Tips

Where Can You Control Automatic Smart Quotes and Dashes in macOS?

May 1, 2024May 15, 2024

Most people like smart quotes and dashes, at least most of the time. Your Mac is probably set up to turn the single (‘) and double (“) hash marks and double hyphens (–) that you type into the apostrophes (’) and single smart quotes (‘’), double smart quotes (“”), and em dashes (—) used in professional publications. However, in some situations, like programming, smart quotes and dashes are problematic. To prevent macOS from automatically inserting them, open System Settings > Keyboard and click the Edit button next to Input Sources. In the dialog that appears, turn off “Use smart quotes and dashes.” As a bonus tip, if you occasionally want single or double hash marks, such as to indicate feet and inches, instead of turning the entire feature off, immediately press Command-Z after typing a single or double hash mark to undo the change from straight to curly.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Wirestock)

iTips ’n Apps – Audio Messages

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Convert Image Formats Directly in the Finder

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Five Things You Should Never Do with Passwords (and Three You Should)

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Share 2FA Setup for Team Access to a Single Account

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What Is the Cloud?

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