Em dash (—) is a versatile punctuation mark in writing, but there’s no dedicated keyboard shortcut or key to insert it in macOS or Windows. If you frequently use em dashes while typing, here are some easy ways to quickly insert them into your text.
How to Type an Em Dash on a Mac
Typing an em dash on a Mac is actually pretty easy. All you need to do is pressOption + Shift + Dash (-)to insert an em dash. And if you need to insert an en dash, pressOption + Dash (-)instead. It’s a simple process and works system-wide.
You can also use the Character Viewer app on your Mac to insert an em dash into your text. Go toEdit > Emoji & Symbolsfrom the menu bar and click the small character viewer icon in the upper-right corner. Then, select thePunctuationtab, locate the em dash symbol, and double-click it to insert it.
Alternatively, you’re able to automate this process using thetext replacement feature in macOS. To do this:
Alternatively, you can go toSettings > Keyboardand clickEditnext toInput Sources. Then, turn on theUse smart quotes and dashesoption and clickDone. Now, you can enter a hyphen twice to insert an em dash in the Notes app and other text editors.
How to Type an Em Dash on Windows
Typing an em dash on Windows can be tricky, depending on where you want to use it. Native Windows apps like Word offer a more convenient way to type an em dash with two hyphens, but this is not applicable system-wide.
If your keyboard has a numpad, press and hold theAltkey, then type0151 (Alt + 0151)to insert an em dash. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work with the top number row.
Another way to insert an em dash is touse the emoji panel in Windows. To do this, pressWin + .(period) to bring up the emoji panel. Some keyboards have a dedicated emoji hotkey to launch the emoji panel. Then, scroll down to theSymbolssection and click on the em dash to insert it. Alternatively, you can navigate to theSymbolstab to locate more symbols.
On native Windows apps such as Microsoft Word and Outlook, you may insert an em dash by putting two hyphens between two words.
The good old Character Map app is another way to insert an em dash in Windows. ClickStart, typeCharacter Map, and open it from the search results. Now, scroll down and select theem dashsymbol. Then, clickCopy.
Despite the various ways to type an em dash on Windows, only the emoji panel method works across all apps. A quicker way involves using a keyboard shortcut manager likeClavier+tocreate custom keyboard shortcutsand insert an em dash (or any other symbol) right from your keyboard.
Considering how often one may have to use an em dash or even an en dash while typing, Windows certainly makes it a bit difficult. But we hope these tips helped you type an em dash without having to copy and paste it from another source, no matter what platform you’re on.
