How to Type an Ellipsis (…) on a Keyboard

Three dots or one character — here’s the difference and how to type both on every platform

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The ellipsis … (Unicode U+2026) is one of those punctuation marks that most people type incorrectly without realizing it.

Three separate periods (…) and the actual ellipsis character (…) look nearly identical on screen but behave differently in typesetting, line wrapping, and professional publishing.

Knowing which one to use and how to type the real character takes the same amount of effort as typing three dots — and produces cleaner results in documents that matter.

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Three Dots vs. The Actual Ellipsis Character

… (three periods) — three separate period characters typed consecutively. Works fine for casual writing, messaging, and most informal contexts. Takes up slightly more space, wraps differently across line breaks, and is technically incorrect in formal typesetting.

… (U+2026) — a single Unicode character that represents the ellipsis as one unit. Correct for formal documents, published writing, legal text, and anywhere typographic precision matters. Stays together as a unit and doesn’t split across lines.

For casual writing, three dots are fine. For formal documents, books, journalism, academic papers, and anything that will be professionally typeset, the actual ellipsis character is the right choice.

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Windows

Method 1: Alt Code

Hold Alt and type 0133 on the numeric keypad. Release Alt and … appears.

• Num Lock must be on
• Use the numeric keypad only — not the number row
• Doesn’t work on laptops without a dedicated numpad

Method 2: Word AutoCorrect (Happens Automatically)

In Microsoft Word, typing three periods in a row automatically converts them to the ellipsis character. Word’s AutoCorrect handles this without any setup — just type ... and Word replaces it with … the moment you press space or continue typing.

This is the most effortless method for Word users — you don’t need to do anything differently from what you already do.

Method 3: System-Wide Text Expansion

Use PhraseExpress, AutoHotkey, or Espanso to map a trigger to … system-wide. A common setup maps ... to … so the replacement happens automatically outside of Word as well.

An AutoHotkey script:

::...::…

This mirrors Word’s AutoCorrect behavior across every application on Windows.

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Mac

Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut

Press Option + ; (Option and the semicolon key) to type … instantly.

This is the method to remember on Mac. It works in every application with no setup required. The semicolon key location is a little arbitrary but easy to memorize with a few uses.

Method 2: Three Periods Auto-Convert

Like Word on Windows, Mac’s autocorrect automatically converts three typed periods to the ellipsis character in many native apps — Notes, Pages, TextEdit, and others that use the system text engine. In these apps you don’t need to know the shortcut at all.

Third-party apps and browsers don’t always apply this autocorrect, which is why knowing the Option + ; shortcut matters.

Method 3: Character Viewer

Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer. Search “ellipsis” and double-click … to insert.

Method 4: Text Replacement

Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements and map ... to … to replicate the autocorrect behavior in apps that don’t handle it automatically. Works system-wide after setup.

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iPhone and iPad

Method 1: Long Press the Period Key

Tap and hold the . (period) key on the iOS keyboard. A popup appears with … as a long-press option. Slide to it and release.

This is the built-in iOS method and requires no setup. It works in every text field across iOS and is the fastest method available on iPhone and iPad for occasional use.

Method 2: iOS Autocorrect

iOS autocorrect automatically converts three typed periods to … in many contexts. Just type ... and iOS may handle the conversion automatically depending on the app and your autocorrect settings.

Method 3: Text Replacement

Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement. Add … as the phrase and ... as the shortcut if iOS autocorrect isn’t handling it consistently in your apps.

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Android

Method 1: Long Press the Period Key

On Gboard and most Android keyboards, tap and hold the . (period) key. A popup shows … as a long-press option. Slide to it and release.

This works on most Android keyboards without any setup and is the fastest method for occasional use.

Method 2: Gboard Symbol Search

In Gboard, tap the G logo and use the search function. Type “ellipsis” and … appears as an insertable option.

Method 3: Symbols Page

Tap ?123 to switch to numbers and symbols. … may be directly accessible on the symbols page depending on your keyboard version and region settings.

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Chromebook

Method 1: Unicode Input

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2026, then press Enter or Space. … appears at your cursor immediately.

Method 2: Special Characters Picker

Press Search + Shift + Space to open the emoji and special characters panel. Search “ellipsis” and select the … symbol.

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Linux

Method 1: Unicode Input

Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2026, then press Enter. Works consistently across most Linux distributions.

Method 2: Compose Key

With a Compose key configured, the sequence is Compose + . + . + . (Compose followed by three periods) to produce … on many configurations.

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Microsoft Word (Any Platform)

Method 1: AutoCorrect (Automatic)

Type three periods ... and Word automatically converts them to … — no setup required. This is already enabled by default in Word.

To confirm it’s on or turn it off, go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options → AutoFormat As You Type and look for the setting about replacing sequences with symbols. The ellipsis replacement is controlled here.

Method 2: Alt + X

Type 2026 then immediately press Alt + X. Word converts the Unicode code point to … instantly.

Method 3: Insert Symbol

Go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Search “ellipsis” or browse the General Punctuation character block. Select … and insert. Set up an AutoCorrect trigger from this dialog if you want a custom shortcut beyond the three-period auto-conversion.

Method 4: Alt Code

Hold Alt and type 0133 on the numpad — same as the standard Windows method.

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Google Docs

Option + ; on Mac works inside Google Docs the same as everywhere else. The Alt code works on Windows inside Docs.

Google Docs also automatically converts three typed periods to the ellipsis character in many situations — type ... and check whether Docs converts it. If it does, no other method is needed for regular writing.

Go to Insert → Special Characters, search “ellipsis,” and click to insert for guaranteed results regardless of autocorrect behavior.

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Style Guidance: Spacing Around Ellipses

Different style guides handle ellipsis spacing differently — worth knowing if you write for publication.

Chicago Manual of Style — spaces between each dot: . . . (using spaced periods, not the ellipsis character)

Associated Press (AP) — no spaces between dots, space before and after: …

MLA and APA — use the ellipsis character with a space before and after in most contexts: …

Informal writing — spacing doesn’t matter, consistency is more important than correctness

For most purposes, a space before and after the ellipsis is clean and widely accepted: She paused … then continued.

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Ellipsis in Code and Programming

In programming contexts, the ellipsis character has specific uses in some languages:

• Python — ... (three periods) is the Ellipsis literal used as a placeholder
• TypeScript/JavaScript — ... is the spread operator, not an ellipsis character
• Swift — uses ... and ..< as range operators
• CSS — text-overflow: ellipsis uses the word, not the character

In code, always use three separate periods rather than the Unicode ellipsis character — the Unicode character will cause syntax errors in most languages since parsers expect the ASCII period character.

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Quick Reference Table

Platform	Fastest Method	Shortcut
Windows	Alt code (numpad)	Alt + 0133
Windows (Word)	AutoCorrect	Type … and Word converts
Mac	Keyboard shortcut	Option + ;
iPhone / iPad	Long press period key	Hold . key
Android	Long press period key	Hold . key
Chromebook	Unicode input	Ctrl + Shift + U, 2026
Linux	Unicode input	Ctrl + Shift + U, 2026
Microsoft Word	AutoCorrect	Type … automatically

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The Bottom Line

On Mac, Option + ; is fast and requires nothing. On mobile, the long press on the period key is built in and available immediately. In Microsoft Word and Google Docs on any platform, simply typing three periods triggers automatic conversion to the real character — meaning you may already be typing the correct ellipsis without knowing it.

For Windows users writing outside of Word, setting up a text expander that maps ... to … mirrors Word’s behavior system-wide — you keep typing the way you already type and get the correct character automatically.

Three periods get the meaning across. One ellipsis character gets the typography right. On most platforms, you can have both without changing how you type.