Why TextExpander Suddenly Stops Expanding Snippets on macOS: 🕵️The Curious Case of Secure Input

TextExpander Talk
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You’re expanding snippets on your Mac…

The next minute… nothing.

You open TextExpander and see:

:orange_circle: Terminal has disabled TextExpander expansion

or maybe the more mysterious:

:orange_circle: Secure Input enabled by loginwindow

The good news is that it’s usually not a problem with your TextExpander app or snippets.

One common cause is Secure Input, a built-in macOS security feature that temporarily prevents other applications, including TextExpander, from seeing your keystrokes while you’re entering sensitive information, like passwords.

TextExpander detects the abbreviations you type so it knows when to expand your snippets. When Secure Input is active, TextExpander can’t detect those abbreviations, so snippet expansion may stop across your Mac.

It’s an important security feature.

It’s less great when Secure Input forgets to turn itself off.

We’ve seen Secure Input stick around because of things like:

  • :locked_with_key: Password managers such as 1Password, LastPass, or Proton Pass
  • :laptop: Terminal with Secure Keyboard Entry enabled
  • :globe_with_meridians: Browser tabs waiting for a password or verification code
  • :red_apple: Occasionally after signing in, waking from sleep, or some macOS updates

When possible, TextExpander tells you which application is holding Secure Input. If it shows loginwindow, that’s usually macOS’s way of saying, “I know Secure Input is active, but I can’t tell you exactly who’s responsible.”

If you’ve run into this recently, here are a few things to try:

:white_check_mark: Check for open password prompts, especially in 1Password, LastPass, Proton Pass, or your web browser.

:white_check_mark: Unlock your Mac using your password instead of Touch ID.

:white_check_mark: If Terminal is open, check whether Terminal > Secure Keyboard Entry is enabled.

:open_book: For more details, including what loginwindow means, why Secure Input happens, and additional troubleshooting steps, take a look at our new :backhand_index_pointing_right: Learning Center article.

:speech_balloon: Have you run into Secure Input recently?

If so, what application was reported, and what ultimately got your snippets expanding again?

2 Likes
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Good advice there. It would be helpful if you could expand on “If Terminal is open, check whether Terminal > Secure Keyboard Entry is enabled” and explain how to use Terminal to check this, i.e. what command to use, literally. Thanks.

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Good question! There isn’t a command to run. Terminal is a macOS application, and the article is referring to its Terminal menu in the menu bar. With Terminal open and active, click Terminal in the menu bar (next to the Apple  menu), then look for Secure Keyboard Entry. If it’s checked, it’s enabled. If it isn’t checked, it’s already disabled.