How to type, compose documents in French using UniKey on your computer

In addition to using French keyboards available on the market, readers can apply some basic tricks and tips to type in French on their computer, one of the simplest methods is typing in French using UniKey.

Make sure to install the latest version of UniKey for the best support from the typing tool and character set. Detailed instructions on installing UniKey or how to use some character sets have been shared by Mytour in many previous articles.

Typing French with UniKey on a computer

Method 1: Using the structure of a standard French keyboard.

By default, users cannot directly type in French on Word or other text editors without a keyboard with French characters and supporting typing tools. However, in the absence of those, you can still use the UniKey tool to type in French easily.

Step 1: Access the settings for adding a new language on your computer. Go to Control Panel on your computer. In this article, Mytour accessed Control Panel on Win 10. Click on Clock, Language, and Regional

Step 2: Next, click to select the Add a language option to proceed with adding a language on your computer.

Step 3: Click on Add a language > Press the F key to quickly locate the French keyboard format.

There are quite a few different keyboard formats available for French-speaking countries, so for the most accurate option, you should choose French (the keyboard of the French). Press Add to add it.

Select French > Open

Click to select the French language (original French) > Press Add.

After installing the French typing tool on your computer.

Step 4: To enable the French typing tool on Windows, you click on the keyboard icon with the ENG or VIE symbol depending on the language you have downloaded to your computer, then select the FRA typing tool.

Below is a simulated image of a complete French keyboard

Illustration of a French keyboard

For users of French keyboards on laptops, the image below can be referenced.

Method 2: Using shortcut keys and symbols in Word to type French with Unikey

For this method, you only need to remember some special character input formats. In general, French writing isn't much different from English, with only a few variations in punctuation systems.

Below is a chart of shortcut keys that users can memorize to type special characters in French.

Note: (_) represents a space.

As mentioned earlier, you can also utilize the system of available characters in Word to easily type French with Unikey.

Step 1:  Click on the Insert tab >Symbol.

Step 2: Click on More Symbols to open the additional character interface in Word.

Select the Subset option as Latin-1 or Latin-1 Supplement.

Choose any French character you want to insert, then press Insert to insert it.

If you want to assign shortcuts for those characters to type faster, click on the Shortcut Key… option.

Step 3: With the selected character, you can freely assign a shortcut key by clicking on the Press new shortcut key option and entering the desired key combination. Press Assign to assign it and click Close to exit.

And here are the results after users utilize Word characters to type French with Unikey on their computers.

Typing French with Unikey or various other language input methods is quite straightforward, isn't it? There are also other methods like using character systems or shortcuts, but generally, they are not as fast and convenient as memorizing the keyboard character system to type French with Unikey on a computer.

Unikey, Vietkey, or many other GoTiengViet software are considered excellent tools for users to type in their native language. However, for those who need to type in other languages such as French with Unikey on a computer, Unikey, Vietkey can assist them. Of course, many people apply Unikey shortcuts to quickly type French phrases but not effectively. Similar to typing Vietnamese without Unikey, the method shared above by Mytour is also similar; users only need to download the typing tool for each language they desire.

Wishing you all success ahead!