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Accented Characters for the PC and Mac

Accents, Accents everywhere…

Often recipes, procedures or the list of ingredients contain accented characters. Here's how you can insert them in your documents:

In both, programs on your computer as well as sites on the internet, it is possible to insert and accented character by means of a code number.

For PCs, first, hold down the ALT key immediately to the left of the spacebar. Next, still holding down the ALT key, go to the numeric keypad to the right of the keyboard, and type 0 followed by the appropriate three-digit code (as shown below).

Using numeric codes to type accented characters seems cumbersome at first, but the more you use this method, the easier it becomes: some of the numbers become memorized while others become "guessable", and you do not have to learn a different scheme for each application.

For Macs, the process involves specific keystrokes. One way is pressing a number of keys simultaneously (for example holding down the ALT key when you press the c key produces ç). Another way is with a two-stage key press, one combination after another (for example, to get the é character, you first hold down the ALT key and press e, and then, after releasing, press the e key by itself).