Linux Insert unicode characters in KDE using Ctrl + Shift + U

The keyboard key combination of Ctrl + Shift + U allows special characters to be inserted in a text editor in GNOME. For example, Ctrl + Shift + U followed by 00e9 will produce é.

Ish Sookun

Ish Sookun

1 min read
Feature image from deliciousbrains.com
Feature image from deliciousbrains.com

Linux users familiar with the GNOME desktop must know this shortcut to insert special characters using code points from the Unicode Standard chart of diacritical marks, i.e as most commonly called, accents.

Special characters are very handy when typing in French
Special characters are very handy when typing in French

I have seen a lot of posts where users are asking how to get a similar shortcut in KDE or other desktop environments.

The unicode shortcut, Ctrl + Shift + U, to insert special characters isn't a built-in feature in GNOME. It is a feature available from IBus, an input framework for Linux. Installing it along KDE or any other desktop environment will provide the feature. Use your distro's package manager to search for ibus and install the appropriate packages.