Alt0150

Alt0150 is a Windows keyboard input sequence used to insert the en dash character. When the user holds the Alt key and types 0, 1, 5, 0 on the numeric keypad (with Num Lock on) and then releases Alt, an en dash (Unicode U+2013) is produced. In common Western encodings such as Windows-1252, the en dash maps to the code point 0x96, which is why Alt+0150 works in many environments.

The en dash is a distinct typographic dash longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em dash. It is used primarily to indicate ranges (for example, 1990–1999) or connections between terms (New York–Boston). Typographic conventions vary on spacing: many styles place no spaces around the en dash for ranges, while some guides prefer spaces on either side.

Compatibility and alternatives: Alt+0150 relies on Windows’ western code page mappings and may behave differently in locales or on non-Windows systems. If the sequence does not work, alternatives include copying and pasting the character, using the Windows Character Map, or entering the Unicode character directly when supported. In HTML, the en dash can be represented as – or –.

Related concepts include the hyphen (U+002D), the minus sign (U+2212), and the em dash (U+2014). Alt0150 specifically targets the en dash, a punctuation mark with distinct typographic and functional roles in written text.