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How to type Polish letters without switching keyboards
Type ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź and ż on an English keyboard on Mac, Windows and Linux, and why the Polish programmers layout is still not enough.
Polish has nine letters that English does not: ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź and ż. Most people in Poland type them with the Polish (Programmers) layout, which keeps the English keys and adds the Polish letters on AltGr. It works, but it is not the only way, and it is not the easiest.
On Windows
Polish (Programmers). Add Polish in Settings → Time & language → Language & region and choose the Polish (Programmers) keyboard. Then AltGr with a letter types its Polish form: AltGr + A is ą, C is ć, E is ę, L is ł, N is ń, O is ó, S is ś, Z is ż, and X is ź. AltGr is the right Alt key.
On a Mac
The Polish layout. Add Polish in System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit. It works like the Windows one, with Option in place of AltGr: Option + A is ą, Option + X is ź.
Press and hold. Hold a letter, and macOS shows its accented forms with a number under each. It is fine for a word now and then, and slow for a whole message.
On Linux
Most desktops have a Polish layout that works the same way, with AltGr. Add it in your keyboard settings.
Why people still skip them
The layout is easy to learn, but each Polish letter is two keys at once, and they come often: dzień, się, też, już. On a laptop away from home, or on a borrowed computer, the layout is not there, and many people write without the letters: dzien dobry. Everyone understands it, but it is not correct.
Type in English, get Polish
Typeet needs no second key. Keep the US layout, type dzien dobry, and when you finish each word Typeet writes dzień dobry. It checks each word against word lists for Polish and English and looks at the words around it, so zolw becomes żółw, and English words stay as they are.
Typeet works in every app, and it runs on your computer, so what you type stays there. If it changes a word you meant to keep, undo it; undo the same word often, and Typeet leaves it alone.