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How to Type Em Dash in Google Docs (— Long Dash)

In today’s guide, you will learn how to type the Em Dash symbol in Google Docs on both PC and Mac.

Whether you are using a laptop or a desktop, a Mac or a Windows PC, I’ll show you how to type this symbol on any keyboard using a shortcut, the Em Dash symbol’s Alt code, and other methods.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Quick Help to Type the Em Dash in Google Docs

To type the Em Dash in Google Docs using the Windows keyboard, press and hold the Alt key and type 0151 using the numeric keypad, then release the Alt key. For Mac users, press  [Option] + [Shift] + [-] shortcut.

These are the shortcuts you can use to quickly type or insert this symbol into any Google Docs document for both Windows and Mac.

The table below has all the shortcuts you need to type this symbol on Windows and Mac.

Symbol NameEm Dash Sign
Symbol
Em Dash Alt Code in Google Docs0151
Em Dash Shortcut in Google Docs for WindowsAlt + 0151
Em Dash Shortcut in Google Docs for Mac [Option] + [Shift] + [-]

How to type an Em Dash in Google docs using the Autocorrect shortcut  (For Windows & Mac)

There are several options you can use to get the Em Dash symbol in Google docs on your Windows PC.

The easiest among them includes using the Em Dash symbol autocorrect shortcut in Google docs. This technique allows you to enter a series of characters that automatically gets converted to an Em Dash.

Thus, to type the Em Dash in Google docs, enter — (i.e., three hyphens), and it’ll get converted into an Em Dash symbol.

The below table has all the default Google docs autocorrect Em Dash shortcuts that you can use.

How To Insert Em Dash in Google Docs using the ‘Special Characters’ tool (for both Windows and Mac)

One of the easy ways you can use to get the Em Dash in Google Docs is through the ‘Special Characters’ tool.

The special characters tool allows Google docs users to insert any symbol into documents, including the Long Dash symbol and many other special symbols.

Obey the instructions below to insert the Em Dash symbol in Google docs using this Special Character’s tool.

  • Open the Google docs where you want to insert the Em Dash sign.
  • Go to Insert > Special Characters.
Opening Google Docs Special Characters Tool Window
  • The ‘Special Character’ window will Appear. Search for ‘Em Dash’ in the search bar.
search and insert em dash in Google docs
  • Alternatively, use the drawing pad below the search bar to draw the symbol you want to insert. All you need to do is draw a long dash on the drawing pad.
  • After locating the character, simply double-click on it to insert it into your Google docs.

These are the steps you may use to insert the Long Dash in Google docs.

This process may look tedious for some. That’s why we included shortcuts for all the accented letters.

So, if you happen to use a particular accented letter, all you need to do is take note of the shortcut and use it as and when the need arises.

Copy the Em Dash/Long dash symbol and Paste in Google Docs

One of the easiest ways to get the Em Dash symbol into your Google Docs is to copy and paste.

Below is the Em Dash symbol if you want to copy and paste it into your work:

Get Em Dash into Google docs via Windows Character Map

Using a Windows PC, you can also get the em dash symbol from the Windows character map tool. It is a library of symbols on every Windows computer that allows users to retrieve and copy symbols that are not easy to come by with the keyboard.

With this approach, you can easily find the long dash symbol and copy it into your Google docs.

Obey the following instructions to copy and paste the em dash Symbol into Google docs using the character map dialog box.

  • Click on the Start button and search for Character Map. The Character Map app will appear in the search results, click to open.
search for character map on windows
  • The Character Map dialog will appear. Click to check the Advanced view check-box to expand the dialog box for more advanced options.
Check the Advanced view checkbox to expand the dialog
  • On the advanced view, type em dash in the Search box.
  • You should now see the long dash sign on the character map dialog. To display different dash symbols, search for dash instead of em dash. Double-click your desired dash to select. Alternatively, click on the Select button.
  • After you select the symbol by double-clicking it, it should appear in the Character to copy: field, then click on the Copy button to copy the symbol.
Type em dash in the search box
  • Switch to Google docs, place the insertion pointer at the desired location, and press Ctrl+V to paste.

This is how you may use the Character Map dialog to copy and paste an em dash into Google docs.

Type Em Dash shortcut in Google Docs (For Mac Users)

The keyboard shortcut to type the Em Dash sign in Google docs for Mac is  [Option] + [Shift] + [-].

To type the Em Dash symbol on Mac using the above keyboard shortcut, first, open your Google Docs and press down the Option and the Shift keys, then press the – key once. These hotkeys will insert the Em Dash sign in to your Google docs.

Shortcut to type em dash symbol in Word

Type the Em Dash symbol in Google Docs using Alt Code (For Windows Users)

The easiest way to type the Em Dash in Google Docs on a windows PC keyboard is to use a shortcut.

The keyboard shortcut to type the Em Dash symbol in Google docs on a Windows PC is Alt + 0151.

To type the Em Dash sign in Google Docs using this shortcut, obey the following instructions:

  • Open your Google Docs.
  • Enable Num Lock by pressing the Num Lock key. Use Fn key plus NumLk to turn on Num Lock on laptops without the numeric keypad.
  • Press and hold the Alt key on your keyboard.
  • Then press the Em Dash symbol alt code which is 0151 on the numeric keypad.
  • After pressing the alt code, release the Alt key. These steps will help you type the Em Dash sign into your Google Docs.

Conclusion

Whether you are using Windows or Mac, these are the methods you can use to insert or type the Em Dash symbol into any Google document.

Thank you so much for reading our tutorials.

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