Text expansion
Also: snippets
Updated
Definition
Text expansion replaces a short trigger with a longer saved text: an address, a signature, a canned reply. In voice tools, the trigger is spoken ("insert my scheduling link") and the full text is typed for you.
Expansion predates dictation (keyboard tools like TextExpander built the category), but it is a natural fit for voice: saying one phrase and getting a paragraph is the highest-leverage sentence you can speak.
The details that matter: triggers should tolerate natural variations in how you say them, and the expanded text should be inserted exactly as saved, never passed through a rewriting model.
What people keep in snippets
Sign-offs and signatures. Scheduling links and addresses. The three canned replies that cover half of a support inbox. Legal boilerplate. The paragraph that explains a refund policy. A commit message prefix. Anything you have typed more than five times is a candidate, and the more of it you say by voice, the more the savings compound.
Spoken triggers are fuzzy
A keyboard trigger is exact: type the abbreviation and the expansion fires. A spoken trigger goes through a speech model first, so "insert my scheduling link" may arrive as "insert my schedule link" or "insert scheduling link". A voice tool has to match the trigger loosely, against the raw transcript before any cleanup, so that it fires even when the trigger itself was slightly misheard. The expansion, on the other hand, must be exact: what lands is what you saved, character for character.
Snippets versus the dictionary
They are mirror images. A dictionary entry is one word the engine tends to get wrong, spelled your way. A snippet is one short phrase that stands for a lot of text. The dictionary fixes recognition; snippets replace typing. Both should be local to your machine, and neither should ever be reworded by a formatting model.
How to create a text replacement on a Mac
macOS has a basic text expansion feature built in, called text replacements. It is typed, not spoken, but it is the quickest way to try the idea, and it costs nothing.
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.
- Click Text Replacements.
- Click the Add button, type the short text you want to replace, then type the full text that should replace it.
- Click Add, then click Done.
- Open a document or a message, type the short text, and check that it expands.
Why does my text replacement not work in some apps?
Apple states the limit plainly in the Mac User Guide: text replacements are not available in all apps. An app has to use the system text features for the replacement to fire, and some apps do not.
This is the main practical difference between the built-in feature and a dedicated expansion tool. Before you build a long list, test one replacement in the apps you write in most. In apps that support it, you can also reach the same settings from Edit → Substitutions → Show Substitutions, then Text Settings.
How to back up and sync your replacements
A snippet list becomes valuable quickly, so it is worth knowing where yours lives. Apple text replacements stay up to date across your Apple devices through iCloud when iCloud Drive is set up and you are signed in to the same Apple Account on each device. You can also export them as a file to keep a copy or share it with another Mac user.
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings, click Keyboard, then click Text Replacements.
- Select the replacements you want, or choose Edit → Select All.
- Drag the selection from the Text Replacements window to the desktop. This creates a file named property list.plist.
- To restore or share the list, drag that file into the Text Replacements window on the other Mac, then click Done.
Questions people ask.
What is a snippet in a dictation app?
A saved block of text with a spoken trigger. Say the trigger and the whole block is typed for you, exactly as you saved it.
Do snippets work if the trigger is misheard?
In a well-built tool, yes. Triggers are matched loosely against the raw transcript so small recognition errors still fire them. The expansion itself is always exact.
Is a snippet the same as a dictionary entry?
No. A dictionary entry teaches the recognizer how to spell a word you say. A snippet replaces a short phrase with a long saved text. Most tools have both.
Does Mac have built-in text expansion?
Yes. It is called text replacements, and you set it up in System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements. Apple notes that it is not available in all apps.
Do Mac text replacements sync to iPhone?
Yes. With iCloud Drive set up and the same Apple Account on each device, a text replacement you add on your Mac works on your iPhone and iPad, and the reverse.
How do I export text replacements from a Mac?
Open System Settings → Keyboard → Text Replacements, select the entries, and drag them to the desktop. macOS creates a file named property list.plist that you can back up or drag into the same window on another Mac.
