# mac keyboard problems



## big

bonsoir-
i've read the posting regarding accents but cant seem to get my keyboard working. one hint i've found says the 'numbers lock key' has to be engaged.
well i cant find it!

also in the menu bar i've added french to my international settings and although its a nuisance i can switch it on to produce a small drop down keyboard, however it has only a few accented letters and no directions as to how to use it.

is there a mac user who might offer me some guidance? i've just begun my french studies and would like to streamline this.

merci beaucoup


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## dsnowangel

num lock should be in the upper right portion of the keyboard it is it's own key and may soy Num Lk , also in Microsoft word the insert symbol menu will have accented letters, although it's a bit tedious to use. I hope this helps


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## jann

Hello big,

I've moved your question to the Comments and Suggestions forum, which is a more appropriate place for it than the French-English pages. 

You don't need number lock or the numeric keypad at all, because you are using a Mac!  The Mac combinations listed here in our sticky are all for the Option (alt) key plus letters or punctuation signs.   You might also check the accents post here in C&S, because there might be a few tips we didn't mention on Fr-En.

For the sake of completeness...
The ALT key combinations that require number lock are for WINDOWS computers that have a numeric keypad.  If you are using a Windows laptop, it is still possible to use these ALT key combos, but less practical, because enabling the numeric keypad on a laptop makes some of your letter keys behave like numbers.  It is probably easier to use one of the on-screen keyboards listed further down in the sticky.

Jann
Fr-En Moderator


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## big

thanks-but i do have a numeric keypad-its the damn numbers lock that i cant seem to locate. i should say im not even sure that will solve the problem.
the shortcuts are described more or less like this:
alt+e+e
that has to be done sequentially-oui?

´´´´´é´é
*OM MY GOD- I JUST FIGURED IT OUT*

MERCI A TOUT


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## Benjy

There is a much better way to accents on a mac. I don't know what it is but Cuchuflete is always raving about it. I'm sure he'll smell the word mac soon enough and impart the name of the secret key to you soon enough.

Actually.. re-reading your post it seems you are doing it the mac way rather than the "windows" way. Ignore my post


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## big

superb!
ill be waiting with baited breath.
merci.


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## jonquiliser

Suppose it depends on your computer's keyboard layout -mine is Finnish- but just in case it works on yours as well: the alt key+e gives é, alt+c gives ç, alt+o=œ...


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## cuchuflete

big said:


> bonsoir-
> i've read the posting regarding accents but cant seem to get my keyboard working. one hint i've found says the 'numbers lock key' has to be engaged.
> well i cant find it!
> 
> 
> is there a mac user who might offer me some guidance? i've just begun my french studies and would like to streamline this.
> 
> merci beaucoup



Greetings big!
You have no need of the numbers lock key to type accents with a Mac.  Please forget about that key.  

Here is a quick lesson that should address most of your needs.



> *MacIntosh*
> 
> 
> - Option key + e, and then “letter to be accented”
> 
> Example: Option key + e, then “o” → *ó/Ó*
> 
> - Option key + n, and then “n” → *ñ/Ñ*
> 
> - Option key + u, and then “u” → *ü/Ü*
> 
> - Option key + 1 → *¡*
> 
> - Option key + Shift + ? → *¿*
> 
> - Shift + Option key + 2 →  *€*
> 
> 
> Expanded accent codes and foreign symbols for Mac:
> Lista expandida de acentos y símbolos extranjeros para Mac:
> 
> http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/i...s/codemac.html



If you need further help, please post here or send a PM to any Mac user except Bill Gates.  He tries to keep his use of OS X a secret.


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## big

beacoup gracias!


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