How To Do Long Dash On Keyboard | Em Dash Shortcut Keys

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To type a long dash on a keyboard, use Alt+0151 on Windows, Option+Shift+- on Mac, or symbol menus when shortcuts are not available.

Long dashes give writing a clean pause or aside that a simple hyphen cannot. If you write emails, reports, code comments, or blog posts on different devices, knowing how to type the long dash (the em dash) without hunting through menus saves time and keeps your text consistent.

This guide shows you how to do a long dash on keyboard layouts for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux, and phone keyboards. You will also see a quick reference table, app-specific tricks, and fixes when shortcuts refuse to work.

What Is The Long Dash On A Keyboard

On most keyboards, you only see a single dash key. Behind the scenes, though, there are three common dash characters:

  • Hyphen (-) — The shortest dash, used inside words (e.g., “part-time”) and basic ranges when precision does not matter.
  • En dash (–) — Slightly longer, often used for number ranges such as “10–20”.
  • Em dash (—) — The long dash many people want. It creates breaks in sentences, adds side remarks, or replaces brackets.

Most style guides treat the em dash as a separate punctuation mark with its own spacing rules and uses. A clear breakdown appears in the Microsoft writing page on dashes, which shows where each dash fits in normal text.

The problem: standard keyboards do not give the em dash its own key. You get the hyphen, and all other dash shapes need shortcuts or symbol pickers. The rest of this article walks through the best ways to type the long dash on each platform without slowing down.

How To Do Long Dash On Your Keyboard On Any Device

If you just want a quick cheat sheet before the detailed steps, here are the core em dash shortcuts on popular platforms. These are the ones worth memorising for daily typing.

Platform Em Dash Shortcut Where It Works Best
Windows (classic) Alt + 0151 (numeric keypad) Most desktop apps and browsers
Windows 11 (new) Windows + Shift + – Current Windows 11 builds with the new shortcut
Mac Option + Shift + – Almost every text field on macOS
Microsoft Word (Windows) Type -- or --- then space Word documents with AutoCorrect enabled
Linux (many distros) Ctrl + Shift + U, then 2014, then Enter Text fields that accept Unicode input
iPhone / Android Long-press the hyphen key for dash options Most system keyboards and chat apps
Any desktop OS Use emoji/symbol panel, then pick em dash When you forget shortcuts or use shared PCs

The next sections walk through these methods in more detail, with small tweaks for different keyboards and apps. Once you settle on one or two shortcuts per device, you rarely need menus again.

Long Dash Shortcuts On Windows

Windows gives you several routes to type an em dash. Some methods are quicker, while others are better when you cannot change system settings or you sit at a machine that is not yours.

Use Alt Codes For A Long Dash

Alt codes feel old-school, yet they still work in many Windows programs. They rely on the numeric keypad, so this method shines on full-size keyboards.

  • Turn on Num Lock — Make sure Num Lock is active so the keypad sends numbers instead of navigation keys.
  • Hold Alt and type 0151 — Press and hold the Alt key, type 0 1 5 1 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt to insert an em dash.
  • Use leading zero — Keep the leading zero; dropping it can produce different symbols in some programs.

This Alt code works in editors such as Notepad, many browsers, and word processors. A few apps ignore numeric Alt codes, in which case the next methods help.

Use The New Windows 11 Em Dash Shortcut

Recent Windows 11 builds introduce a direct em dash shortcut: press the Windows logo key, Shift, and the minus key together. News coverage of the KB5065789 update calls out this change and notes that Windows + – inserts an en dash and Windows + Shift + – inserts an em dash on supported builds of Windows 11. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

  • Press Windows + Shift + Minus — Hold the Windows logo key and Shift, tap the minus key once, then release everything to insert an em dash.
  • Check for Magnifier conflicts — If Magnifier is running, Windows + Minus may still control zoom rather than insert a dash.
  • Update Windows 11 — If nothing appears, your machine may not yet have the update that adds this shortcut, so the classic methods remain useful.

This shortcut is handy on compact laptops that do not include a numeric keypad. Once it reaches your device, it can replace the Alt code for daily writing.

Insert A Long Dash From Symbol Or Emoji Panel

When shortcuts fail or you only need a long dash from time to time, the symbol panel is a safe option. Windows bundles a modern emoji and symbol picker that includes dashes.

  • Open the emoji and symbol panel — Press Windows + . (period) to open the emoji and symbol window.
  • Switch to symbols — Click the symbols tab, then browse to punctuation or search for “dash”.
  • Pick the em dash — Click the long dash character to insert it into your text.

Old-school Word users can also go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols, then choose the em dash under Special Characters and assign a keyboard shortcut that feels natural to them.

Rely On AutoCorrect In Microsoft Word

Word includes rules that swap sequences of hyphens for longer dashes. Default behaviour can vary by version and region, but these patterns are common:

  • Type two hyphens between words — Enter “word–word” then press space; Word often converts this to an em dash.
  • Type three hyphens for full width — Some setups use three hyphens for an em dash and two for an en dash.
  • Adjust AutoCorrect rules — Go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options and review how Word replaces hyphens with dashes.

Once you tune these rules, you can write normally with hyphens and let Word handle the long dash conversion in the background.

Typing A Long Dash On Mac

macOS gives the em dash a direct keyboard shortcut that works in most apps, including browsers, editors, and chat clients. Once you build the habit, you rarely need menus.

Use The Built-In Em Dash Shortcut

On a Mac with a standard US or UK layout, the em dash shortcut is simple.

  • Locate the hyphen key — The hyphen sits to the right of the number zero on the main keyboard area.
  • Press Option + Shift + Hyphen — Hold Option and Shift, tap the hyphen key, then release to insert an em dash.
  • Use Option + Hyphen for an en dash — If you need the medium dash, hold Option and press hyphen without Shift.

These shortcuts are consistent across modern macOS versions and work in text fields across the system. Guides on Mac shortcuts repeat the same combinations: Option + Shift + hyphen for em dash and Option + hyphen for en dash. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Insert Em Dash From Emoji And Symbols Panel

Sometimes you work on a non-standard layout or you forget the shortcut. macOS includes a flexible symbol picker that shows every character available for the current font.

  • Open the emoji and symbols viewer — Press Fn + E (Globe key + E on newer keyboards) or choose Edit → Emoji & Symbols.
  • Search for “dash” — In the search box, type “dash” to filter the list down to different dash shapes.
  • Double-click the em dash — Insert the long dash into your document with a double-click or by pressing Return.

Apple explains this panel and how to insert characters from it in an Apple page on emoji and symbols, which is worth a skim if you often need special punctuation or accents. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Check The Keyboard Viewer If Shortcuts Misbehave

On some international layouts, the position of the hyphen key or behaviour of Option-based shortcuts changes. When that happens, the Keyboard Viewer can reveal where the em dash hides.

  • Enable the input menu — In System Settings → Keyboard, turn on “Show Input menu in menu bar”.
  • Open Keyboard Viewer — Click the input icon in the menu bar and choose Keyboard Viewer.
  • Press Option and Shift — Hold modifier keys and watch which keys change in the viewer; this shows where special characters sit on your layout.

This small tool lets you confirm whether Option + Shift + Hyphen should produce an em dash for the current input source or whether a different key combination is active.

Long Dash On Chromebook And Linux

Chromebooks and Linux systems do not share a single set of shortcuts, yet most of them allow direct Unicode input or include symbol pickers that handle the em dash without extra software.

Insert Em Dash On Linux With Unicode Input

Many Linux desktops let you type characters by their Unicode code point. The em dash code is U+2014.

  • Press Ctrl + Shift + U — A small underlined “u” normally appears in the text field.
  • Type 2014 — Enter the digits 2 0 1 4 to describe the em dash code point.
  • Finish with Enter or space — Press Enter or space to turn the code into an em dash.

Some distributions use a Compose key instead. In that case, you can set a Compose key in keyboard settings, then use sequences such as Compose + – + – + – for a long dash, depending on your configuration.

Use Symbol Tools On Linux Desktops

Desktop environments such as GNOME, KDE, and others often ship with character map tools. These applications let you search for “em dash” and copy the character when you need it.

  • Open the character map app — Look for “Characters”, “Character Map”, or similar in your app launcher.
  • Search for “em dash” — Use the search box or browse the punctuation category.
  • Copy and paste — Double-click the em dash, copy it, then paste it into your document.

While this route is slower than a dedicated shortcut, it works in almost any text box and helps when you are still getting used to Unicode input.

Type A Long Dash On Chromebook

Chromebooks run ChromeOS and rely heavily on web apps, yet they still give you ways to type an em dash without installing extensions.

  • Use Unicode input in Linux apps — If you run Linux apps on your Chromebook through Linux (Beta), you can use Ctrl + Shift + U, 2014, then Enter in those apps.
  • Use the on-screen keyboard — Open the on-screen keyboard from accessibility settings, then long-press the hyphen key to reveal longer dash options in some layouts.
  • Save a snippet in a text expander — If you type long dashes often in the browser, a simple text expansion extension that swaps -- for an em dash can help.

Because ChromeOS evolves steadily, shortcuts for special characters can vary by release and language. When in doubt, the on-screen keyboard gives a quick visual map of available dash characters.

Using Long Dash On Phones And Tablets

Phone keyboards hide special punctuation behind long presses and prediction. The em dash is often only a press or two away once you know where to look.

Long Dash On iPhone And iPad

The default iOS keyboard does not show the em dash on the main screen, yet the long-press menu on the hyphen key offers more options.

  • Open the number and symbol keyboard — Tap the 123 key to switch from letters to symbols.
  • Press and hold the hyphen key — Keep your finger on the hyphen until a small menu with extra dashes appears.
  • Slide to the em dash — Move your finger to the longest dash in the pop-up and release to insert it.

Some third-party keyboards also convert two hyphens into an em dash automatically when you add a space or continue typing, which mirrors Word’s behaviour on desktop.

Long Dash On Android Phones

Android keyboards differ by manufacturer, yet many popular options such as Gboard include extra dashes behind the hyphen key.

  • Switch to symbols — Tap the ?123 or symbol key on your Android keyboard.
  • Long-press the hyphen — Hold the hyphen key until you see a panel of dash characters.
  • Pick the em dash — Slide to the longest dash and lift your finger to insert it.

If your keyboard has no em dash in that menu, you can often set up personal text shortcuts so that a short code such as -- expands to a long dash while you type.

When Em Dash Shortcuts Do Not Work

Sometimes you press the right keys and nothing happens. Shortcuts for long dashes depend on device settings, app behaviour, and even hardware. A few simple checks solve most problems.

Check Keyboard Layout And Input Source

Keyboard shortcuts are tied to layouts. If your machine uses a different layout from the one you expect, the hyphen key or modifier positions may not match common instructions.

  • Confirm the active layout — On Windows, look at the language indicator in the taskbar; on Mac and Linux, check the input menu in the menu bar.
  • Switch to a standard layout — Use a layout such as US or UK English while you learn shortcuts, then adapt them to other layouts later.
  • Use a viewer tool — Keyboard Viewer on Mac and similar tools on Linux show how modifier keys change characters in real time.

Watch For App-Specific Shortcuts

Some applications reserve key combinations for their own features. That can override default em dash shortcuts or block Alt codes.

  • Test shortcuts in another app — Try your em dash shortcut in a plain text editor such as Notepad or TextEdit to see if it works there.
  • Review the app’s shortcuts — In programs like Word, Google Docs, or code editors, check keyboard shortcut lists for clashes with your preferred combo.
  • Assign a custom shortcut — Where possible, bind em dash insertion to a combination that does not conflict with existing commands.

Confirm Num Lock And Hardware On Windows

Alt codes rely on the numeric keypad and Num Lock state. If either behaves oddly, the long dash will not appear.

  • Turn Num Lock on — Press the Num Lock key and look for the indicator light on the keyboard or in the on-screen display.
  • Use the keypad, not the number row — Alt + 0151 only works with the dedicated numeric keypad, not the digits above the letters.
  • Try the Windows 11 shortcut — On laptops without a keypad, Windows + Shift + Minus can be easier than Alt codes when the update is installed.

Use Symbol Panels As A Reliable Fallback

When nothing else works, symbol panels on each system still give you the em dash.

  • Open the symbol panel — Use Windows + . on Windows, Emoji & Symbols on Mac, or character map tools on Linux.
  • Search for “em dash” — Type “dash” or scroll through punctuation until you see the long dash character.
  • Insert and copy for reuse — Insert one em dash, then copy and paste it as needed while you sort out your shortcut setup.

Once you confirm a reliable path for each device you use, you can keep one or two methods in muscle memory and fall back to symbol menus only when you need a quick reminder.