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Using smart quotes

TextEdit can automatically substitute curly (or “smart”) quotation marks for straight quotation marks as you type.

Curly quotation marks are commonly used in books and make your document look more professional.

To apply smart quotes as you type:

  • Choose Edit > Substitutions, and then choose Smart Quotes from the submenu.

  • To automatically use smart quotes in all new documents, choose TextEdit > Preferences, click New Document, and select “Smart quotes” below Options.

To apply smart quotes to text you’ve already typed:

  • To use smart quotes for only part of a document, select that part, choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions, select Smart Quotes, and then click "Replace in Selection."

  • To apply smart quotes throughout the document, choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions, select Smart Quotes, and then click Replace All.

Smart quotes are automatically applied to any additional quotation marks you type in the document.

To choose a style for smart quotes:

  1. Choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions.

  2. Make sure that Smart Quotes is selected.

  3. From the pop-up menus below the Smart Quotes checkbox, choose the style you want to use for double and single quotation marks.

To enter straight quotes when Smart Quotes is selected:

  • To enter a straight single quotation mark, press Control-Apostrophe (’).

  • To enter a straight double quotation mark, press Control-Shift-Quotation Mark (”).

To stop using smart quotes:

Choose Edit > Substitutions, and then choose Smart Quotes from the submenu to deselect it.

Related Topics

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