How to Insert a Non-Breaking Space in Word

Keeping it together is easy with no-break whitespace. Find out here how to insert a non-breaking space in Word for Windows and Mac to avoid having a line broken at a whitespace character.

First, What to Do When a Brain Overheats

Yawning: what is it good for?

Among my favorite explanations, the theory that mammals yawn to cool their brain does not only have a certain classically mechanistic appeal, it has also found some support in brute force correlation: animals with larger brains (i.e. more mass to cool), apparently yawn longer.

Let’s gloss over the fact that the very same correlation could just as likely support other theories and turn to something else that’s cool: a gap not between teeth and molars but between words and letters:

How to Insert a Non-Breaking Space in Word for Windows and Mac

Using the Word No-Break Space Keyboard Shortcut (Preferred)

Using the Office Symbol Dialog (Cumbersome)

To insert a non-breaking space character in Word using the Office symbol dialog::

1. Position the text cursor where you want to insert the non-breaking space.
2. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
3. Select Symbol | More Symbols… in the Symbols section.
4. Now go to the Special Characters tab.
5. Double-click ° Nonbreaking Space.
6. Click Close.
   

Using the Hexadecimal Unicode Codepoint for Nonbreaking Space (Interesting)

You can also create a non-breaking space (for copying and pasting perhaps) in Word or WordPad.

To input a no-break space using Unicode:

1. Create a new document in Word or WordPad.
2. Type
   00A0 for a non-breaking space and
   202F for a narrow non-breaking space.
3. Press Alt X immediately afterwards.

Insert a Non-Breaking Space in Word Online, Word for iOS and Word for Android

Word on the web and Word for Android as well as iOS, oddly, offer no way to enter non-breaking spaces on their own.

So, to insert a non-breaking space in either:

• Use the operating system’s means of using non-breaking whitespace:
  How to Enter a Nonbreaking Space on Windows and
  How to Insert a Non-breaking Space on a Mac or
• Paste the non-breaking space or narrow non-breaking space after you have copied them—e.g., using the buttons below.

Copy and Paste the Non-Breaking Space

To copy non-breaking spaces for pasting, use the following buttons:

Nonbreaking space	copy
Narrow nonbreaking space	copy

How to Insert a Non-Breaking Space in Word: FAQ

Can I change the keyboard shortcut for non-breaking spaces?

Yes.

To pick a different key combination to insert a nonbreaking space character in Word with the keyboard alone:

1. Go to the Symbol dialog’s Special Characters tab. (See above.)
2. Highlight ° Nonbreaking Space.
3. Click Shortcut Key….
4. Now click in the Press new shortcut key: field.
5. Now press the key combination you would like to use for non-breaking spaces.
6. Click Assign.
   Remove a shortcut: Highlight any old shortcuts under Current keys: and click Remove to delete them.
7. Click Close twice.

Can I add a Word keyboard shortcut for the narrow no-break space?

Yes, you can with Word for Windows.

To add a keyboard shortcut for inserting a narrow no-break space with Word:

1. Open the Symbol tab in the Symbol or Symbols dialog. (See above.)
2. Type 202F under Character code:.
3. Now click Shortcut Key….
4. Click in the Press new shortcut key: field.
5. Press the key combination you want to use for the narrow no-breaking space.
   Example: You use Ctrl Alt Shift Space, for instance.
6. Click Assign.
7. Now click Close.

(How to insert a non-breaking space tested with Word for Windows Version 2312; first published February 2022, last updated June 2024)