How to Type Portuguese Accents on Any Keyboard
Portuguese marks stress and vowel quality with acute and circumflex accents, contractions with the grave (à), nasal vowels with the tilde (ã, õ), and uses ç. Here is how to type each of them on a computer or phone, whether you write Portuguese every day or only need the odd name.
Portuguese letters: á â ã à ç é ê í ó ô õ ú
Shortcut chart
| Letter | Windows | Mac | Word | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| á | Alt+0225 | Option+E, then A | Ctrl+', then A | hold a |
| â | Alt+0226 | Option+I, then A | Ctrl+Shift+^, then A | hold a |
| ã | Alt+0227 | Option+N, then A | Ctrl+Shift+~, then A | hold a |
| à | Alt+0224 | Option+`, then A | Ctrl+`, then A | hold a |
| ç | Alt+0231 | Option+C | Ctrl+,, then C | hold c |
| é | Alt+0233 | Option+E, then E | Ctrl+', then E | hold e |
| ê | Alt+0234 | Option+I, then E | Ctrl+Shift+^, then E | hold e |
| í | Alt+0237 | Option+E, then I | Ctrl+', then I | hold i |
| ó | Alt+0243 | Option+E, then O | Ctrl+', then O | hold o |
| ô | Alt+0244 | Option+I, then O | Ctrl+Shift+^, then O | hold o |
| õ | Alt+0245 | Option+N, then O | Ctrl+Shift+~, then O | hold o |
| ú | Alt+0250 | Option+E, then U | Ctrl+', then U | hold u |
Option 1: add the Portuguese keyboard
If you write Portuguese often, add its keyboard layout. On Windows, open Settings → Time & language → Language & region, add Portuguese or add its keyboard under your current language, and switch with Win+Space. On a Mac, open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit and add the Portuguese layout. On iPhone and Android, add the Portuguese keyboard in keyboard settings and switch with the globe key.
A native layout moves some punctuation keys, so print or note where they sit before you switch.
Option 2: use shortcuts on your current keyboard
Keep your usual layout and use the codes in the chart. On Windows the US-International layout covers many Western European accents with dead keys. On a Mac, Option+E, Option+`, Option+I, Option+U and Option+N cover the acute, grave, circumflex, umlaut and tilde, and Unicode Hex Input covers everything else.
Option 3: copy and paste
For occasional use, copy letters from the Portuguese letters page. Click a letter to copy it, or click several to build a word in the text box first.