Typing accents and symbols
Need é, ñ, ü, ç, €, © or « »? Linux has a built-in way to type them in every app: the Compose key. You press it, then two keys, and the character appears. No popup, no menu, and it works everywhere you can type.
Turn it on#
- Open Shortcut Detective in Voltkit and scroll to Keyboard keys.
- Under Compose key, choose a key: Right Alt is the usual choice (the Menu key and Right Ctrl are good on a keyboard that has no spare Right Alt).
- That is all. It works at once, in every app.
Tip
Not using Voltkit or not on GNOME? The Compose key is a standard setting: in GNOME Tweaks it is under Keyboard → Compose Key, and in KDE under System Settings → Keyboard → Advanced.
Use it#
- Tap the Compose key and let go. It does not need to be held.
- Press the two keys of the sequence, one after the other.
For example, for é: tap Compose, then ', then e. For a capital É, hold Shift for the letter: Compose, ', Shift+E.
Common sequences#
| To type | Press (after Compose) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Acute accent | ' and a letter | 'e → é, 'a → á, 'o → ó, 'u → ú, 'i → í |
| Grave accent | ` and a letter | ` e ` → è, a ` → à, u `` → ù |
| Circumflex | ^ and a letter | ^e → ê, ^o → ô, ^i → î |
| Diaeresis (umlaut) | " and a letter | "u → ü, "o → ö, "a → ä, "e → ë |
| Tilde | ~ and a letter | ~n → ñ, ~a → ã, ~o → õ |
| Cedilla | , then c | ,c → ç |
| Ring | o then a | oa → å |
| German sharp s | s then s | ss → ß |
| Ligatures and slashed o | ae → æ, oe → œ, o/ → ø | |
| Spanish marks | ?? → ¿, !! → ¡ | |
| Money | =e → €, L- → £, Y= → ¥ | |
| Symbols | oc → ©, or → ®, tm → ™, oo → °, +- → ±, xx → × | |
| Quotes and dashes | << → «, >> → », --. → – (en dash), --- → — (em dash), .. → … | |
| Fractions | 12 → ½, 14 → ¼, 34 → ¾ |
The sequences come from your system's Compose table, so a few differ slightly with your language and locale. If one does not work, try it the other way round (e= for €).
Other ways to type special characters#
- A different keyboard layout. English (US, international, with dead keys) turns ', `, " and ~ into accent keys, and your language's own layout may already have the letters you need. Add layouts in your desktop's keyboard settings.
- By name. The Characters app (GNOME) or the emoji picker finds any character by what it is called.
- By code. In most GTK apps, press Ctrl+Shift+U, type the character's Unicode code (
e9for é), and press Space or Enter. - Often needed? A Text Expansion snippet can type any text for you, such as a trigger
;eurthat types €.
Troubleshooting#
- Nothing happens. Check that a Compose key is chosen under Keyboard keys, and tap and release it before the two keys (do not hold it).
- The wrong character appears. Your system's table may use a different sequence: try the keys in the other order.
- Some apps ignore it. A few apps that handle keyboard input themselves (some games and remote-desktop windows) do not use the Compose table.