One of the major problems I usually need help with when writing an article in another language than English is the addition of special characters. The basic 26 keys of a keyboard can help to write any word in English. On the other hand, adding certain special characters like a degree sign, a trademark sign, or other special alphabets in other languages can be difficult using these characters.

Do you encounter the same problem when typing a special text? Don’t worry because the following article can help you in various ways. This guide contains all the relevant details to help you add special characters to your laptop’s keyboard. Let us learn the details about adding a special character to a keyboard.

What Are Special Characters?

Special characters are usually known as diacritical marks. These characters are no numbers, letters, or symbols. In other words, they are the special characters your keyboard doesn’t have.

4 Ways To Add Special Characters On Your Laptop

Depending on your keyboard type, you can add special characters to your laptop’s keyboard. The following are the few most helpful and my favorite methods to add diacritical marks in your text.

By Enabling Windows Touch Keyboard

I came across this easiest yet most effective method for adding diacritical marks to my text. You can add special characters to your text by enabling the Windows touch keyboard. If you own a touch Windows laptop, you might know Windows laptops consist of a built-in touch keyboard that you can enable from the taskbar.

On the contrary, if you don’t own a touch laptop, you can use the keyboard icon on the taskbar near the date. You can access the touch keyboard of your laptop through the following steps.

Step 1

Go to the taskbar and right-click to open the menu. Now, click “Show Touch Keyboard.” After choosing this option, a keyboard icon appears on your laptop’s taskbar near the battery.

Step 2

In the next step, open the keyboard icon and choose &123 to access various symbols. Moreover, you can long press on a letter with a mouse button or your finger to access multiple options of the letter with different symbols.

Through Windows Character Map

As a Windows Laptop user, you must know the Windows Character Map. If not, don’t worry, I’ll help you. A character map is a utility in the Microsoft operating system that helps you see available characters in installed form.

Using a character map is my other favorite method to add special characters to my text. Follow the steps stated below to add diacritical marks to your keyboard.

Step 1

On your Windows laptop, press the Windows+R key to open Run. Now, type “Charmap” and press “Enter.” Another method to open the character map on your laptop is to type “Character Map” in the search field of your laptop screen.

Step 2

Upon opening the map, various special characters will appear on your screen. Scroll down to choose your desired character, then click the “Select” option. The chosen character will appear in the “Characters To Copy” field.

Step 3

Copy the desired character from the “Characters To Copy” field and paste it into your document or text. The computer adds the copied characters or symbols to your text.

Using The Emoji Keyboard

Another easiest method to add special characters to your text is by using the Windows emoji keyboard. Though the emoji keyboard provides many emoji options to add expressions to your text, you can use this keyboard for several other purposes. The following are the steps to add characters to your document.

Step 1

The first step to add diacritical marks to your text through the emoji keyboard is to press the Windows key, hold it for a few seconds, and click the period key. The emoji keyboard appears on your screen with many emoji options. Now the question arises, how to add access to special characters through this keyboard? Well, I have the answer to your question.

Step 2

On your emoji keyboard, a symbol tab is present on the top tab. Click on this tab to see many special characters on your screen. Scroll down and look for your desired character. Choose the character and add it to your text by clicking on it.

Use the US International Keyboard

Most laptops use an Italian keyboard format. Therefore, the availability of special characters might be difficult on these keyboards. If you want to access these characters more effortlessly in your English language, the US international keyboard can be your savior.

As I mentioned, laptops use an Italian keyboard. Hence, the first thing you should do is add the US keyboard to your laptop. Follow the following steps to add the US keyboard.

● Open Settings on your laptop and choose Language from Time And Language option.

● Choose US English as your preferred language. Now click on Options.

● Look for a keyboard that contains US/QWERTY keyboard format.

● Select the desired format and use the English/ US International Keyboard.

Using an international US keyboard is better than the standard one because you can easily access special characters on an international keyboard. You can add characters using a right-hand Alt key with a certain letter to get its multiple combinations.

Conclusion

The above guide answers your question about accessing special characters on your laptop’s keyboard. The default format of a laptop keyboard does not support all characters. Hence, you have to use several methods to access these diacritical marks. Follow the above methods to access and add these characters to your article.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get symbols on my laptop keyboard?

Use the emoji keyboard, the character map, or other methods to access diacritical marks.

What are the special characters on a laptop?

Special characters refer to diacritical marks, not numbers, alphabets, emojis, or punctuations.

How do I type é on my keyboard?

Follow one of the above methods to add special characters to your keyboard. You can use the character map, US international keyboard, or an emoji keyboard to add diacritical marks to your text.