option-u umlauts no longer work

Question

option-u umlauts no longer work

I used to use the option keys for accent marks all the time. But a while ago the option-us umlaut stopped working. None of the others. I’ve been using the symbols panel to get the letters, but I figured it’s time to ask why it stopped working. This has been through a number of system upgrades, more than one physical keyboard, and independent of font. TextEdit, FileMaker.

On the iPad with the press and hold I get them fine, but on my desktop Mac with a real keyboard it slows me down. Why this one key?

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Aug 16, 2019 9:47 AM

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Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,072 points

Aug 16, 2019 10:14 AM in response to MisterShatter

The diaeresis u (ü) works on my Apple extended keyboard using the ABC, U.S., and U.S. extended input sources when combining option+u and u. You can find all of the diaeresis family by searching for the string dia in the character viewer.

As why your traditional option+u + u sequence no longer works, you either inadvertently selected another input source that does not support the keyboard sequence, assigned that keyboard sequence to something else, or you have burned out the u key on your keyboard. Another fallback would be to use the ü in the Keyboard's text replacement, where it is supported by applications in their Edit menu : Substitutions sub-menu.

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Answer 2

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

121,962 points

Aug 16, 2019 10:26 AM in response to MisterShatter

MisterShatter wrote:

a while ago the option-us umlaut stopped working. None of the others.

So option` for grave, option i for circumflex, option n for tilde, option e for acute all still work just fine?

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Answer 3

Aug 16, 2019 11:14 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Everything works. éîàñ. But it's u and o. Even when I use the keyboard viewer, hold the option key shows the keys in orange, but after the option e, the proper keys have accented letters--but not the umlaut.

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Answer 4

Aug 16, 2019 11:28 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks to your post, I tried a couple of things I didn't try before: I went from Automatic By Language to just US English, and then back, but no go. I don't assign keystrokes as a rule, but I checked and there's nothing there. And as I said in my post I've replaced my physical keyboard.

The emoji & symbols pane gives me the üöäÜ, so that's what I use, but calling it up is a pain.

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Answer 5

Aug 16, 2019 2:25 PM in response to Lexiepex

OK, here's where it get's nuts. The pop-up shows up just the way you said. I hit the solved button. Then I go back to my TextEdit page--and no umlaut on the u. I try it again--and while the letter changes when I make the selection in the pop-up--the letter reverts back to the non-umlaut when I let go. It doesn't just ignore umlauts--it destroys them.

You've got to believe that I'm not making this up.

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Answer 6

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,072 points

Aug 16, 2019 3:13 PM in response to MisterShatter

You need to either type the number 2, use the arrow key to navigate to the ü (with CR), or use the cursor to select item 2 — from the preceding press and hold character array to get the character to set the ü in the current input paradigm.

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