key of its own for ç. The Latin American layout has the accent key right of P, and its @ is AltGr with Q rather than AltGr with 2.
Why does the accent key type nothing until the next key?
Because it is a dead key. On both Windows Spanish layouts it waits for the next key and puts the mark on it: the accent key, then a, gives á. Press it and then the space bar to get the mark on its own. With Shift, the same key gives the two dots of ü.
How do I add a Spanish keyboard on an iPhone?
Open Settings, tap General, then Keyboard, then Keyboards, and tap Add New Keyboard to pick a Spanish one. While typing, touch and hold the globe or emoji key and tap the keyboard you want. Apple also offers a bilingual keyboard for English (U.S.) and Spanish (Latin America).
Does the Spanish keyboard editor keep what I type?
Only in your own browser. The text is saved in this device's local storage so it is still there when you come back, and it is never sent anywhere. Clear empties the box and the saved copy; a private window may not keep it at all.