While creating content online or preparing your next paper, proper use of punctuation makes a huge difference. Inserting an em dash adds more emphasis on the word and can provide more clarity to the current sentence. They are the long dash and there is no dedicated key on your keyboard to insert this in your documents. This is a guide on how to type EM dash on Windows, Mac, or Google drive.
Even though there are keyboard shortcuts to insert an em dash in a text document for both Windows and MAC, different applications have their own way to do so. If you are on a Windows PC you can hold the “Alt” key and enter “0151” on the Numpad. But, what if your laptop or keyboard does not have a num pad? There are other ways to do so if that’s the case.
How To Type an EM Dash On Windows
Typing an EM dash is very easy if your keyboard has a num pad as well. Enter the following command on the text editor you are currently using and it should insert an EM dash.
ALT + 0151
I’ve tried this on MS Word and notepad, the above-mentioned command works for both of these applications. It’s a lot easier than typing Exponents in Word.
How To Insert An EM Dash In Word
If you are on Word, you can also use the emoji keyboard or Character Map to type an EM dash on Word.
Using The Emoji Keyboard
This is useful if your keyboard does not have a num pad to type the EM dash code.
The emoji keyboard is as the name suggests, a keyboard to insert emoji into your word document. But you can also use this to insert an EM into the page.
Hit “Windows” + “.” Key together on the keyboard which will slide open the emoji keyboard.
If you click on the symbols, you will find the EM dash on the list. Click on it to insert it wherever you prefer.
READ: How To Search For A Word On A Page Or Webpage
Using Character Map
If you’ve used Character Map before, it’s a very helpful tool for writers. You have a whole bunch of different characters and symbols that you can select and directly copy into your clipboard to use in your writing endeavors.
To open the character map, open Start and search for “Character Map” and open it.
It’s usually set to “Arial” font by default, I am going to use Arial for this guide. If some other font is selected the process still remains the same. You are free to change it to Arial to match the location of the EM character in the list.
If you scroll towards the third half of the Character Map window, you should find the EM symbol on the right side of the window.
It’s right next to the horizontal line, so just hover your mouse over the characters which reveal their name.
Click on the EM dash symbol and click “Copy”. This symbol is now copied to your clipboard and can be used anywhere or in any application that you are trying to type EM dash in.
Please remember that if you copy or cut something after doing this, the EM dash won’t be in the clipboard. You will need to redo this process again if you would like to paste the EM dash symbol again in the future.
How To Make EM Dash On Mac
Typing an EM Dash on Mac is very simple and universal as all the mac systems have the same keyboard. Yes, some have a number keypad too, but the keyboard shortcut to type EM dash on mac remains universal.
Hold the below-mentioned keys in the same order and release them to see the EM dash inserted into the document.
“Option” + “Shift” + “-“ (Minus)
This keyboard shortcut works for all the applications in Mac OS.
Add Those em-dashes Like A Pro
I use EM-dash all the time writing these articles as much as I can. It helps clarify anything I am trying to explain without making it look like a never-ending paragraph.
How do you use these shortcuts and what’s your go-to way to type an EM dash on windows or Mac system that you use.
