I've found multiple sources that indicate I can still use a keyboard shortcut to insert the Em Dash (such as by holding down the Alt key and pressing 0151.
I've found multiple sources that indicate I can still use a keyboard shortcut to insert the Em Dash (such as by holding down the Alt key and pressing 0151. En Dash: A Quick and Simple Guide March 19, 2017 July 18, 2011 by Vappingo In the battle of the em dash vs. The en dash it is critical that writers are aware of the major differences between the two punctuation marks and that they ensure they use them correctly and in the appropriate format in their written documents. Windows tends to be a little less friendly to dash admirers, but things have gotten better with the release of its own emoji keyboard — it’s actually got a somewhat convenient shortcut for em.
After writing about how the n-dash and m-dash are used, I thought I should add something about how to insert the n-dash and m-dash quickly in Microsoft Word.
Microsoft Word can create the n-dash and m-dash automatically while you type.
Em Dash Shortcut Mac
N-dash (or ‘en dash’)
Automatically created in Word when you type “something – something” (word-space-hyphen-space-word).
M-dash (or ’em dash’)
Automatically created in Word when you type “something–something” (word-hyphen-hyphen-word).
But if you miss an n-dash while you type – or if you want to add one later when editing text – it is not easy to get the dash that you want.
An easy way to insert an n-dash or m-dash in Microsoft Word:
Create easy keyboard shortcuts for the characters.
Word has default shortcut key combinations for special characters, but I find them hard to remember and hard to reach with my fingers. The method below lets you assign new shortcuts that are easy to type (and easy to remember).
How-to:
(These instructions should work fine for old and new versions of Microsoft Word. The only one I haven’t tried is Office 360 – thanks for any comments from Office 360 users!)
- Go to Insert –> Symbol –> More Symbols
- Find the m-dash in the character map, or just click on the ‘special characters’ tab and they should be at the top.
- Choose m-dash then click ‘shortcut key’.
- In the field titled ‘press new shortcut key’ enter a convenient key combination – I use ‘alt m’ for the m-dash and ‘alt n’ for the n-dash because they are easy to remember and easy to type.
- Click ‘assign’ (this is IMPORTANT – if you don’t click ‘assign’, the shortcut won’t be created and you’ll need to start again).
- Click ‘close’.
Repeat the steps for the n-dash (and any other special characters you tend to use).
Now it is easy to type the n-dash or m-dash with a quick keyboard command.
Another method for inserting n-dash and m-dash, already built into Word:
If you have a full keyboard with a number pad (not just numbers at the top), you can click ‘Ctrl – minus’ for the n-dash and ‘Alt – Ctrl – minus’ for the m-dash.
More about the n-dash and m-dash:
by C.K. MacLeod
Updated on January 14, 2017.
Em Dash Shortcut Dell
I have all-in-one laptop that weighs the same as a tablet. It’s a marvel of a machine except for one thing: because it doesn’t have a numeric keypad (less keyboard = better portability), I cannot create em dashes (—) and en dashes (–) in my usual way.
(You know there are three kinds of dashes in written English, right? Use them correctly in your writing and you will impress a copyeditor!)
1. Use built-in keyboard shortcuts.
On a regular-size keyboard with a number keypad, I can use keyboard shortcuts to create em dashes and en dashes:
- Em dash (—): Alt+0151
- En dash (–): Alt+0150
In Microsoft Word:
- Em dash (—): Alt+Ctrl+ - (minus)
- En dash (–): Ctrl + - (minus)
Mac users use these shortcuts:*
- Em dash (—): Shift-Alt-hyphen or Command + M
- En dash (–): Alt-hyphen
My usual keyboard shortcuts don’t work on my portable laptop, though. Here are few workarounds:
2. Plug in a full-size external keyboard or keypad.
This option will only be appealing to you if you tend to use your laptop like a desktop.
For editing documents, I like to plug my laptop into a massive monitor and attach a wireless mouse and full-size keyboard, complete with a number keypad.
Alternatively, you can plug in a portable USB number keypad and use your laptop keyboard and touchpad. With this set-up, there are no problems creating em and en dashes in my usual way—using Alt codes.
But what if you prefer to use your laptop on-the-go, as it’s intended? Read on…
3. Use Unicode character codes.
Most compact PC laptop keyboards won’t allow you to use Alt codes to create em dashes and en dashes, but you can use Unicode character codes in most instances:
- Em dash: 2014+Alt+x
- En dash: 2013+Alt+x
You can look up other Unicode character codes here.
Note: Keyboard shortcuts using Unicode character codes don’t work in Scrivener, Gmail, or Google docs. For these programs, try one of the options that follow.
4. Use your word processor’s built-in autocorrect function.
In Google Docs, if you type two hyphens followed by a space, those two hyphens will be changed to an em dash. Out of the box, Word and Scrivener will do the same.
There isn’t an autocorrect option out of the box for an en dash, though. So, you can try this:
In Word 2010 and up, go to Tools, Options, Proofing, and click on the AutoCorrect Options button.
Select the AutoCorrect tab and add these keyboard shortcuts:
- Replace: .em With: —
- Replace .en With: –
Now each time you type .em (dot em) in Microsoft Word, it will be replaced by an em dash, and .en will give you an en dash.
If you want to do the same in Scrivener, go to Tool, Options, Corrections, Edit Substitutions. In Google Docs, go to Tools, Preferences.
5. Use your operating system’s character map.
Using you operating system’s search function, type in “character map.” A grid with symbols will pop up, and you can select the em dash or en dash and copy and paste it into your document. In Scrivener, you can access your operating system’s character map by going to Edit, Character Map. In Word 2010 and up, you’ll need to go to Insert, Symbol. In Google Docs, go to Insert, Special Characters.
Be Efficient
There are many ways to create em dashes and en dashes on your laptop. If your only option is to use the character map (the least efficient option), consider inserting two hyphens for em dashes in your document for now. You can then use your word processor’s find and replace function to replace the hyphens with the correct symbol later.
Do you use a Mac? Let us know how you insert em dashes and en dashes into your writing in the comments section below.
*Thanks to John Espirian and Geri J. for suggesting keyboard shortcuts for Mac users.
Image by Dennis Skley