Em Dash Shortcut (—)
To type an em dash (—): press ⌥⇧- (Option+Shift+Hyphen) on a Mac, or hold Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad on Windows. Here are the em dash, en dash and hyphen side by side.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Em dash — | ⌥⇧- | Alt+0151 | |
| En dash – | ⌥- | Alt+0150 | |
| Hyphen - | - | - | |
| Em dash (copy) | — | — |
The em dash on Mac vs Windows
The em dash (—) is the long dash used to break a sentence — like this. On a Mac press ⌥⇧- (Option + Shift + Hyphen). On Windows, hold Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. The Alt code needs a real number pad — on a laptop without one, copy the — above or use your app's Insert > Symbol menu.
Em dash vs en dash vs hyphen
Three dashes, three lengths and three jobs. The hyphen (-) joins words (well-known). The en dash (–, ⌥- / Alt+0150) marks ranges (10–20). The em dash (—) sets off a phrase. Word and Google Docs also auto-convert two hyphens (--) into an em dash as you type.
FAQ
What is the em dash shortcut?
On a Mac press ⌥⇧- (Option+Shift+Hyphen). On Windows hold Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.
How do I type an em dash without a number pad?
Copy the — from this page, or in Word/Docs type two hyphens (--) between words and let autoformat convert them. On Mac ⌥⇧- always works, no number pad needed.
What is the difference between an em dash and an en dash?
The em dash (—) is longer and sets off a phrase; the en dash (–) is shorter and marks ranges like 10–20. On Windows they are Alt+0151 and Alt+0150.