What it does
Holdkey is a Windows typing utility that shows character variants when a letter is held, with additional input combinations in Pro.
Hold a letter for about half a second to display its variants, then choose the accented character. That is the basic Holdkey Free workflow. Holdkey Pro adds extended combinations, including entering an accent twice before typing the letter. The Windows editions therefore differ in how characters can be entered, rather than simply changing the size of a character list. The official page also offers a 30-day Pro trial through Microsoft Store.
Strengths
- Variants shown from a held base letter
Watch out for
- Additional input combinations require Pro
Best for
- Occasional accented characters while typing on Windows
Sources
- Holdkey, Extended keyboard software, No more Alt Codes (Oct 26, 2026)