German Character Keyboard Shortcuts

Not really directly related to the main part of the page, but a useful note for typing all that German homework.

UK and US keyboards do not include keys for characters with an umlaut (ä, ö, ü) or the ß character.

Windows contains two shortcuts to type these characters

Method 1 - from inside Word
Hold down the <Ctrl> key and press the colon (:). Remember that on most UK keyboards the <Shift> key must be held down to type a colon, so press <Ctrl> and <Shift> and the key with the colon. Release these keys and then press the letter you want to type with an umlaut.
To type ß, hold down <Ctrl> and press the & key - <Shift> usually required. Release these keys and then type lower case s.

Method 2 - from any Windows Application
Hold down the <Alt> key and type the following 4 digit code on the numeric keypad. It doesn't work if you type the numbers on the number keys arranged in a row along the top of the keyboard. Note: The Num Lock must be on for this to work.