Normally I just press Alt+(dash key) and double-tap. It makes a double-length dash. But when I try it here I just get 2 n-dashes with a space between. Like this: -- I've seen people use them in here, and they're pretty useful (necessary at times) So what gives? Is there a cheat code you have to enter? A secret incantation? A fee? Please help, Perplexed in Peoria
— = alt + 0151 Press alt key and hold it while pressing the numbers. It must be numberpad numbers. Don't work with the numbers above the WASD for some reason.
[testing:] — -- Wow, that actually works! I thought you were messin' with me lol! Though I was confused until I realized you hit = instead of +. It really does seem like a cheat code! Tried it just hitting a 1 instead of all the numbers and it gave me a smiley—this one: ☺ Need to stick a note on my computer till I get that memorized. Thanks Madman! In your honor I shall now think of it as a Mad-Dash.
Microsoft Words utilizes a lot of these codes for different non-standard symbols. These codes are simply the short-cut method of performing the same actions. I didn't know this applied to the forums, but I can' say I'm surprised.
Alt+[character code] is a Windows-feature and tends to work in most (but not all!) places on Windows computers. It's possible to write any character this way; you just need to know its ASCII or Unicode code.
Is it worth mentioning that you need to use the numeric keypad for this, not the numbers along the top, so on a laptop with no separate numerics you either have to put the numlock on and type alt +MJIM or use fn + alt + MJIM ASCII codes are tremendously useful for me as my -restricted size- keyboard is set to US so has no alt + MJOL or "£" key as we Brits call it...
I was hoping it would work in Word Starter (a stripped-down free version of Word which is what I'm using on the laptop) but it doesn't. However it does sporadically turn some of my double-dashes into m-dashes, so I just have to do a search and replace to change the rest.
My most frequently used ones are ¹ (Alt+251), ² (Alt+253), ³ (Alt+252) and ° (Alt+0176; a degree symbol rather than a zero).
Figured out how to do it on a Mac. I use both, and that trick above doesn't work on the Mac, but what does is to hold down Shift and Command while pressing the minus key. A bit simpler than the ASCII code for the Windows version. Confusingly, I use a Windows keyboard with my Mac, so it's the ALT key rather than Command.
Em Dash on a Chromebook: New problem, new solution. I got a Chromebook which uses the Chrome OS, and none of the above techniques work. So I did a little snooping and found this: Type Ctrl+Shift+U, then on the numerical keypad type 2014 (it makes a sort of U shape) and then hit the Enter key. It works. Apparently the first part, typing Ctrl+Shift+U, enters you into Unicode, and then 2014 is the specific code for an em dash. But you need to hit Enter afterwards or nothing happens.
