The Mac keyboard doesn’t offer em and en dash symbols. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them. The easiest way to type an en dash (–) or em dash (—)on a Mac is by using a simple keyboard shortcut. You can also type these symbols using Character Viewer, Text Replacements, and Auto-substitution in supported apps. Keep reading for all the details.
How Do I Make an Em Dash on a Mac?
1. Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Mac offers built-in shortcuts to type a long dash easily. This is the quickest way and works across most apps and browsers.
Simply press Shift + Option + Hyphen (-) to make an em dash on your Mac.
2. Character Viewer Panel
Time needed: 2 minutes
If you don’t remember keyboard shortcuts, Mac also has a special menu called Character Viewer, which contains special symbols, including em and en dashes, emoji, currency symbols, arrows, and more.
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Emoji & Symbols menu.
- Use the search bar to type “dash” or browse under Punctuation.
- Double-click Em Dash (—) to insert it.
- You can also pin Character Viewer to your menu bar for faster access.
- For this, go to System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources and enable “Show Input menu in menu bar”, then select “Show Emoji & Symbols”.
3. Using Text Replacements
The third method for typing long hyphens like the em dash (—) is to use text replacement. It’s a built-in macOS feature that lets you automatically replace a custom shortcut with a specific character or phrase.
- Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements.
- Click the + button to add a new replacement.
- In the Replace column, simply type the name of your shortcut you want to use (e.g., emd).
- In the With column, copy and paste the — symbol.
- Hit the Add button.
4. AutoSubstitution in Supported Apps (Pages or Word)
Many word processors like Pages and MS Word automatically convert two hyphens into an em dash for you. If this doesn’t happen on its own, you can customize the app settings.
- Type two hyphens (–).
- The app will auto-replace them with an em dash (—).
- If not, go to Settings > AutoCorrect/AutoSubstitution and enable it.
5. Copy and Paste Symbols
If you rarely use em or en dashes, you can just copy and paste them as needed. Just copy these symbols and paste them into your document using Command + V.
- Em Dash (—)
- En Dash (–)
You can also copy them from Google when needed.
How Do I Make an En Dash on a Mac?
1. Using Keyboard Shortcut
Just like the em dash, macOS provides a built-in keyboard shortcut for quickly typing an en dash. It’s the fastest and most convenient method that works seamlessly across most apps, browsers, and text editors.
Simply press Option + Hyphen (-) to make an en dash on your Mac.
2. Using Character Viewer or Symbol Picker
The Character Viewer lets you browse and insert symbols, including en dashes, arrows, currencies, and many others.
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the character viewer.
- Type dash in the search bar.
- Double-click the En Dash (–) to insert it.
3. Using Text Replacements
The third way is to create your own shortcut that macOS replaces automatically with an en dash. This way, you can use them in any app that supports text replacement.
- Open System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements.
- Click the + button.
- In the Replace column, type the name of your shortcut (e.g.,
-n). - In the With column, copy and paste the – symbol.
Now, whenever you type the shortcut name, macOS will automatically convert it to an en dash (–) in supported apps.
Wondering how to type the Squared Symbol (²) on a Mac? Here are 3 easy ways to do it.