How to Type German Letters ä ö ü ß on Mac, Windows & Phone

One-click copy

On a Mac (Australian/US keyboard)

Character	Shortcut	Alternative
ä / Ä	`Option + U, then A`	Hold A → select ä
ö / Ö	`Option + U, then O`	Hold O → select ö
ü / Ü	`Option + U, then U`	Hold U → select ü
ß	`Option + S`	No capital ß shortcut — use SS
€	`Option + Shift + 2`	—
„ " (German quotes)	`Option + , and Option + Shift + ,`	Or use copy buttons above

Pro tip: Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Add "German" keyboard. Use ⌘+Space to switch layouts. The German keyboard puts ä, ö, ü where you'd expect them.

On Windows (Australian/US keyboard)

Character	Alt Code (Numpad)	Best method
ä	`Alt + 0228`	Win + . → search ä
Ä	`Alt + 0196`	Win + . → search Ä
ö	`Alt + 0246`	Win + . → search ö
Ö	`Alt + 0214`	Win + . → search Ö
ü	`Alt + 0252`	Win + . → search ü
Ü	`Alt + 0220`	Win + . → search Ü
ß	`Alt + 0223`	Win + . → search ß
€	`Alt + 0128`	AltGr + E (German keyboard)

Easiest method: Press Win + . to open the emoji picker → type "ae" or "ue" to find German characters instantly. Works in any app.

iPhone / iPad

ä / ö / ü

Hold A, O, or U on the keyboard → slide to the accented version

💡 Works in every app automatically

Hold S → slide to ß

💡 Built-in on every iPhone

€

Hold $ → slide to €

💡 Or add German keyboard in Settings

German keyboard

Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New → German

💡 Swipe the globe icon to switch

Autocorrect

Settings → General → Keyboard → enable German dictionary

💡 iPhone will suggest German words as you type

Android

ä / ö / ü / ß

Long-press A, O, U, or S → pop-up with variants appears

💡 Works on Gboard and Samsung keyboard

German keyboard

Settings → General Management → Language → Add language → Deutsch

💡 Tap globe icon to switch while typing

Gboard tip

In Gboard settings, enable "Show emoji on long press" — this keeps both character variants and emoji

💡 Gboard is free from the Play Store

SwiftKey

Supports German dictionary and bilingual mode — type English and German in the same message

💡 Free, available on Play Store

What do these characters actually sound like?

ä — like the "e" in "bed" or "set"

ö — like saying "e" with rounded lips

ü — like saying "ee" with rounded lips

ß — a sharp "ss" sound, like "hiss"