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When I type the letter "e" with an accent, on MS Word, using the "ALT+138" shortcut, it types the letter twice

Marina CHECRI 20 Reputation points
2025-12-01T08:25:10.18+00:00

When I type the letter "e" with an accent, on MS Word, using the "ALT+138" shortcut, it types the letter twice, as soon as i hit any following key or character.

Please help

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows
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AI answer

2025-12-01T08:25:22.36+00:00

It sounds like you might be experiencing an issue with the keyboard settings or the way Microsoft Word is interpreting the ALT key combinations. Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the issue:

  1. Check Keyboard Layout: Ensure that your keyboard layout is set correctly to match your physical keyboard. Sometimes, incorrect settings can lead to unexpected behavior.
  2. Use Different Shortcuts: Instead of using ALT codes, try using the built-in shortcuts for accented characters in Word. For example, you can type "é" by pressing Ctrl + ', then release and press e.
  3. Check for Sticky Keys: Make sure that the Sticky Keys feature is not enabled in Windows, as this can cause issues with key presses being registered multiple times.
  4. Update Microsoft Word: Ensure that your Microsoft Word is up to date, as updates can fix bugs and improve functionality.
  5. Reinstall Keyboard Drivers: If the issue persists, consider reinstalling your keyboard drivers through the Device Manager in Windows.

If none of these solutions work, you may want to reach out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

References:

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  1. Stefan Blom 341K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-12-01T19:36:54.2466667+00:00

    In the TechCommunity forum, it has been reported that the duplication of an inserted character can be caused by the "Show text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard" option (Windows Settings > Time & language > Typing). This is recently mentioned in the thread at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/word/accents--characters-using-altcode-appear-twice-on-word/4122408 .

    The fix is to turn off the option.

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  2. Suzanne S Barnhill 277.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-12-01T12:26:22.64+00:00

    As Stefan says, there are other methods specific to Word:

    1. Press Ctrl+' (apostrophe), then e (or E to get É).
    2. Type 00e9, then press Alt+X.

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  3. Stefan Blom 341K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-12-01T10:28:08.97+00:00

    Alt+0233 should produce é (make sure that NUMLOCK is enabled before pressing the shortcut). You can verify this in the Character Map, which can be started from the Windows Start menu.

    Your keyboard usually offers other ways, but the details may be vary depending on the keyboard language (input language) on your system.

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