How to type Spanish accents on a Chromebook

Add the US International keyboard

1. Open Settings (the gear in the clock menu).
2. Go to Device › Keyboard and inputs › Inputs. On older versions: Advanced › Languages and inputs › Inputs.
3. Click Add input methods, search US International and add it.
4. Turn on Show input options in the shelf to see the active keyboard next to the clock.
5. Switch with Ctrl ⇧ Space (next) or Ctrl Space (previous).

Quick table

With US International active. Tap a letter in the first column to copy it.

With no setup: Ctrl ⇧ U

ChromeOS accepts Unicode codes in any text field: hold Ctrl ⇧ and press U (an underlined u appears), let go, type the code and press Enter or Space. The ones you need:

Latin American or Spanish keyboard

If your Chromebook has a physical Spanish keyboard, add Latin American keyboard or Spanish keyboard in the same menu so the keys match what you see. Press ´ before the vowel. Compare both in the Spanish keyboard layout guide.

Common problems

• Alt + letter does nothing. Only the right Alt key works. The left one triggers system shortcuts.
• Quotes come out wrong. With US International, ' and " wait for the next letter. For a plain quote, press it and then Space.
• I can't add keyboards. School and work Chromebooks may block it. Use Ctrl ⇧ U or the online keyboard.
• Ctrl ⇧ U doesn't work in an Android app. Some Android apps ignore it; try it in Chrome or use US International.

In Google Docs

All of the above works in Docs. Also: Insert › Special characters lets you search “a acute” or draw the letter, and Tools › Preferences › Substitutions lets you add rules like n~ → ñ. For spell check, choose File › Language › Spanish.