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How to Add and Use Text Replacements on Mac: Text replacement shortcuts are helpful because they let you type long phrases or sentences quickly by typing only a few characters. Setting up shortcuts for text replacement can save you time and make typing a lot easier and faster. This is very helpful if you often type the same words or sentences, especially in text messages or emails.
Text replacement is a helpful tool that can save you a lot of time while typing. It works a lot like text expansion. You can make shortcuts for text snippets you use often, like your address, email address, email templates, and more. Your text shortcuts sync with iCloud and work on all of your Apple devices, including your iPhone and iPad.
Steps to Add text replacements on Mac
- Step 1: Open System preferences using the icon in your Dock or the Apple icon in the Menu bar.
- Step 2: Select Keyboard.
- Step 3: Go to the Text tab. If you’re synced with your iPhone or iPad, you may see shortcuts you’ve added there.
- Step 4: To add a replacement, select the Plus sign on the bottom left.
- Step 5: Type the shortcut you want to use to replace the text in the box that opens.
- Step 6: Press your Tab key and then enter the text you want to display when you use the shortcut.
- Step 7: Press your Return key to save the text replacement.
Use text replacements on Mac
- Step 1: Place your cursor where you want the string of text, and type the shortcut.
- Step 2: You should see the replacement text pop-up box beneath the shortcut.
- Step 3: You can then select that text, press Return, or use the Space bar to replace the shortcut with the text.
- Step 4: If you don’t want to replace the shortcut with the string of text for some reason, select the X on the right side of the small pop-up box.
FAQs
If you use Microsoft Office products on the Mac, you need to separately set up your set of ‘text replacements’ as Autocorrect entries. This is done in the Preferences area of any the Office apps – in Preferences -> Autocorrect.
Click in the text where you want to place the character, then choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols (or press Control-Command-Space bar). The Character Viewer appears where you clicked. You can drag it to the desktop if you want to keep it open as you work.
To use a keyboard shortcut, press and hold one or more modifier keys and then press the last key of the shortcut. For example, to use Command-C (copy), press and hold the Command key, then the C key, then release both keys.
Go to File > Options > Proofing, and select AutoCorrect Options. On the AutoCorrect tab, select the Replace text as you type check box, if it’s not already checked. Under Replace, type the characters that you want to trigger the automatic text. The text that you selected in your document should appear under With.