How to Type German Characters

I guess the easiest way to type German is to convert your keyboard to German and use some cool German keyboard stickers like I have on my Lenovo Thinkpad.  That’s quite a commitment but for those less interested in such hacking and such commitment, I found this cool HOWTO over at University Colorado Denver by Tim Phillips, Help on Typing Documents in German.

To access the German character set using a Windows based PC:

While holding down the “Alt” key, type in the following numbers. Once you have typed in the number, release the “Alt” key.
Your selected German character should appear.  Be sure that you type the numbers using the numeric keypad. The numbers on the “! @ # $” etc. keys will not access these characters. Be sure that the “Num Lock” light on your keyboard is lit.

Ä	= 142	Ö	= 153	Ü	= 154
ä	= 132	ö	= 148	ü	= 129
				ß	= 225

To access the German character set using Microsoft Word:

To access the umlauted vowels (ö, ü, ä) use the following keyboard shortcuts.   Hold down the “ctrl” and “shift” keys then hit  ” : “  (colon).  Let up on all keys, then type the vowel you want.  To access the “ß,” hold the the “ctrl” and “shift” keys then hit  ” & ” .  Let up on all keys, then type “s” .

To access the German character set using Macintosh and Apple systems:

Hold the “option” key then hit “u.”  Let up on both keys, then type the vowel you want.  To access the “ß,” hold the option key, then hit the “s” key.

Using substitute letters for umlauted characters:

Some e-mail systems cannot access the German characters. If you can not make your computer access the German characters,  follow the procedure of putting an “e” after umlauted vowels.  The following substitutes are standard in German speaking countries.

Ä	= Ae	Ö	= Oe	Ü	= Ue
ä	= ae	ö	= oe	ü	= ue
				ß	= ss

To set up a Windows based PC for a German keyboard:

(You may need the Windows installation CD-ROM for this.)
Click on: “start | settings | control panel.”  Double click on “keyboard” then click once on “language.”  Click on “Add,” then scroll through until you find the German (standard) keyboard. Follow the instructions to install the German keyboard.

To use a Windows based PC set up for a German keyboard:

Click on the keyboard icon on the taskbar, then select “De” (Deutsch) for German.  The German characters are arranged on the keyboard as they are in Germany.  You need to memorize their positions or use a template to find them.  Ex: The “y” is the bottom left key, the “ä” and “ö” are on the far mid-right, etc.
Using the actual German keyboard takes some getting used to, however,  once you familiarize yourself with it, it’s the fastest way to type in German.

Accessing the keys on the German keyboard layout:

Set your computer to align the characters as they appear on a German keyboard.  Use the following link for a character map to find the location of those symbols.  German Keyboard Layout

Tagged as: Add new tag, Apple, German Keyboard, germany, Keyboard layout, microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, Num Lock, Windows