1-minute answer
US International is a Windows keyboard layout that turns ', ", ~, ^ and ` into dead keys for accents, while typing normally for everything else.
01 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform — not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Enable it
- Settings → Time & Language → Language & region.
- Click your language → Language options → Add a keyboard — choose "United States-International".
- Switch between layouts with Win+Space.
How the dead keys work
- ' + vowel → acute (á → á).
- ` + vowel → grave (à → à).
- " + vowel → umlaut (ä → ä).
- ~ + n/o → tilde (ñ → ñ).
- Press Space after the dead key to get the bare punctuation mark instead.
02 FAQ
Will this break normal typing of apostrophes and quotes?
No — pressing ' followed by a consonant or space still types a normal apostrophe. Only vowel combinations trigger accents.
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