Short answer: the tricky one is the tilde — on a Mac press Option + n, then a for ã; on Windows use the United States-International keyboard (~ then a = ã) or the Alt code Alt + 0227. On a phone, just hold the a and pick ã. Every Portuguese character is in the table below.
Portuguese accents — tap to copy
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The Portuguese characters you need
Portuguese uses five accent marks plus the cedilla: the acute (á é í ó ú), the grave (à — the crase), the circumflex (â ê ô), the tilde (ã õ — the nasal til), and the cedilla (ç). The tilde matters most: it’s what turns pao into pão (bread) and marks the nasal sounds at the heart of the language. The trema (ü) was dropped from Portuguese spelling in the 2009 Orthographic Agreement, so you’ll rarely need it.
| Character | Windows (Alt code) | Mac (Option) | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|
| á | Alt + 0225 | Option + e, then a | á |
| à | Alt + 0224 | Option + `, then a | à |
| â | Alt + 0226 | Option + i, then a | â |
| ã | Alt + 0227 | Option + n, then a | ã |
| é | Alt + 0233 | Option + e, then e | é |
| ê | Alt + 0234 | Option + i, then e | ê |
| í | Alt + 0237 | Option + e, then i | í |
| ó | Alt + 0243 | Option + e, then o | ó |
| ô | Alt + 0244 | Option + i, then o | ô |
| õ | Alt + 0245 | Option + n, then o | õ |
| ú | Alt + 0250 | Option + e, then u | ú |
| ç | Alt + 0231 | Option + c | ç |
| « | Alt + 0171 | Option + \ | « |
| » | Alt + 0187 | Option + Shift + \ | » |
| € | Alt + 0128 | Option + Shift + 2 | € |
For capitals, hold Shift on the final letter — Mac Option + n, then Shift + a = Ã; Windows uses Alt + 0195 for Ã, Alt + 0199 for Ç, Alt + 0193 for Á. (The guillemets and euro apply to European Portuguese — see the Brazil vs Portugal note below.)
Windows
The easiest setup for Portuguese on Windows is the United States-International keyboard — same QWERTY layout, but a few keys become “dead keys” that add accents.
- Add it: Settings → Time & language → Language & region → the … → Language options → Add a keyboard → United States-International.
- Switch to it with Win + Space.
- Type the accent key, then the letter:
- ~ (Shift + `) then a vowel → ã õ (the Portuguese tilde)
- ‘ (apostrophe) then a vowel → á é í ó ú, and ‘ then c → ç
- ` (backtick) then a → à (crase)
- ^ (Shift + 6) then a vowel → â ê ô
Because the accent keys wait for a second key, to type a plain apostrophe or tilde press the key then Space. No layout change? Every character also works with its Alt code: hold Alt, type the four digits on the numeric keypad (Num Lock on), release. (No numpad? See why Alt codes fail and how to fix it.)
Mac
macOS types Portuguese with no layout change — the Option key gives you dead keys:
- á é í ó ú → Option + e, then the vowel
- ã õ → Option + n, then a or o (the tilde)
- à → Option + `, then a (crase)
- â ê ô → Option + i, then the vowel
- ç → Option + c (capital Ç → Shift + Option + C)
Add Shift to the final keystroke for capitals (Option + n, then Shift + a = Ã). If you write Portuguese often, add the Brazilian or Portuguese input source under System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, and switch with Ctrl + Space.
iPhone & Android
No setup needed — press and hold the base letter and pick from the pop-up. Hold a → à á â ã, hold o → ó ô õ, hold e → é ê, hold c → ç. Slide to the one you want and release. If you type Portuguese regularly, add the Portuguese (Brazil) or Portuguese (Portugal) keyboard (iPhone: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard; Android Gboard: keyboard gear → Languages → Add keyboard) and switch with the Globe key — you’ll also get Portuguese autocorrect.
Chromebook & Linux
Chromebook: add US International or Portuguese (Brazil) under Settings → Languages and inputs → Inputs → Add input methods, switch with Ctrl + Shift + Space, and use the same dead keys as Windows (~ then a = ã).
Linux: add the layout under Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources, or use the Compose key — Compose, then ~ a for ã, ‘ e for é, ` a for à, ^ o for ô, , c for ç. You can also enter any character by code point with Ctrl + Shift + U then the hex (e.g. 00e3 for ã). See typing symbols on Linux.
Microsoft Word
Word’s built-in accent shortcuts work on any layout:
- Ctrl + ‘ (apostrophe), then a vowel → á é í ó ú
- Ctrl + Shift + ~ (the ` key), then a or o → ã õ
- Ctrl + ` (backtick), then a → à
- Ctrl + Shift + ^ (6), then a vowel → â ê ô
- Ctrl + , (comma), then c → ç
For anything Word doesn’t cover, use Insert → Symbol or the Alt codes above.
The ABNT2 option (Brazilian keyboard)
Brazil has its own physical layout, ABNT2, with a dedicated ç key (to the right of L) and accent dead keys built in, so you type accents naturally without codes. Portugal uses a Portuguese layout with the same idea. If you type Portuguese as your main language, adding the Brazilian or Portuguese layout (or buying an ABNT2 keyboard) is the most comfortable option; for occasional use, the US-International dead keys above are plenty.
Brazilian vs European Portuguese
The letters are the same, but two conventions differ:
- Quotation marks. European Portuguese traditionally uses guillemets « »; Brazilian Portuguese uses curly ” “ quotes. For the guillemets, see the table above; for curly quotes, see straight vs curly quotes.
- Currency. Portugal uses the euro (€) — full guide here; Brazil uses the real, written simply as R$ (an R and a dollar sign, no special character).
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Nothing happens when I press ~ or ‘ | On US-International these are “dead keys” — press the accent, then the letter. For a plain tilde or apostrophe, press the key then Space. |
| Alt code does nothing | Alt codes need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on; the top number row won’t work. See Alt codes not working. |
| ç or acute won’t type on an Android + US-International setup | A known quirk on some Samsung/DeX setups — try Right Alt + < for ç, or add the Portuguese (Brazil) keyboard instead. |
| My quotes and symbols moved | You’re on a Portuguese/ABNT layout. Switch back with Win + Space / Ctrl + Space, or match the layout to your physical keyboard. |
| Accents show as boxes or “ã” | A character-encoding problem — the page or file isn’t UTF-8. See why symbols show as a box. |
Recap
Tilde is the one to learn: Option + n, then a (Mac) or ~ then a (Windows US-International) for ã. Acute is Option + e / ‘ then vowel; ç is Option + c / ‘ then c. On a phone, hold the letter. Need a single character? Copy it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type ã (a with tilde)?
On a Mac, press Option + n, then a. On Windows, use the United States-International keyboard (press ~ then a) or the Alt code Alt + 0227 on the numeric keypad. On a phone, press and hold the a key and choose ã.
How do I type ç in Portuguese?
On a Mac, press Option + c. On the Windows US-International keyboard, press ‘ then c, or use Alt + 0231. On a phone, press and hold the c key. In Word, press Ctrl + comma, then c.
How do I type the à (crase)?
The crase is just an a with a grave accent. On a Mac, press Option + backtick, then a. On Windows, press ` then a on the US-International keyboard, or use Alt + 0224.
Do I need a Brazilian (ABNT2) keyboard to type in Portuguese?
No. You can type every Portuguese accent on a US keyboard using the US-International layout, the Mac Option shortcuts, or press-and-hold on a phone. An ABNT2 keyboard only helps if Portuguese is your main typing language.
What’s the difference between typing Brazilian and European Portuguese?
The accented letters are identical. The differences are conventions: European Portuguese uses guillemets « » for quotes and the euro €, while Brazilian Portuguese uses curly ” ” quotes and writes its currency as R$.
Why do my Portuguese accents show up as strange symbols?
That’s a character-encoding issue, not a typing mistake — the document or web page isn’t set to UTF-8, so the accented bytes are misread. Save or serve the file as UTF-8 and the accents display correctly.
Written by Igor R. · Tested on Windows 11, macOS, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, Linux, and Microsoft Word. Last updated July 2026. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.