The quickest way to type an I with accent: on Windows, hold Alt and type 0237 on the numeric keypad for í. On Mac, press Option+E then I for í.
Those cover the four common accents (ì í î ï). The rarer ones (ĩ ī ĭ į ı and their capitals) have no Alt code, so use the Word or Character Map routes below.
Click any glyph above to copy it. If you only need one accented I once, that is the fastest method on every device. For repeated typing, the keyboard methods below are worth learning.
Every accented I: codes at a glance
This table lists all 18 accented variants of the letter I with their verified codes. The Alt code column is decimal and needs the numeric keypad. The Word column is hexadecimal: type the value, then press Alt+X.
| Glyph | Name | Unicode | Alt code (decimal) | Word (hex + Alt+X) | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ì | I with grave | U+00EC | Alt+0236 | 00EC | ì |
| í | I with acute | U+00ED | Alt+0237 | 00ED | í |
| î | I with circumflex | U+00EE | Alt+0238 | 00EE | î |
| ï | I with diaeresis | U+00EF | Alt+0239 | 00EF | ï |
| ĩ | I with tilde | U+0129 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 0129 then Alt+X | 0129 | ĩ |
| ī | I with macron | U+012B | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 012B then Alt+X | 012B | ī |
| ĭ | I with breve | U+012D | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 012D then Alt+X | 012D | ĭ |
| į | I with ogonek | U+012F | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 012F then Alt+X | 012F | į |
| ı | Dotless i | U+0131 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 0131 then Alt+X | 0131 | ı |
| Ì | Capital I with grave | U+00CC | Alt+0204 | 00CC | Ì |
| Í | Capital I with acute | U+00CD | Alt+0205 | 00CD | Í |
| Î | Capital I with circumflex | U+00CE | Alt+0206 | 00CE | Î |
| Ï | Capital I with diaeresis | U+00CF | Alt+0207 | 00CF | Ï |
| Ĩ | Capital I with tilde | U+0128 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 0128 then Alt+X | 0128 | Ĩ |
| Ī | Capital I with macron | U+012A | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 012A then Alt+X | 012A | Ī |
| Ĭ | Capital I with breve | U+012C | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 012C then Alt+X | 012C | Ĭ |
| Į | Capital I with ogonek | U+012E | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 012E then Alt+X | 012E | Į |
| İ | Capital I with dot above | U+0130 | No standard Windows Alt code; Word: 0130 then Alt+X | 0130 | İ |
What the accent marks mean here
This set carries seven different marks over the letter I. The grave (ì) leans left, the acute (í) leans right, and the circumflex (î) is the little hat. The diaeresis (ï) is two dots, the tilde (ĩ) is the wave, and the macron (ī) is a flat bar.
Two marks are less familiar. The breve (ĭ) is a small cup, and the ogonek (į) is the hook hanging below the letter. The dotless i (ı) and the dotted capital İ are a matched pair used where the dot on i carries meaning.
Uppercase and lowercase are separate Unicode characters with separate codes. Í is not the same character as í, so if you need a capital you must use the capital’s code, not hold Shift with the lowercase Alt code. Watch the dot: a lowercase accented i keeps its dot under the mark, while the uppercase forms have no dot except İ, which is defined specifically as capital I with a dot above.
Windows
For the four common variants (ì í î ï and their capitals), use the Alt code. Hold Alt, type the four-digit number from the table on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. For example, Alt+0207 gives Ï.
The leading zero matters. Always use the four-digit form (0236, 0237) so Windows reads from the modern Western character set. A number without the leading zero reads from an older code page that varies by region, so it can produce a different character on a UK or Canadian machine than on a US one.
Alt codes need a real numeric keypad, and the numbers along the top row do not work. Laptops without a keypad can use the emoji panel (Win + . ), which has a symbols tab, or open Character Map (search for it), find the letter, and copy it.
For the marks with no Alt code (ĩ ī ĭ į ı Ĩ Ī Ĭ Į İ), Character Map or a paste from the copy widget is the reliable path. If your keypad refuses to cooperate, see our accent keyboard tool, which lets you click any variant directly.
Mac
Mac has no Alt codes. It uses dead-key combinations, where you type the accent first and then the letter. These cover the common marks:
- Grave (ì): Option+` then I
- Acute (í): Option+E then I
- Circumflex (î): Option+I then I
- Diaeresis (ï): Option+U then I
- Tilde (ĩ): Option+N then I
For a capital, hold Shift on the letter: Option+E then Shift+I gives Í. On a modern Mac you can also hold the I key on the keyboard; a small accent menu pops up, and you press the number under the accent you want.
The macron, breve, ogonek, and dotless variants have no dead key. Open Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space, search by name (for example “macron”), and double-click to insert.
Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
Word has a method that reaches every variant, including the ones with no Alt code. Type the hex value from the table, then press Alt+X.
For ī, type 012B and press Alt+X, and the four characters turn into the letter. To reverse it, put the cursor after the letter and press Alt+X again.
The same Alt+X trick works in Outlook and OneNote. It does not work in PowerPoint or Excel.
In both Word and PowerPoint you can instead go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, set the subset to Latin Extended-A or Latin-1 Supplement, and pick the letter. Word also applies its built-in accent shortcuts: press Ctrl+’ then I for í, or Ctrl+` then I for ì.
Excel and Google Sheets
Excel has no Alt+X. Use Insert → Symbol, or the UNICHAR function with the decimal code point. For í, =UNICHAR(237) returns í; for ī, =UNICHAR(299). Copy the result and paste as a value if you want plain text rather than a formula.
Google Sheets works the same way with =UNICHAR(299). Sheets has no Insert Symbol menu at all, so if you would rather type directly, press F2 to enter edit mode in the cell first, then use an OS-level method, or just paste from the copy widget above.
Google Docs
Google Docs has no Alt+X either. Go to Insert → Special characters, then either search the name (“i macron”, “i ogonek”) or draw the accent in the sketch box and pick the match. Double-click to drop it into the document.
If you type accented I often in Docs, set up a text replacement under Tools → Preferences → Substitutions. Map something like ii- to ī and Docs swaps it as you type.
iPhone and Android
On both phones, press and hold the I key on the on-screen keyboard. A row of accented options appears (ì í î ï ĩ and often ī), and you slide to the one you want before lifting your finger.
The exact selection depends on the keyboard app and its language settings. If a rarer variant like ĭ or į is missing, add a language that uses it in keyboard settings, or set up a text-replacement shortcut: iOS under Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement, Android under your keyboard’s dictionary or shortcuts. Pasting from this page works everywhere too.
Chromebook
Chromebooks have no Alt codes. Use the Unicode input method: hold Ctrl+Shift+U, type the hex code point, then press Enter or Space.
For í, that is Ctrl+Shift+U then 00ED. Type only the hex digits, with no U+ prefix; an underlined u confirms you are in input mode.
Newer models have a Quick Insert key or the symbol picker at Launcher+Shift+Space. Some web forms grab the Ctrl+Shift+U shortcut before ChromeOS sees it; if the code does nothing, paste the character instead.
Notion, Slack, Discord and Canva
None of these apps has a dedicated accent shortcut. The practical answer is the same in all four: paste the character from the copy widget, or type it with your operating system’s method (Windows Alt code, Mac dead key, Chromebook Ctrl+Shift+U) and it carries into the app.
For repeat use, lean on each app’s replacement feature. Slack has Preferences → Advanced → Replace text with typed shortcuts for a few defaults, but for custom accents the reliable route is a system-wide text replacement that every app inherits. In Canva, click into a text box first, then paste; the accented I keeps the font as long as that font includes the glyph.
HTML and CSS for the web
The four common letters have named entities: ì í î ï. Every variant also has a numeric entity from the table, such as ī for ī. Both decimal (í) and hex (í) forms work.
In CSS content values, use a backslash and the hex code point: content: "\012B" for ī. Saving your file as UTF-8 lets you paste the raw character directly, which is usually cleaner than entities.
Precomposed letters vs combining accents
Every glyph in the table is a precomposed character: one code point that already includes the letter and its mark. There is a second way to build the same shape, by placing a plain i next to a separate combining-accent code point. On screen the two look identical.
They do not behave identically. A precomposed í is one character; a combined one is two. That difference shows up in search that fails to match, in filenames that sort oddly, in form fields that reject the input, and in a backspace that removes only the accent and leaves the letter.
The fix is normalization. Systems apply a Unicode normalization form (NFC) that collapses the combined pair into the single precomposed character, so the two versions compare as equal.
When copy and paste seems to break a match, mismatched normalization is usually the cause. Prefer the precomposed characters from the table, and your text stays consistent.
Troubleshooting
The letter shows as a box or a question mark. The font lacks that glyph.
The macron, breve, and ogonek forms live in Latin Extended-A, which some display and decorative fonts skip. Switch to a broad font such as Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, or Noto Sans and the letter appears.
The Alt code does the wrong thing or nothing. Confirm Num Lock is on and you are using the numeric keypad, not the top-row numbers.
Keep the leading zero. Remember that only ì í î ï and their capitals have Alt codes; for the rest, the Alt code column reads “No standard Alt code” and you need the Word Alt+X or Character Map route.
You got the wrong accent. Grave (ì) and acute (í) are easy to swap because they mirror each other.
Diaeresis (ï, two dots) is often confused with the tilde (ĩ, a wave). Check the code point in the table against the glyph before you commit.
The capital lost its dot, or the lowercase kept one you did not want. That pairing is deliberate: İ is capital I with a dot above, and ı is dotless i. If a name or word comes out with the wrong dot, you have picked the wrong one of that pair.
Where these letters turn up
The acute í and grave ì appear across Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese words. The circumflex î and diaeresis ï show up in French. The macron ī and breve ĭ mark vowel length in transliteration and dictionaries, the ogonek į belongs to Lithuanian, and the dotless ı and dotted İ pair is standard in Turkish and Azerbaijani.
Related guides
If you type accents on other letters, these guides use the same methods. Compare with typing J with an accent mark, which shares the dot-handling quirk, and H with accent. For consonant marks, see G with an accent mark, K with accent, and typing F with accents.
For the full picture, read our complete guide to typing accented letters, browse every accented-letter guide, or click your way through any variant with the accent keyboard tool.
Frequently asked questions
Why does í look fine in Word but break as a box on my website?
Word substitutes a font that has the glyph, so it always shows. A web page uses whatever font your CSS specifies, and if that font lacks the character it renders a box. Add a fallback font that covers Latin Extended-A, and make sure the page is served as UTF-8.
Can I type ī or į with a Windows Alt code?
No. The macron ī, breve ĭ, ogonek į, and their capitals have no Windows Alt code. Use Word’s method (type the hex value like 012B, then press Alt+X), Character Map, or paste from the copy widget on this page.
My search will not find a name with í in it. What is wrong?
The stored text and your search term are probably using different Unicode normalizations, one precomposed and one combining. They look the same but count as different characters. Retype the accented letter using the precomposed version from the table, or use a search that normalizes both sides.
How do I type a capital accented I like Í or Ï?
Capitals have their own codes, so use Alt+0205 for Í or Alt+0207 for Ï on Windows. On Mac, add Shift to the letter step: Option+E then Shift+I gives Í. Never expect Shift plus a lowercase Alt code to produce the capital.
What is the difference between ı and İ?
ı is a lowercase i with no dot, and İ is a capital I with a dot on top. They are a matched pair used in Turkish and Azerbaijani, where the presence or absence of the dot changes the letter. Both are separate Unicode characters and need the Word Alt+X or Character Map route, since neither has an Alt code.
Why did my phone give me a color emoji-style letter instead of plain text?
It did not. Accented letters are plain text characters with no emoji version, so ì í î ï and the rest always render as normal glyphs. If one looks unusual, it is a font difference, not an emoji, and switching to a standard system font fixes it.
Is there one keyboard shortcut that works in Slack, Discord and Notion?
No app-specific shortcut exists in those tools. Type the letter with your operating system method and it carries in, or paste it. For frequent use, set a system-wide text replacement so every app, including Slack, Discord, Notion, and Canva, inherits the same shortcut.