Windows uses what they call "alt codes," where you hold down the alt key and type a numerical code on your numeric keypad. You can find them with a search: here's one site:

https://sites.psu.edu/symbolcodes/windows/codealt/

Note that you can't just do an accent and apply it to any character (like compose). You have to put in the code for the accented character.

If you have a 105 key (EU, tall return) layout, consider changing to a layout with the ` as dead key. For example, the Irish layout is pretty much just the UK layout with dead key functionality + euro sign. `e will then type è while AltGr+e will type é.

If you have a 104 key (US, wide return) keyboard layout, you can try the US international layout. In that case, shift-~ will get you ` and you can use the same compose rules as above.

nowadays the easiest way is to google the character by its name and add "unicode", then copy-paste, unless you do it a lot.

e.g. "a acute unicode" yields https://www.compart.com/en/unicode/U+00E1

Assuming US keyboard, you can use US International as a secondary layout. That would make typing “single quote” then the letter an acute accented letter.

So ‘ then a would become á