Handling the em dash can be kinda frustrating sometimes. You think it’s just a quick shortcut, but then suddenly it stops working—probably because of NumLock issues, wrong key presses, or some weird glitch in Word. If you rely on these shortcuts for smooth typing, you’ll want to get it sorted once and for all, because, honestly, nothing ruins the flow more than trying to type an em dash and getting nada. The good news? More often than not, it’s an easy fix just sitting there, waiting to be uncovered.
How to Fix Em Dash Shortcut Not Working in Word
Use the correct keyboard combination — it’s probably the root of the issue
This one trips people up all the time. The typical shortcut for an em dash in Word is Alt + Ctrl + Minus. But here’s the catch: the minus sign has to be the one on the numeric keypad, not the hyphen next to the number row. If NumLock is off, that shortcut is dead in the water. And if you’re on a laptop or a compact keyboard that’s missing a dedicated numpad, that might be why it’s not working—your keyboard might not be recognizing those keys properly.
On some machines, you’ll need to turn NumLock on first. No shame—this little step is often overlooked. Also, double-check the position of your keyboard layout in Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region > Language options to make sure your input isn’t somehow messing with shortcuts.
Employ the Unicode Alt code for a guaranteed result
This is kind of a fallback, but it works across any Windows app—no fuss, no muss. Just keep NumLock on, then hold Alt, type in 0151 on the numeric keypad, and release Alt. Boom, an em dash appears. Not sure why it works, but I’ve seen this do the trick when the shortcut refuses to cooperate. Handy when your shortcut keys get weird or if they seem to stop responding after a Word update.
Create a reliable AutoCorrect entry—because sometimes the shortcut’s just broken
This workaround might be the most consistent. Basically, you tell Word to automatically swap a simple text shortcut—like two hyphens or an easily-typed symbol—with the real em dash. Because if the shortcut is unreliable or overridden, AutoCorrect can step in to save your writing day. Plus, it’s permanently set, so no more fussing over shortcuts.
To set it up:
- Open Word, then go to File > Options > Proofing.
- Click on AutoCorrect Options….
- In the Replace field, type
--(or just a hyphen).In the With field, paste or type an em dash (—). - Click Add, then OK.
From now on, typing — will automatically turn into the em dash. Sometimes this feels weird, but it’s super reliable, especially if your shortcuts keep acting up.
Insert the symbol manually if nothing else works
Another fallback is to manually insert the symbol. Head over to Insert > Symbol > More Symbols. In the dialog box, navigate to General Punctuation in the Subset dropdown. Find the em dash, then click Insert. Easy, but a bit slower if you need a ton of em dashes, so use this as a last resort.
Reset Word’s keyboard shortcuts — last-ditch effort
If the shortcuts were working fine but now suddenly aren’t, maybe Word’s shortcuts got corrupted or overridden. Resetting them back to default can fix this. Be warned, though—if you customized shortcuts before, you’ll lose those settings.
- Go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon.
- Click on Customize… next to Keyboard shortcuts.
- Hit Reset All.
- Confirm and restart Word.
This should get your default shortcuts back, including the one for the em dash. On some systems, this process requires a restart or even re-application of any custom keybinds, so don’t be surprised if it’s a bit finicky.
How to enable the em dash functionally in Word
If all else fails and you just want a reliable way to produce an em dash, remember that typing two hyphens between words, with no spaces, automatically converts into an em dash if Word’s AutoFormat feature is active. Or, use the shortcut on the numeric keypad (Alt + 0151).You can also insert it manually via symbols. Of course, Windows has multiple ways to get an em dash, but focusing on fixing your shortcuts usually solves most of the headaches caused by inconsistent typing.
Honestly, it’s kind of weird how a small thing like this can throw a wrench in your day. But with these fixes, you’re more or less covered. Sometimes, it just takes knowing which knob to turn to get everything back in line.