How to type e with acute on Windows
To type e with acute on Windows, hold down the Alt key and type 0233 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt to get lowercase é. For capital É, use Alt + 0201. On older systems, the codes Alt + 130 (é) and Alt + 144 (É) also work.
Quick answer
Hold Alt and type 0233 on the keypad for é, or 0201 for É. In Word, press Ctrl + ' then E.
Step by step
Turn on Num Lock
Verify that the Num Lock light is on so the keypad inputs numbers rather than cursor arrows.
Hold down Alt
Press and hold down the left Alt key on your keyboard.
Type 0233 on the keypad
Enter the four digits 0, 2, 3, and 3 using the numeric keypad on the right.
Release Alt
Release the Alt key. The accented letter é appears at the cursor location.
Alt codes for lowercase é and uppercase É
Windows provides two standard alt codes for the letter e with acute accent. The four-digit code Alt + 0233 reads from the Windows-1252 code page to produce lowercase é, while Alt + 0201 yields uppercase É. If you use legacy software or command-line prompts, the three-digit codes from code page 437 are also supported: Alt + 130 creates é and Alt + 144 creates É. Both methods output standard Unicode characters (U+00E9 and U+00C9). Our alt codes for accents guide lists codes for all European accented letters.
The US International dead-key method
If you write frequently in French, Spanish, Czech, or Hungarian, installing the US International keyboard layout in Windows settings is much faster than memorizing numbers. Under this layout, the apostrophe key (') acts as a dead key for the acute accent. Press ' (single quote), release it, and press e to type é. To produce capital É, press ' followed by Shift + E. To type a regular apostrophe, simply press the key followed by the spacebar.
Laptops without keypads and Microsoft Word
Laptops lacking a numeric keypad cannot run alt codes using the top row of numbers. In Microsoft Word and Outlook, you can use Word's built-in accent shortcut: press Ctrl + ' (apostrophe), release both keys, and press e (or Shift + E for É). Alternatively, type 00E9 and press Alt + X. Across web browsers and other apps, press Win + . to open the Windows emoji and symbol panel, or copy the glyph from the Windows Character Map.
Common English loanwords and cross-platform tips
The acute accent over e is common in English loanwords such as résumé, café, touché, sauté, cliché, and fiancé. Using the proper accent prevents embarrassing ambiguities—for example, distinguishing a résumé (curriculum vitae) from the verb resume (to continue). If your alt codes produce strange output, see our alt codes troubleshooting guide. If you work on Mac computers as well, read our tutorial on typing e with acute on Mac. Find complete character metadata on our e with acute symbol page and browse all variants in the e with accent collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Windows alt code for é and É?
Hold Alt and type 0233 on the numeric keypad for lowercase é, or Alt + 0201 for capital É. The three-digit codes Alt + 130 and 144 also work.
How do I type é on a laptop without a number pad?
In Microsoft Word, press Ctrl + ' then tap e. Across Windows, press Win + . to pick é from the symbols panel, or install the US International keyboard.
How do I type é in Word quickly?
Press Ctrl + ' (apostrophe), release both keys, and press e. Word automatically turns it into é.