Short answer: On Windows, hold Alt and type 0228 (ä), 0246 (ö), 0252 (ü) or 0223 (ß) on the numeric keypad. On a Mac, press Option + U then the vowel for umlauts, and Option + S for ß. On a phone, press and hold the vowel or the s key.
Tap to copy German umlauts and ß
German adds three umlauted vowels — ä, ö, ü — and the ß (eszett, or scharfes S, “sharp s”). None are on a US keyboard, and they’re not optional: schon (already) and schön (beautiful) are different words. Here’s the fastest method on every platform, for lower and upper case. This is part of the Letters & Accents hub; for Spanish ñ and French ç, see ñ and ç.
Quick reference
| Letter | Windows (keypad) | Mac | Word | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ä / Ä | Alt + 0228 / 0196 | Option + U, then a / A | Ctrl + Shift + : then a / A | ä Ä |
| ö / Ö | Alt + 0246 / 0214 | Option + U, then o / O | Ctrl + Shift + : then o / O | ö Ö |
| ü / Ü | Alt + 0252 / 0220 | Option + U, then u / U | Ctrl + Shift + : then u / U | ü Ü |
| ß | Alt + 0223 | Option + S | Ctrl + Shift + &, then s | ß |
Windows
Alt codes (numeric keypad, Num Lock on): 0228 ä · 0246 ö · 0252 ü · 0223 ß; capitals are 0196 Ä · 0214 Ö · 0220 Ü. Use the keypad, not the number row.
Type German regularly? Add the US-International layout (Settings → Time & Language → Language & Region → add United States-International). Then umlauts are the “ (quote) key followed by the vowel — “ then a gives ä — and Right Alt + S gives ß. The trade-off: the quote key becomes a “dead key”, so for a normal quote you press it then Space. If an Alt code returns the wrong character, you’re on the number row — see why Alt codes don’t work.
Mac
Mac uses a dead key for umlauts and a direct key for ß:
- Umlauts: press Option + U — nothing shows yet (the umlaut is waiting) — then the vowel: a → ä, o → ö, u → ü (add Shift for Ä Ö Ü).
- ß: press Option + S directly.
Forgot one? Open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search a umlaut or sharp s.
iPhone and Android
Both use press-and-hold:
- Umlauts: press and hold a, o or u; the pop-up includes ä, ö, ü (with capitals when Shift/caps is on). Slide onto it.
- ß: press and hold the s key; ß appears among the options.
Adding a German keyboard (Settings → General → Keyboard on iPhone; language settings on Android) makes all four primary keys.
Word, Google Docs and the web
Microsoft Word: press Ctrl + Shift + : (colon) and then the vowel for umlauts — ä ö ü; for ß, press Ctrl + Shift + & (that’s Ctrl + Shift + 7) then s. You can also type 00E4 (ä) or 00DF (ß) and press Alt + X.
Google Docs: go to Insert → Special characters and search a umlaut, sharp s or eszett. The Mac Option keys and Windows US-International layout also work directly in a document.
Chromebook / Linux: press Ctrl + Shift + U, type the hex (00e4 for ä, 00df for ß), then Enter.
HTML / web: use ä ö ü (and Ä Ö Ü) for the umlauts, and ß for ß. The Unicode code points are U+00E4, U+00F6, U+00FC and U+00DF.
ß is a sharp s — and it now has a capital
Two things people get wrong about ß:
- It’s not a B or a Greek beta (β). It’s the eszett, a distinct letter that stands for a “ss” sound. Swiss Standard German drops it entirely and writes ss instead — so Straße becomes Strasse in Switzerland.
- It used to have no capital. In all-caps, ß was traditionally written SS (STRASSE). Since 2017 the capital ẞ (U+1E9E) is officially recognised by the Council for German Orthography, so STRAẞE is now valid too. On Windows you can type it with Alt + 7838.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Alt + 0228 does nothing | Num Lock off, or you used the top-row numbers. Use the numeric keypad and all four digits. |
| Laptop has no numpad | Add US-International (” then vowel), copy from the tool above, or use Word’s shortcut. |
| Mac Option + U seems to do nothing | Expected — the umlaut is waiting. Press the vowel next. |
| Quote marks stopped working (US-Intl) | The ” key is now a dead key. Press it then Space for a normal quote. |
| ß or umlaut shows as a box ▯ | The font lacks the glyph. Switch to Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman. More: symbol showing as a box. |
Recap
- Umlauts → Windows Alt + 0228/0246/0252; Mac Option + U then vowel; phone hold the vowel.
- ß → Windows Alt + 0223; Mac Option + S; phone hold s.
- Type it a lot → US-International (Windows) or a German keyboard (phone).
Frequently asked questions
How do you type umlauts (ä ö ü) on Windows?
Turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, and type the code on the numeric keypad: 0228 for ä, 0246 for ö, 0252 for ü (0196, 0214, 0220 for the capitals). If you type German often, add the US-International layout and press ” then the vowel.
How do you type ß on Windows?
Hold Alt and type 0223 on the numeric keypad for ß. On the US-International layout you can instead press Right Alt + S. In Microsoft Word, press Ctrl + Shift + & (Ctrl + Shift + 7) then s.
How do you type umlauts and ß on a Mac?
For umlauts, press Option + U (nothing appears yet), then the vowel — a for ä, o for ö, u for ü (add Shift for capitals). For ß, press Option + S directly.
How do you type umlauts or ß on a phone?
Press and hold a vowel (a, o or u) and choose the umlaut from the pop-up; press and hold the s key for ß. Adding a German keyboard makes all four available as primary keys.
Does ß have a capital form?
Traditionally ß had no capital and was written SS in all-caps (STRASSE). Since 2017 the capital ẞ (U+1E9E) is officially recognised, so STRAẞE is also valid. On Windows you can type it with Alt + 7838.
What are the Unicode code points and HTML entities for umlauts and ß?
ä is U+00E4 (ä), ö is U+00F6 (ö), ü is U+00FC (ü) and ß is U+00DF (ß). Capitals: Ä U+00C4, Ö U+00D6, Ü U+00DC.
Recap
- Umlauts → Windows Alt + 0228/0246/0252; Mac Option + U then vowel; phone hold the vowel.
- ß → Windows Alt + 0223; Mac Option + S; phone hold s.
- Type it a lot → US-International (Windows) or a German keyboard (phone).
Written by Igor R.. Tested on Windows 11, macOS, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, Word and Google Docs. Last updated July 2026. Symbol code points follow the Unicode Standard.