Typing Romanian becomes much easier once you know how to enter the five letters that do not appear on a standard English keyboard:

• Ă ă
• Â â
• Î î
• Ș ș
• Ț ț

Whether you use a Mac or Windows PC, the best long-term solution is usually to add a Romanian keyboard layout. If you only type Romanian occasionally, both operating systems also provide quicker alternatives.

This guide shows you the easiest methods for macOS and Windows, including keyboard setup, accent menus, Alt codes, character tools, and simple backup options.

TL;DR

For regular Romanian typing, use the Romanian keyboard layout.

For occasional typing:

• Mac: press-and-hold or Character Viewer
• Windows: Alt codes or copy-paste

And always use the modern Romanian letters Ș / Ț with comma below, not the older cedilla forms.

Romanian alphabet pronunciation hub

If you also want to hear how Romanian letters sound, use our pronunciation guide alongside your typing practice.

Explore the practice hub →

The Romanian letters you need

Modern Romanian uses five letters with diacritics:

You will see them constantly in Romanian words such as:

• mână — hand
• română — Romanian
• în — in
• școală — school
• țară — country

Learning to type them correctly is worth doing early if you are studying Romanian regularly.

Important: use Ș and Ț with a comma below

The correct modern Romanian letters are:

• Ș ș
• Ț ț

Avoid the older cedilla versions:

• Ş ş
• Ţ ţ

They can look almost identical depending on the font, but they are different Unicode characters.

For modern Romanian writing, use the comma-below forms.

This matters especially when:

• searching dictionaries
• copying text between apps
• using text-to-speech
• processing text programmatically
• studying spelling accurately

A proper Romanian keyboard layout normally gives you the correct characters automatically.

How to type Romanian letters on Mac

For macOS users, there are four practical methods.

The best one depends on how often you type Romanian.

Method 1: Add the Romanian keyboard on Mac

This is the best solution if you type Romanian regularly.

On recent versions of macOS:

1. Open System Settings
2. Select Keyboard
3. Find Text Input
4. Click Edit
5. Click +
6. Search for Romanian
7. Add the Romanian input source

After adding it, you can switch between your normal keyboard and Romanian from the Input menu in the menu bar.

Depending on your keyboard settings, you can also use a keyboard shortcut to switch input sources.

Why the Romanian layout is best

A dedicated layout lets you:

• type Romanian directly
• avoid constantly copying characters
• use the correct Ș and Ț
• write longer Romanian texts much faster
• build muscle memory over time

If Romanian is part of your regular language study, this is the method I recommend.

Use Keyboard Viewer to learn the Mac layout

When you first add Romanian, you may not know where every special character is located.

macOS includes Keyboard Viewer, which displays the active keyboard layout on screen.

It is useful because you can see:

• Romanian character positions
• Shift combinations
• Option-key combinations
• how the layout changes when modifier keys are pressed

This is especially helpful during your first few days using the Romanian keyboard.

Method 2: Use the Mac press-and-hold accent menu

If you only need Romanian occasionally, you may not need to switch keyboard layouts.

In many Mac apps, pressing and holding a letter opens an accent menu.

For example, depending on the app and input source, holding a letter may give you alternate accented forms.

This is useful for:

• short emails
• notes
• messages
• occasional Romanian words

When press-and-hold is useful

Choose this method if:

• you mostly type in English
• you only write a few Romanian words at a time
• you do not want to learn a second keyboard layout

Limitation

Press-and-hold is slower when writing full Romanian sentences.

If you find yourself using Romanian every day, switch to the proper Romanian keyboard instead.

Method 3: Use Character Viewer on Mac

Character Viewer is a reliable fallback when you cannot remember how to type a particular character.

You can normally open it with:

Control + Command + Space

Then search for or select the Romanian character you need.

You can also copy these directly if necessary:

ă â î ș ț

Ă Â Î Ș Ț

Character Viewer is especially useful for:

• checking Unicode characters
• correcting an incorrectly typed letter
• inserting a character into a document
• occasional Romanian typing

Which Mac method should you use?

For most serious learners:

Romanian keyboard + Keyboard Viewer is the best combination.

How to type Romanian letters on Windows

Windows also supports a Romanian keyboard layout, and this should be your first choice if you type the language frequently.

Method 1: Add the Romanian keyboard on Windows

On current Windows versions:

1. Open Settings
2. Select Time & language
3. Open Language & region
4. Add Romanian / Română if it is not already installed
5. Open the language options
6. Add the Romanian keyboard layout

Once installed, you can normally switch keyboard layouts with:

Windows + Space

You can then move between English, Romanian, and any other installed input languages.

Why this method is best

The Romanian layout lets you:

• type without interrupting your workflow
• enter the correct Romanian characters
• stop memorizing codes
• write longer Romanian text naturally

If you study Romanian regularly, learning the layout is much more efficient than relying on Alt codes.

Method 2: Use Windows Alt codes

Alt codes can be useful when you cannot change the keyboard layout.

They are especially helpful on:

• work computers
• shared machines
• older software
• systems where installing another input language is inconvenient

Common Romanian characters can be entered using numeric codes.

The exact way Windows applications handle Alt-code input can vary, so the Romanian keyboard layout is still more reliable for everyday use.

When Alt codes make sense

Use them when:

• you cannot install Romanian
• you only need one or two characters
• you are working on a restricted machine

They are less practical for writing paragraphs.

Method 3: Copy and paste Romanian letters

For occasional typing, copy-paste is perfectly acceptable.

Save this somewhere convenient:

ă â î ș ț

Ă Â Î Ș Ț

This works well for:

• quick searches
• short messages
• usernames
• correcting text
• one-off documents

It is not a good long-term learning method because it prevents you from becoming comfortable with the keyboard.

Method 4: Use a browser-based Romanian keyboard

If you are on a public computer or cannot change system settings, an online keyboard can be useful.

The basic workflow is:

1. Type Romanian in the browser tool
2. Copy the finished text
3. Paste it into your document or app

This is convenient for temporary situations but unnecessary if you control your own computer.

Which Windows method should you use?

Again, the full Romanian keyboard is the best long-term option.

Mac vs Windows: which is easier for Romanian typing?

Both operating systems handle Romanian well once the correct input language is installed.

There is no major advantage to either operating system.

The important thing is simply to set up Romanian input correctly instead of relying on workarounds forever.

Common problems and fixes

My Ș and Ț look wrong

Check whether you accidentally typed:

Ş / Ţ

instead of:

Ș / Ț

The first pair uses cedilla-like characters.

The second pair uses the correct Romanian comma-below characters.

If you are unsure, switch to an official Romanian keyboard layout and retype the word.

I cannot find Romanian on my Mac

Go back to:

System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input

and add Romanian as an input source.

If you have multiple languages installed, also make sure the Input menu is enabled so you can see which layout is active.

I cannot find Romanian on Windows

Open:

Settings → Time & language → Language & region

and check whether Romanian has been installed.

After adding it, use:

Windows + Space

to switch layouts.

The Mac accent menu does not appear

Some applications handle key presses differently.

If press-and-hold does not work reliably, use:

• Romanian keyboard
• Character Viewer

instead.

Windows Alt codes are not working

Alt-code behavior can depend on:

• the application
• numeric keypad availability
• Num Lock
• Windows input settings

If you find yourself troubleshooting codes repeatedly, installing the Romanian layout is usually easier.

Why typing Romanian correctly matters

Romanian diacritics are not decorative.

They are part of the normal spelling system.

Correct typing helps with:

• reading
• writing
• dictionary searches
• pronunciation study
• text-to-speech
• search engines
• language-learning tools

For example, writing Romanian without diacritics may still be understandable informally, but learners should become comfortable with the correct forms:

ă, â, î, ș, ț

Using them from the beginning reinforces accurate spelling.

Practice Romanian typing with real words

Once your keyboard is configured, do not practice the letters only in isolation.

Try common Romanian words:

Typing whole words helps you remember where the characters are much faster than repeatedly typing:

ă â î ș ț

Connect typing with pronunciation

Typing becomes much more useful when you also know what the letters sound like.

For example:

• ă has its own Romanian vowel sound
• â and î represent the same vowel sound in modern Romanian but appear in different spelling positions
• ș sounds similar to English sh
• ț sounds similar to ts

For a complete pronunciation guide, continue with:

Romanian Alphabet Pronunciation

Which method is best overall?

If you only remember one thing from this guide, use this rule:

If you type Romanian often

Install the Romanian keyboard.

If you type Romanian occasionally on Mac

Use:

• press-and-hold
• Character Viewer

If you type Romanian occasionally on Windows

Use:

• Alt codes
• copy-paste

If you are on a restricted computer

Use:

• Character Viewer / Character Map
• browser-based typing
• copy-paste

The correct tool depends on how frequently you write Romanian.

Frequently asked questions

What are the special Romanian letters?

Romanian uses five letters with diacritics:

Ă, Â, Î, Ș, and Ț

Their lowercase forms are:

ă, â, î, ș, and ț

How do I type Romanian letters on a Mac?

For regular use, add Romanian under System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input.

For occasional typing, use the accent menu or Character Viewer.

How do I type Romanian letters on Windows?

Add Romanian through Settings → Time & language → Language & region and switch keyboards with Windows + Space.

For occasional use, Alt codes or copy-paste can work as backups.

What is the difference between Ș and Ş?

Ș is the correct modern Romanian character and uses a comma below.

Ş is the older cedilla form.

The same distinction applies to:

Ț vs Ţ

Use Ș and Ț for modern Romanian writing.

Can I write Romanian without diacritics?

Romanian is sometimes typed without diacritics in informal situations, especially when a suitable keyboard is unavailable.

However, learners should use the correct letters whenever possible because diacritics are part of standard Romanian spelling.

Final thoughts

Typing Romanian is straightforward once you set up the right input method.

Both Mac and Windows already provide good solutions, so you do not need to rely permanently on copy-paste or special codes.

For regular writing:

Install the Romanian keyboard.

For occasional typing:

• Mac users can use press-and-hold or Character Viewer
• Windows users can use Alt codes or copy-paste

Most importantly, make sure you are typing the correct modern forms:

Ă Â Î Ș Ț

Once these letters become part of your normal keyboard workflow, Romanian typing stops feeling like a technical task and starts feeling like ordinary writing.