press and hold keys to get accents, etc., does not work anymore

Question

I used to hold down a key to get choices for multiple accents such as e é è ê, etc. This feature no longer works. How to restore it?

(one possible issue: I upgraded to macOS Catalina 10.15.3 recently. Since then, this feature does not work.

I've tried every possible solution, even the command in Terminal... all to no avail.)

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.15

Posted on Apr 2, 2020 12:56 PM

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Answer 1

Community Specialist

Hello missingaccents,

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities, and it appears that the accents are not appearing as alternatives. I'll do what I can to help.

Check the preferences for the keyboard to be sure modifier keys are set to their defaults. You can do this from the Apple () menu then System Preferences > Keyboard > Modifier Keys... > Restore Defaults.
Restart your Mac from the Apple () menu then Restart.
To narrow it down, also be sure to check your Mac in safe mode: How to use safe mode on your Mac You can also try a new user as well: How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac
- If it only happens in your user and not in safe mode, try removing login items: Open items automatically when you log in on Mac
- If it happens in both safe mode and a new user, back up your Mac and reinstall macOS using Recovery: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery

Thanks.

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