— em dash
U+2014 · EM DASH
How to type —
Shortcuts verified against Microsoft, Apple and X.Org documentation.
Windows
- Alt code
- Hold Alt, type Alt+0151 on the numeric keypad, release Alt.
- Alt codes need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. On a laptop without one, use the Word method or copy the character.
- Alt+X in Word and Outlook
- Type 2014 then press Alt+X. The code turns into —.
- Character Map
- Open Character Map (search “charmap” in the Start menu), find —, click Select then Copy.
Google Docs: Insert > Special characters, then type “em dash” or draw —. Your operating system shortcut also works inside Docs.
Mac
- Option key
- Press Shift+Option+-.
- ABC Extended input source
- Switch to ABC Extended (System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources) and press Shift+Option+-.
- Unicode Hex Input
- Switch to Unicode Hex Input, hold Option and type 2014.
- Character Viewer
- Press Control+Command+Space, search “em dash” and double-click —.
Google Docs: Insert > Special characters, then type “em dash” or draw —. Your operating system shortcut also works inside Docs.
iPhone and iPad
- iPhone keyboard
- Touch and hold the - key, slide to —, release.
- Tip: Gboard shows the dashes when you long-press - on the symbols layer, but AOSP does not define them by default..
- Or just copy it
- Tap — at the top of this page and paste it anywhere.
Google Docs: Insert > Special characters, then type “em dash” or draw —. Your operating system shortcut also works inside Docs.
Android
- Android keyboard (Gboard)
- — is not in the English keyboard pop-up on Gboard.
- Tip: Gboard shows the dashes when you long-press - on the symbols layer, but AOSP does not define them by default..
- Or just copy it
- Tap — at the top of this page and paste it anywhere.
Google Docs: Insert > Special characters, then type “em dash” or draw —. Your operating system shortcut also works inside Docs.
Linux
- Compose key
- Press Compose - - - (enable the Compose key in your keyboard settings first).
- Unicode entry (GTK apps and Chromebook)
- Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2014, then press Space or Enter.
Google Docs: Insert > Special characters, then type “em dash” or draw —. Your operating system shortcut also works inside Docs.
Chromebook
- Chromebook
- Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2014, press Enter. Or add the US International keyboard in Settings.
Google Docs: Insert > Special characters, then type “em dash” or draw —. Your operating system shortcut also works inside Docs.
Codes for developers
Click any value to copy it
- Unicode
- Unicode name
- HTML named entity
- HTML decimal
- HTML hex
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Python
- Java / C# / Kotlin
- URL encoded (UTF-8)
- UTF-8 bytes
Questions about —
How do I type — on Windows?
Hold Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. In Word you can also type 2014 and press Alt+X.
How do I type — on a Mac?
Press Shift+Option+-. You can also hold the — key and pick — from the accent menu.
How do I type — on my phone?
On iPhone and Android, press and hold the - key and slide to —.
What is the HTML code for —?
Use — or the numeric entity — (hex —). In CSS write \2014, in JavaScript \u2014.