The fastest way
- Hold the vowel (e.g. a) until a menu with à á â ä… appears.
- Press the number shown under á, or click it.
- For ñ, hold n. For ü, hold u.
If you'd rather keep typing without pausing, the Option shortcut is quicker once you know it: ⌥ E adds the accent and the next vowel gets it.
Quick table
Tap a letter in the first column to copy it.
| Letter | Option shortcut | Press and hold |
|---|---|---|
| ⌥ E, then a | Hold a | |
| ⌥ E, then e | Hold e | |
| ⌥ E, then i | Hold i | |
| ⌥ E, then o | Hold o | |
| ⌥ E, then u | Hold u | |
| ⌥ U, then u | Hold u | |
| ⌥ N, then n | Hold n | |
| ⌥ E, then ⇧ A | Hold ⇧ A | |
| ⌥ E, then ⇧ E | Hold ⇧ E | |
| ⌥ E, then ⇧ I | Hold ⇧ I | |
| ⌥ E, then ⇧ O | Hold ⇧ O | |
| ⌥ E, then ⇧ U | Hold ⇧ U | |
| ⌥ U, then ⇧ U | Hold ⇧ U | |
| ⌥ N, then ⇧ N | Hold ⇧ N | |
| ⌥ ⇧ ? | — | |
| ⌥ 1 | — |
How the Option shortcuts work
⌥ E types nothing on its own: it holds the accent (you'll see a yellow mark) and puts it on the next letter. ⌥ N does the same with the ñ tilde, and ⌥ U with the ü umlaut. For capitals, press ⇧ only with the second key: ⌥ E, then ⇧ A gives Á.
Add the Spanish – ISO layout
- Open System Settings › Keyboard (macOS Monterey or earlier: System Preferences › Keyboard › Input Sources).
- Under Input Sources, click Edit, then +.
- Choose Spanish, then Spanish – ISO (Spain) or Latin American. Click Add.
- Switch with the 🌐 fn key or Ctrl Space. Turn on “Show Input menu in menu bar” to see which one is active.
With Spanish – ISO, ñ sits right of L and the ´ accent key right of that: press ´, then the vowel. See the full picture in the Spanish keyboard layout guide.
Common problems
- Holding a key repeats it (aaaa). Press-and-hold is turned off. Turn it on in Terminal with defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true, then log out and back in. Option shortcuts always work.
- `⌥ E` types € or a loose ´. Another layout is active (e.g. Spanish – ISO, where shortcuts differ). Switch to “U.S.” or “ABC” with Ctrl Space.
- I can't find ¿ or ¡. ⌥ ⇧ ? gives ¿ and ⌥ 1 gives ¡ on the U.S. or ABC layout.
- I need another symbol. Open the Character Viewer with Ctrl ⌘ Space and search by name.
In Word, Pages and Google Docs
System shortcuts (press-and-hold and Option) work in every Mac app, including Word, Pages, Google Docs, Gmail and WhatsApp Web. Word for Mac also has Insert › Advanced Symbol. To have missing accents flagged, set the language to Spanish: in Word, Tools › Language; in Pages, Edit › Spelling and Grammar.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type an accent on a Mac with an English keyboard?
Hold the vowel and pick á, or press ⌥ Option + E and then the vowel.
How do I type ñ on a Mac?
⌥ Option + N, then n. Or hold n and pick ñ.
How do I type ¿ on a Mac?
⌥ Option + ⇧ Shift + ? on the U.S. or ABC layout.