Microsoft makes it easier for Windows 11 users to type em and en dashes with keyboard shortcuts
Depending on where you are typing, entering an em dash or an en dash can be simple, or a nightmare. In the latest Insider builds of Windows 11, however, it is getting a whole lot easier thanks to keyboard shortcuts being added.
Microsoft has quietly added a couple of new keyboard shortcuts that can be used to type these handy punctuation marks. For now, they are hidden away in the Dev and Beta builds; here is how to access them.
The new shortcuts can be found in Windows 11 Dev build 26200.5761 or higher. the Windows 11 Beta build 26120.5770 or higher. But you would not know aobut it from the release notes. Microsoft has said nothing about the addition of the shortcuts, even though they are arrivals that will be keenly welcomed by writers, pedants and many others.
The secret shortcuts were spotted by PhantomOfEarth (again!):
The news was shared by The Register, who point out that simply having the latest Windows Insider builds installed is not enough – you are going to need a little help from ViVeTool. We have covered this utility quite a lot, and love its ability to unlock hidden features of Windows.
To enable em dash and en dash keyboard shortcuts, use the following steps:
- Start by downloading the ViVeTool utility from GitHub
- Extract the contents of the zip file to, for example, C:\ViVeTool
- Open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges
- Type cd C:\ViVeTool and press Enter (changing the path if necessary)
- Type vivetool /enable /id:58422150 and press Enter
- Restart Windows
With this done, you can try out the new shortcuts to save having to remember ALT codes:
- Windows key + dash key (-) for en dash
- Windows key + Shift + dash key (-) for em dash
As this is in the Dev and Beta builds – and hidden at that – it may be a little while before this new capability is enabled by default for everyone.
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