How to Insert a Non-Breaking Space on Linux

Seeing your words and numbers awkwardly break at the end of a line, disrupting your well-crafted flow? Non-breaking spaces act as invisible glue that keeps elements — a number and its unit, for example — together on the same line. Find out here how to insert a non-breaking space (and a narrow non-breaking space) on Linux ⤓ using Gnome, KDE and Unicode.

First, the Moon Is Attractive

The moon’s pull is an attractive force that affects everything with mass on Earth. Because the moon is always off to one side, its gravitational force is not equal everywhere: it is strongest on the side facing the moon and weakest on the opposite side — with the greatest difference at the equator.

This uneven gravity pulls ocean water toward the moon on the near side while, on the far side, the Earth’s solid mass is pulled slightly away from the water. That’s why there are two major tides–and why they always move together.

With lunar gravity, well, settled — what if you want two words (or a number and its unit) to stick together, never separated by a line break?

How to Insert a Non-Breaking Space on Linux

A non-breaking space is a special character that prevents automatic line breaks at that whitespace character. It lets you keep numbers and unites or titles (e.g., “Ms. Smith”, “100 km”) together on a the same line.

Using the “Compose” Key for Non-Breaking Space

Unbreaking space?

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With a Non-Breaking Space Key Combination

To insert a no-break space using a direct key combination on Linux:

• Press AltGr Space (Right Alt Space).
  Not universal: This shortcut is, alas, not universal, and even if set for the current keyboard layout may not insert the non-breaking space reliably.

On a Mac? How to Insert a Hard, Non-breaking Space on a Mac
Using Wine? How to Enter a Non-Breaking Space (NBSP) on Windows

Using a Character Picker

To find and insert a non-breaking space using a character picker on Linux:

1. Open KCharSelect (KDE) or Runemaster (Gnome).
   Characters: The Characters application doe snot include non-breaking space characters.
2. Search for no-break.
3. Highlight and copy the no-break space or narrow no-break space character.
   

Using Copy and Paste for Non-Breaking Space

Use the table below to copy the desired non-breaking space character for pasting anywhere on Linux:

Non-breaking space (regular width)	copy non-breaking space
Narrow non-breaking space	copy narrow no-break space

How to Insert a Non-Breaking Space on Linux: FAQ

How can I verify a non-breaking space (and not a regular whitespace character) has been entered?

To check a non-breaking space has been inserted:

1. Copy and paste the text into the non-printable character viewer.
2. Verify the code point for the non-breaking space is U+00A0 (no-break space) or U+202F (narrow no-break space).

Can I insert non-breaking spaces (and narrow non-breaking whitespace) using Unicode?

Yes.

To produce non-breaking whitespace with the keyboard using Unicode code points on Linux:

1. Position the text cursor where the non-breaking space is to appear.
2. Press Ctrl Shift U.
3. Type 00A0 for a (regular-width) non-breaking space.
   Narrow no-break space: For a narrow non-breaking space, type 202F.
   
4. Now press Space or Enter.
   Here’s what happens: 00A0 is replaced with the non-breaking space.

(Tested with Gnome 48–49 and KDE Plasma 6; first published June 2025, last updated November 2025)