How to Type ÿ (Y with umlaut) on Excel

Published July 24, 2026, 2 min read

Need ÿ on Excel for a name, an address or a word in another language? You do not have to copy it from a website every time. The fastest method is =UNICHAR(255), and there are a few backups below for when that one is not available.

ÿ on Excel: =UNICHAR(255)

Ÿ on Excel: =UNICHAR(376)

Or copy it:

Method 1: UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(255) in a cell to get ÿ. To check a letter, =UNICODE("ÿ") returns 255. Both work in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

Method 2: CHAR formula on Windows

=CHAR(255) also returns ÿ on Windows, because it uses the Windows-1252 code page. On a Mac CHAR uses a different code page, so prefer UNICHAR.

Method 3: Keyboard methods inside a cell

Double-click the cell, then use Alt+0255 on Windows or Option+U, then Y on a Mac.

Method 4: Find and replace accented text

Use =SUBSTITUTE(A1,"ÿ","y") to strip this accent from a column, for example when cleaning names for an email system that does not accept accents.

How to type the capital Ÿ

The uppercase form works the same way with Shift added where a letter is typed.

UNICHAR formula

Type =UNICHAR(376) in a cell to get Ÿ. To check a letter, =UNICODE("Ÿ") returns 376. Both work in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

CHAR formula on Windows

=CHAR(159) also returns Ÿ on Windows, because it uses the Windows-1252 code page. On a Mac CHAR uses a different code page, so prefer UNICHAR.

About the letter ÿ

ÿ is Unicode U+00FF, named LATIN SMALL LETTER Y WITH DIAERESIS. It is used in French. Two dots above a letter. As a German umlaut it changes the vowel sound (ä, ö, ü); as a diaeresis in French, Dutch, Spanish or English (naïve, Noël) it shows that a vowel is pronounced separately. See the ÿ character page for every code and shortcut.

Troubleshooting

UNICHAR is not available in Excel 2010 and earlier.
CSV files saved as plain "CSV" may lose accents. Save as "CSV UTF-8".
If accents show as question marks after import, set the file origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8) in the import wizard.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut for ÿ on Excel?

=UNICHAR(255).

Can I just copy and paste ÿ?

Yes. Click the copy button above, then paste with Ctrl+V on Windows and Chromebook, Cmd+V on a Mac, or touch and hold and choose Paste on a phone.

What is the Unicode code for ÿ?

U+00FF. In HTML it is ÿ.

Related guides

All accent shortcuts for Excel