Did you know you can assign your own keyboard shortcuts (“hotkeys”) to six different TextExpander actions? They can save you a few extra clicks and make common tasks even faster. You can set these up under TextExpander > Preferences > Hotkeys and click “Set Hotkey” next to an action and press your preferred key combination. (Command/Alt/Control/Option/Shift + a letter or number).
Here’s a rundown of each one, plus a real-world use case.
Open TextExpander
Bring the main TextExpander window to the front.
Use case: You’ve hidden your Dock icon (Mac) or don’t keep the menu bar/system tray icon visible, and you need to jump straight into the app to browse or manage your Snippet Groups, or to make some changes. This gets you into the app right away, no looking around for it needed!
Enable/Disable TextExpander
Temporarily turns expansion on or off. Press this hotkey combination again to re-enable expansions.
Use case: You’re typing a password, a code Snippet, or something that happens to match one of your Abbreviations, and you don’t want it to accidentally expand mid-typing. Toggle expansions on/off without opening the app, or TextExpander’s Preferences pane.
Create New Snippet
Opens a new blank Snippet in the Snippet Editor in TextExpander.
Use case: You think of a Snippet on the fly — like a canned response you keep retyping — and want to capture it immediately, before you forget the exact wording.
Create New Snippet from Clipboard
Opens the Create Snippet window, pre-filled with whatever’s currently on your clipboard.
Use case: You just copied something reusable, like a signature block, an address, or a boilerplate paragraph from an email, and want to turn it into a Snippet without retyping it. This is really handy when you first draft some content, that you think you might use again in the future. It is also great when saving an email address as a new Snippet!
Edit Last Expanded Snippet
Jumps directly to editing the Snippet you most recently expanded.
Use case: Right after a Snippet expands, you notice a typo or outdated info (an old phone number, stale pricing, etc.) and want to fix it on the spot instead of hunting for it later. This is great for making an edit to a Snippet in the moment, without having to remember to go back and complete the update later.
Inline Search
Opens the Inline Search feature. You can search for a specific Snippet by Abbreviation, Label, or part of its content. Great for when you know what Snippet you want to use, but don’t remember the exact Abbreviation.
Use case: You have a large library of Snippets, and want to find the exact right one to use. You can hover over top of the search results, and see a pop-up preview of the Snippet Contents!
Quick Action
Opens the Quick Actions menu, showing your 9 most-used Snippets plus search and settings.
Use case: You want to see the menu options available from the TextExpander menu bar icon, but have that hidden or turned off.
Pro tip: Pick shortcuts you’ll actually remember. Many people use the same modifier keys (such as Control + Option) for every TextExpander hotkey and only change the final letter for each action.
Do you have a favorite hotkey setup of your own, or creative way you use these hotkeys? We’d love to hear about it!
