How to disable smart quotes and dashes


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Most devices and apps these days use “smart quotes” (or curly quotes) and “smart dashes”. They are generally considered easier for reading purposes, and they give room for “straight quotes” to fill their own purpose.

But for developers writing code, curly quotes can cause a few problems. Many devs who use Bear have asked for a way to banish the curlies. We have a couple options for doing this, though they vary between devices.

Disable smart quotes on Mac

The first option for users of Bear for Mac is to disable smart quotes within Bear. While editing a note, simply go to Edit > Substitutions and click to disable Smart Quotes.

Mac users can also disable smart quotes system-wide by visiting Apple  Menu > System Settings… > Keyboard > Text Input > Input Sources - Edit…, then unchecking “Use smart quotes and dashes.”

Disable smart quotes on iPad and iPhone

Currently, the only way to disable smart quotes on iPad and iPhone is the system-wide option. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard, and toggle off “Smart Punctuation.”

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