How to use the US International keyboard layout

How the US-International layout works

The standard US QWERTY keyboard was designed solely for the English language and lacks direct keys for accents and European symbols. The us international keyboard layout is an official software layout that keeps every physical key in its familiar position while adding two powerful secondary features:

1. Dead keys for accents: Five punctuation keys (', ", `, ~, ^) become modifiers. When pressed, they wait for your next keystroke and combine with vowels to produce accented characters (á, é, ñ, ü, ô).
2. The AltGr symbol layer: The right Alt key transforms into AltGr (Alternate Graphic), unlocking a complete layer of currency signs, legal marks, and inverted punctuation marks.

Because it is a purely software-based layout, it works on any physical laptop or desktop keyboard across Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS.

1. Typing accents with Dead Keys

When using the US-International layout, pressing a dead key does not immediately print a character. Type the accent mark first, followed by the letter you wish to accent:

To capitalize the accented letter, hold Shift when pressing the vowel (for example, ' followed by Shift + E produces É).

Crucial tip: How to type ordinary quotes!

The single most common complaint from people switching to US-International is: “How do I type a normal quotation mark or apostrophe without combining it into an accented letter?”

The solution is simple: tap the dead key, then tap the Spacebar!

• To type a normal single quote: tap ' then Space → outputs '.
• To type a normal double quote: tap " then Space → outputs ".
• To type a normal tilde: tap ~ then Space → outputs ~.

Alternatively, typing a dead key followed by a consonant that cannot take that accent (such as ' followed by t) automatically outputs the single quote followed by the consonant ('t).

2. The AltGr (Right Alt) symbol layer map

Holding down the Right Alt key (AltGr) on your keyboard gives you instant single-stroke access to a wealth of symbols and special letters:

Inspect individual symbol codes on our dedicated pages for copyright and euro.

3. How to enable US-International on Windows

To turn on the US-International layout in Windows 10 or Windows 11:

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Click the three dots (...) next to your preferred language (e.g. English (United States)) and select Language options.
3. Scroll down to the Keyboards section and click Add a keyboard.
4. Select United States-International from the list.
5. You can now switch between standard US and US-International anytime by pressing Win + Space.

US-International vs US-International (AltGr dead keys)

For computer programmers and developers who write JavaScript, Python, or HTML all day, having quotes act as dead keys can be frustrating because every quote requires pressing the spacebar. If this bothers you, look for the US-International (AltGr dead keys) layout option.

In the AltGr dead keys variant, ordinary keys (' and ") behave as normal instant quotes. Dead key accents are only activated when you explicitly hold down the Right Alt key, giving you the best of both worlds. Learn about other symbol entry options in our guide on how to type symbols on Windows and our Compose key guide.