How to Insert Em-Dash ( — ) and En-Dash ( – ) on a Mac

Wish to use a true em dash (instead of, say, three dashes)? Find out here how to insert a long hyphen (em-dash) or an en-dash character on a Mac using a keyboard shortcut, Character Viewer or Unicode.

First, the Short End of a Teeter-Totter

Using a foot to walk is like sitting on the short end of a teeter-totter: it takes a lot of force.

The relationship of the heel to the rest of the foot is around 1:2.5. So, if your calf shortens by half an inch (1.27 cm), the foot’s ball moves by 1¼ inches (3.17 cm). What you lose in force, you gain in—speed!

Now that we know how to run faster, how about balancing text with longer levers (and faster, too)?

How to Insert Em-Dash ( — ) (Long Hyphen) on a Mac

Short, but keeps characters together: How to Insert the Non-breaking Hyphen ( ‑ ) on a Mac

On Windows? How to Type Em Dash ( — ) and En Dash ( – ) on Windows

Find the Long Hyphen Key Combination for Your Keyboard Layout

To see which key combination inserts the long hyphen or em dash on your Mac’s keyboard:

1. Open Keyboard Viewer.
2. Press the Option and Shift keys.
3. Look for the em dash character to identify the key combination that will insert it.
   No em dash: If you do not see the em dash character ( — ), try the Option key alone, Shift alone or combinations with the Control key.
   En dash: You can also find the en dash character ( – ) in this manner, of course; typically, you can insert it with the Option key alone.

How to Insert an En-Dash Hyphen Character ( – ) on a Mac

To type the en dash on your Mac:

1. Position the text cursor where you want to insert the en dash hyphen.
2. Press Option – (hyphen).
   Non-US keyboard layout: See above for identifying the key combination for keyboard layouts other than the U.S.’s.

How to Insert Em-Dash (Long Hyphen) and En-Dash on a Mac: FAQ

What is the difference between the “en” and the “em” dash?

The em and en dash look similar and have vastly different uses:

• The em dash ( — ) works for interjections or breaks in the flow of text—much like parenthesis or semicolons.
  Example: The em dash—a character like a teeter-totter in delicate balance—is not often seen today.
• The en dash ( – ) is used to indicate a range of numbers as well as a connection (or contrast) between two words.
  Examples: The en dash is described in paragraphs 15–19.
  The river marks the U.S.–Canada border.

How long are en dash and em dash?

The em dash is exactly one em wide. An em quad (or em) is the square whose sides all measure the point size of the current font (and the maximum line height without overlap).

The en dash is exactly half an em wide—half as long as the em dash or half the current point size.

Example: Using a font size of 14 pt, the em dash is 14 pt long, and the en dash measures 7 pt.

Can I insert the long hyphen characters without the keyboard?

Yes, you can use Character Viewer to input em and en dashes even if the keyboard does not offer them.

To insert an em or en dash with Character Viewer on a Mac:

1. Position the text cursor where you want to insert the long dash.
2. Select Edit | Emoji & Symbols from the menu.
3. Search for dash.
4. Double-click the EM DASH or EN DASH characters to insert them.
   Emoji panel: This works in both full Character Viewer and the macOS emoji panel.
   

Does using Unicode work for en-dash and em-dash?

Yes, you can insert en and em dash characters using Unicode on your Mac:

1. Enable and activate Unicode Hex Input on the Mac.
2. Press and hold Option.
3. Type 2 0 1 4 for em dash;
   type 2 0 1 3 for en dash.
4. Release the Option key.

Can I copy and paste en-dash and em-dash?

Yes, of course. You can use the following table to copy the characters for pasting on your Mac

Long “em dash” hyphen character —	copy
En dash character –	copy

(How to insert em dash and en dash on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.2, Ventura 13.1 and Monterey 12.0; updated December 2023)