How to Type Em Dash (—) on Windows, Mac, iPhone and in Word
The em dash (—) is the long dash writers use to set off a thought, but there’s no key for it on most keyboards. Here’s how to type em dash characters on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, Chromebook, Microsoft Word and Google Docs, with the fastest shortcut for each. Or just copy it from here: —
Quick answer: On a Mac press Option + Shift + Hyphen. On Windows hold Alt and type 0151 on the number pad, or press Windows + . (period) and pick — from the Symbols tab. In Microsoft Word press Ctrl + Alt + Minus (on the number pad). On iPhone and Android, press and hold the hyphen key and slide to the long dash.
Table of Contents
How to type em dash on Windows
Alt code: Alt + 0151
- Turn on Num Lock.
- Hold down Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad (not the number row).
- Release Alt and the — appears.
The en dash (–) is Alt + 0150.
No number pad? Use the emoji and symbols panel
- Press Windows + . (period) or Windows + ; (semicolon).
- Click the Symbols tab (the Ω icon), then General Punctuation.
- Click —. Windows remembers it under recently used symbols.
Laptop users can also use Character Map (search “Character Map” in Start) and copy the em dash from there.
How to type an em dash in Microsoft Word
- Ctrl + Alt + Minus on the number pad types an em dash. Ctrl + Minus types an en dash.
- Unicode trick: type 2014 and press Alt + X. Word turns the code into —. This also works in Outlook and WordPad.
- AutoCorrect: type a word, two hyphens and another word with no spaces (word–word), then a space. Word replaces the hyphens with an em dash.
- Menu: Insert, Symbol, More Symbols, Special Characters, Em Dash. You can assign your own shortcut here.
The same Alt + X trick types other symbols too, like the rupee sign: see how to type the rupee symbol ₹ on any keyboard.
How to type em dash on a Mac
- Option + Shift + Hyphen types an em dash (—).
- Option + Hyphen types an en dash (–).
- Or press Control + Command + Space, search “dash” in the Character Viewer and double-click —.
Pages, TextEdit and many Mac apps also turn two hyphens into an em dash if Smart Dashes is on (Edit, Substitutions, Smart Dashes).
Em dash on iPhone and Android
- iPhone and iPad: open the number keyboard (123), press and hold the hyphen key, and slide to the longest dash (—). With Smart Punctuation on (Settings, General, Keyboard), typing two hyphens also becomes an em dash.
- Android (Gboard and Samsung Keyboard): tap ?123, press and hold the hyphen key and choose —.
Em dash in Google Docs
- Open Insert, Special characters, search “em dash” and click it.
- For a shortcut, go to Tools, Preferences, Substitutions and add a rule that replaces — (or another short code) with —. Paste the — from this page into the “With” box.
- On a Mac, Option + Shift + Hyphen works in Google Docs too.
Em dash on Chromebook and Linux
Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2014, then press Space or Enter. On Linux desktops that use this Unicode input (GNOME and most others), the same shortcut works.
Em dash in HTML
Web writers can type the HTML entity — or the number code —. Both display as —. In WordPress you can also paste the character straight into the editor.
Em dash vs en dash vs hyphen
| Mark | Name | Used for | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Hyphen | Joining words (well-known) | – key | – key |
| – | En dash | Ranges (pages 10–20, 2020–2026) | Alt + 0150 | Option + Hyphen |
| — | Em dash | A break in a sentence | Alt + 0151 | Option + Shift + Hyphen |
American style usually puts no spaces around an em dash (word—word); many British publications use a spaced en dash instead (word – word). Pick one style and stay consistent.
Need other keyboard symbols? Here’s how to type the hashtag # on any keyboard.
FAQ
What is the shortcut for an em dash?
Alt + 0151 on Windows (number pad), Option + Shift + Hyphen on Mac, and Ctrl + Alt + Minus in Word.
Why doesn’t Alt + 0151 work on my laptop?
Alt codes need a numeric keypad. Laptops without one should use Windows + . (period) and the Symbols tab, or Character Map.
How do I type an em dash on iPhone?
Press and hold the hyphen key on the number keyboard and slide to the longest dash.
Is an em dash the same as two hyphens?
No. Two hyphens (–) were a typewriter stand-in. Most apps can turn them into a real em dash automatically.
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
