Non-Breaking Space and Invisible Characters: How to Type and Find Them
Quick answer: a non-breaking space looks like a normal space but stops a line break at that point. Type it with Alt+0160 on Windows, Ctrl+Shift+Space in Word, Option+Space on a Mac, or in HTML. Other invisible characters, such as the zero-width space, can hide in copied text and cause odd problems; how to find and remove them is below.
When to use a non-breaking space
- Number and unit: 10 kg, 5 %, £ 20 (in styles that space them).
- Title and name: Dr Smith, page 12, Figure 3.
- Dates and times: 25 October, 10 pm.
- French punctuation: before ! ? : ; and inside « » (see French accents).
How to type it
| Where | Method |
|---|---|
| Windows (any app) | Alt+0160 (or Alt+255) on the numeric keypad |
| Word | Ctrl + Shift + Space; Insert → Symbol → Special Characters → Nonbreaking Space |
| Mac | Option + Space |
| HTML | or   |
| Word (non-breaking hyphen) | Ctrl + Shift + - (keeps "well-known" together) |
In Word, click the ¶ button (Show/Hide, Ctrl+Shift+8) to see non-breaking spaces as small raised circles °, different from the dots of normal spaces. More Word methods: symbols in Word.
Other invisible characters
| Character | Code | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-width space | U+200B | Allows a line break, no visible space |
| Zero-width non-joiner | U+200C | Keeps letters from joining (used in Persian and other scripts) |
| Zero-width joiner | U+200D | Joins emoji into one (family, profession emoji) and letters in some scripts |
| Word joiner | U+2060 | Prevents a break, no space |
| Soft hyphen | U+00AD (Alt+0173) | Shows a hyphen only if the word breaks at the line end |
| Byte order mark | U+FEFF | Invisible marker at the start of some UTF-8 files |
Finding and removing them
- Word: Show/Hide ¶ reveals spaces and many marks. In Find and Replace,
^sfinds non-breaking spaces and^-soft hyphens. - Excel:
=SUBSTITUTE(A1,CHAR(160)," ")turns non-breaking spaces into normal ones (TRIM alone leaves them), and=LEN(A1)reveals hidden characters when the count is higher than expected. - Code editors: most can show whitespace and highlight unusual characters; search with a regular expression such as
[ ]. Don't strip U+200D blindly, because it is part of many emoji.
Related: look-alike characters and what is Unicode.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type a non-breaking space?
Windows: Alt+0160 on the numeric keypad. Word: Ctrl + Shift + Space. Mac: Option + Space. HTML: the entity nbsp written as an ampersand, nbsp and a semicolon.
When should I use a non-breaking space?
Between things that must stay on the same line: a number and its unit (10 kg), a title and a name (Dr Smith), dates (25 October), and before ! ? : ; in French.
Why does my Excel formula fail on numbers copied from a website?
The data probably contains non-breaking spaces (character 160), which TRIM does not remove. Use SUBSTITUTE(A1, CHAR(160), "") to delete them first.
What is a zero-width space?
An invisible character (U+200B) that allows a line break but takes no space. It can break searches, passwords and code when it sneaks into copied text.
Looking for something else? Browse 1,000+ copy-paste symbols, the full Alt Codes finder, or the emoji picker.