Whether asking questions about a language—or just using the language in daily life—typing with a foreign keyboard is an essential skill. Here is how to do this on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices.

Typing on Windows

Keyboard Layout

• Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language to add a new language to your keyboard.
• Once the new language is added, you can switch between languages by pressing Windows + Space.
• To see the layout of the keyboard, click on the language in the bottom right corner of your screen.
• You can also download additional keyboard layouts from the Microsoft Store.

Alt Codes

• Some foreign language characters can be typed using Alt Codes. To use Alt Codes, hold down the Alt key and type the corresponding code on the numeric keypad. For example, to type á, hold down Alt and type 0225 on the numeric keypad.

Typing on a Mac

Keyboard Layout

• Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources to add a new language to your keyboard.
• Once the new language is added, you can switch between languages by clicking on the flag in the menu bar.
• To see the layout of the keyboard, click on the flag and select Show Keyboard Viewer.

Option Key

• Some foreign language characters can be typed using the Option key. For example, to type é, hold down Option and type e. Then, type the letter you want to add the accent to.

Typing on iOS (iPhone, iPad)

Keyboard Layout

• Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards to add a new language to your keyboard.
• Once the new language is added, you can switch between languages by tapping on the globe icon on your keyboard.
• To see the layout of the keyboard, tap and hold on the globe icon and select Keyboard Settings.

Hold and Select

• Some foreign language characters can be typed by holding down a letter on the keyboard. For example, to type é, hold down e and select the é character that appears.

Typing on Android

Keyboard Layout

• Go to Settings > System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard > Gboard > Languages to add a new language to your keyboard.
• Once the new language is added, you can switch between languages by tapping on the globe icon on your keyboard.
• To see the layout of the keyboard, tap and hold on the globe icon and select Language Settings.

Long Press

• Some foreign language characters can be typed by long-pressing a letter on the keyboard. For example, to type é, long-press e and select the é character that appears.