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How to add special characters in Google Docs and LibreOffice
On occasion, my writing may get a bit über cliché. When that happens, I need to be able to add the likes of an acute accent (such as é) and an umlaut (ü) to correctly spell certain words.
If I'm working with MacOS, it's really easy to add those characters by pressing and holding the corresponding key and selecting the special character you need.
Also: How to convert documents to e-books the easy way
However, not all operating systems offer such a feature. Yes, there are third-party applications you can add to make it possible to insert special characters from a standard keyboard. However, typing finger-bending keyboard shortcuts or memorizing complicated Unicode for characters isn't exactly the most efficient method of adding special characters to your documents.
Adding an accent in MacOS is incredibly easy.
Fortunately, most office suites include the ability to add special characters without having to memorize key combinations or Unicode. In fact, most of these features behave in a similar fashion. Take, for instance, Google Docs and LibreOffice, both of which offer a very similar route to adding special characters. Without having to install any third-party extensions, you can easily insert special characters into your documents.
Let me show you how.
How to insert special characters in Google Docs
What you'll need: The only thing you'll need for this is a valid Google account.
1. Open or create the document
The first thing you must do is log into Google Docs (or Google Drive).
Also: How to organize your Google Drive: 5 tips to know
Then, open or create a new document that requires the use of special characters.
2. Open the Special characters picker
From within the Google Document, click Insert > Special characters to open the Special character picker.
Opening the Google Docs character picker is done through the Insert menu.
3. Find your type
By default, the character picker is in the Symbol selection, where you can add various arrows and other symbols. If you click the far left drop-down, you can select from the different types available. For example, the é and ü characters are found in the Latin type, so from the Symbol drop-down, select Latin.
The search tool simplifies finding the character you need.
4. Add the required character
Once you're in the Latin character type, scroll through and find the character you want to add and single-click it. If you're having trouble locating the character, type the associated letter in the search field to filter out all other characters.
Also: How to use Letter Wizard in LibreOffice (and why you should)
If you still don't find the character you're looking for, switch types and keep looking. When you're finished, close the character picker and you're done.
The Latin type houses plenty of commonly-used special characters.
One of the nice things about the character picker is that it will remain on the type you've chosen until you close the document you're working on. That means if you have to go back and add similar characters, it'll take one less step to accomplish.
How to insert special characters in LibreOffice
What you'll need: The only thing you'll need for this is LibreOffice installed on any supported platform (Linux, MacOS, or Windows).
1. Open or create a LibreOffice document
Open LibreOffice and then either open the document to be used or create a new one.
2. Open the character picker
Similar to Google Docs, click Insert > Special character.
3. Locate and add the special character
This is done in the same way as Google Docs. The only difference is that LibreOffice defaults to Basic Latin as the type (named Character block in LibreOffice).
Also: How to create a LibreOffice template
Once the character picker is open, scroll through and locate the character you need or type the associated letter in the search field. Once you find the character in question, double-click to add it to the document.
Adding special characters in LibreOffice is very similar to that of Google Docs.
And that's all there is to adding special characters in both Google Docs and LibreOffice. You may never have a need for this but when you do, you'll be glad you know how it's done.