Features

Core Text Expansion

TypeSnap expands your snippets instantly, anywhere on your Mac.

Abbreviation Detection

Type a short abbreviation like ;sig and watch it expand into your full email signature. Choose from three trigger modes:

Immediate - Expands as soon as you type the abbreviation
Delimiter - Expands after space or punctuation
Manual only - Only via Quick Search or hotkey

Wait for Longer Abbreviations

If an instant abbreviation like ;em is also the start of a longer one like ;email, turn on Wait briefly when a longer abbreviation could follow in Settings > Expansion. TypeSnap holds the shorter snippet for a moment so you can keep typing. It’s off by default, so instant snippets still fire on the keystroke.

Case Sensitivity Modes

Control how abbreviations are matched:

Auto - Matches any case and expands the snippet as written
Sensitive - ;Sig and ;sig are different
Insensitive - Both trigger the same snippet

Match the Case You Type

Turn on Match case of typed abbreviation in Settings > Expansion and snippets set to Auto follow how you typed a lowercase abbreviation: btw gives “by the way”, Btw gives “By the way”, and BTW gives “BY THE WAY”. Code snippets and inserted values such as the clipboard are never changed. It’s off by default.

Text Insertion Across Applications

TypeSnap expands snippets across compatible apps and text fields using macOS Accessibility permission. Secure password fields are excluded by default. Try it in the apps you use during the free trial.

Cursor Positioning

Use {{cursor}} to place the cursor exactly where you want it after expansion. Perfect for templates where you need to fill in the middle.

Password Field Protection

TypeSnap automatically detects secure password fields and can optionally bypass expansion. You control when expansion is allowed.

Regex Triggers

Create powerful pattern-based triggers using regular expressions. Capture groups ($0, $1, $2, etc.) let you transform matched text dynamically.

Example: Match phone numbers and reformat them, or create smart auto-corrections that work on patterns rather than exact text.

Image Expansion

Snippets aren’t limited to text. Insert images with a simple abbreviation -logos, signatures, diagrams, or any image you use frequently.

Snippet Types

Each snippet has a content type: Plain Text, Rich Text, Markdown, Code, JavaScript, or Image.

Markdown - Write headings, lists, bold, and links in Markdown. The editor shows a formatted preview, and the snippet expands as formatted text.
Code - Pick a language (19 to choose from, or Auto-Detect) and get a syntax-highlighted preview in the editor. The snippet expands as highlighted text where the app accepts formatting, and as plain text everywhere else.

Application-Specific Snippets

Control which apps can use which snippets with whitelist and blacklist filtering. Create context-specific expansions that only work where you need them.

Macro System

Your snippets aren’t static. TypeSnap’s powerful macro system creates dynamic, adaptive content.

Date and Time Macros

Insert dates and times with flexible formatting:

{{date}} - Today’s date (long format, e.g. “January 19, 2026”)
{{date:short}} - Localized short date (e.g. “1/19/26”)
{{date:medium}} - Localized medium date (e.g. “Jan 19, 2026”)
{{date:long}} - Localized long date (e.g. “January 19, 2026”)
{{date:full}} - Localized full date (e.g. “Monday, January 19, 2026”)
{{date:iso}} - ISO 8601 date (e.g. “2026-01-19”)
{{date:MMMM d, yyyy}} - Custom format (“January 19, 2026”)
{{today}} · {{tomorrow}} · {{yesterday}} - Relative dates
{{date+7d}} - Offset from today — d days, w weeks, m months, y years
{{date-1m}} - One month ago
{{time}} - Current time
{{time:short}} - Localized short time (e.g. “2:30 PM”)
{{time:HH:mm}} - Custom time format (“14:30”)
{{now}} - Current date and time
{{now:short}} - Localized short date and time (e.g. “1/19/26, 2:30 PM”)

Clipboard Macro

{{clipboard}} inserts the current clipboard contents into your expansion. Perfect for templates that work with copied data.

Selected Text Macro

{{selected}} inserts the text you had selected when the snippet expanded. Select a name or a sentence, type your abbreviation, and wrap it in a template.

Fill-in Fields

Create interactive templates:

{{input:name}} - Single-line text input
{{textarea:description}} - Multi-line text area
{{select:Option A,Option B,Option C}} - Dropdown menu

The fill-in dialog shows a live preview of the finished text as you type. You can also skip the dialog and fill values inline: type ;greet<Ada> and “Ada” goes straight into the snippet’s field. For instant snippets, this needs the Wait briefly when a longer abbreviation could follow setting described above.

Conditional Blocks

Show different text depending on what you entered:

{{if:Reason==Refund}}...{{else}}...{{/if}} - Branch on a fill-in value
{{elseif:...}} - Add more branches
Combine conditions with AND, OR, and NOT, and compare with ==, !=, CONTAINS, >, <, and more

Keystroke Simulation

Simulate key presses within your expansions:

{{key:tab}} - Tab key
{{key:return}} - Return/Enter key
{{key:escape}} - Escape key
Arrow keys and modifier combinations

Nested Snippets

Reference other snippets with {{snippet:abbreviation}}. TypeSnap includes depth limiting and circular reference detection to prevent infinite loops.

JavaScript Execution

Run custom JavaScript code within snippets for complex logic, calculations, or transformations. Scripts run in a sandboxed environment with a 5-second timeout for safety.

Random/UUID Generation

{{random:1-100}} - Generate random numbers in a range
{{uuid}} - Generate unique identifiers

On-Device AI Macros (Optional)

{{ai:...}} sends a prompt to a model on your own Mac and inserts the result, for example {{ai:Summarize $selected}}. Prompts can use $selected, $clipboard, and your fill-in values. TypeSnap uses Apple Intelligence or a local Ollama server, and it only accepts an Ollama address on your own Mac (localhost), so prompts never go to a cloud AI service. Nothing runs unless a snippet contains an {{ai:...}} macro, and you can turn it off entirely in Settings > Advanced.

A polished, native Mac experience designed for productivity.

Main Window with Sidebar

Organized groups in a sidebar for easy navigation. Create, browse, and manage your snippet library.

Snippet Editor

Rich editor with a macro insertion toolbar. See live previews of how your macros will expand.

Macro Builder

Don’t want to memorize syntax? Click Insert Macro… in the editor to open the Macro Builder. Pick a type (text input, dropdown, optional section, date math, conditional, AI prompt, or a utility like clipboard or cursor), fill in the options, and it inserts the finished macro at the cursor.

Press ⌘+Shift+T anywhere to open Quick Search. Type a few letters, find any snippet, expand it instantly. The fastest way to access your snippets. If ⌘+Shift+T clashes with another app, change it in Settings > General > Global Search Shortcut.

Clipboard History Panel

Access recent clipboard items and insert them into snippets or use them directly.

Fill-in Dialogs

When snippets contain fill-in fields, TypeSnap presents a clean dialog to enter your values before expansion, with a live preview of the result.

Access all your snippets from the menu bar. Browse groups, search, and expand without opening the main app.

Preferences Window

Customize behavior and appearance. Configure triggers, sounds, notifications, and more.

Import/Export Dialogs

Easy-to-use interfaces for importing from TextExpander, TypeIt4Me, Raycast, Espanso, Alfred, or aText, and exporting your data.

Version History

Browse and restore previous versions of any snippet. Never lose your work.

Statistics Dashboard

Track your productivity gains:

Total expansions
Keystrokes saved
Most used snippets
Usage trends over time

Data Management

Full control over your snippet library.

Create, Edit, Delete Snippets

Full CRUD operations with an intuitive interface. Organize your snippets exactly how you want.

Snippet Duplication

Quickly duplicate existing snippets as a starting point for variations.

Group Management

Create, rename, delete, and reorder groups. Organize your snippets into logical categories.

Search Functionality

Find snippets by name, content, or abbreviation. Instant results as you type.

Import & Export

Your data is yours. Move it freely.

TextExpander Import

Import from TextExpander CSV and plist formats. We automatically convert:

Fill-in fields
Date macros
Clipboard references
Nested snippets
Cursor positioning
Key simulations

TypeIt4Me Import

Full native format support. Import your TypeIt4Me clippings with automatic macro conversion.

Raycast, Espanso, Alfred, and aText Import

Dedicated importers read each app’s own export:

Raycast - JSON snippet export
Espanso - .yml and .yaml match files
Alfred - .alfredsnippets collections or JSON
aText - CSV or JSON exports

Supported placeholders (dates, clipboard, cursor, fill-ins, and more) convert to TypeSnap macros, and anything that can’t convert is listed in the import warnings.

JSON/CSV Export

Export your snippets with full metadata for backup or migration.

TextExpander-Compatible Export

Export in a format compatible with TextExpander and other tools.

Round-Trip Integrity

Use a JSON backup for the full TypeSnap library. Other formats can omit metadata or require macro changes. Review warnings and test important snippets after migration.

See the import guide →

iCloud Sync

Sync your snippets across all your Macs using your own iCloud storage.

Basic Sync Operations

Enable iCloud sync to keep snippets synchronized across all your Macs. Uses your iCloud storage -we never see your data.

Conflict Resolution

When changes conflict, choose how to resolve them:

Keep local version
Keep remote version
Keep both versions

Offline Handling

Works fully offline. Changes sync automatically when you’re back online.

Change Token Tracking

Efficient incremental sync means only changes are transferred, not your entire library.

Full Data Sync

Everything syncs: snippets, groups, regex patterns, images, and app-specific filters.

System Integration

TypeSnap integrates seamlessly with macOS.

Accessibility Permission (required)

System-wide text expansion requires macOS Accessibility permission — without it, expansions silently do nothing. A guided setup walks you through granting it: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → enable TypeSnap. TypeSnap uses Accessibility access to identify the focused control, insert expansions, and avoid secure password fields. TypeSnap processes a short typing buffer locally to match abbreviations. Clipboard history separately stores copied text locally and can be switched off. See the privacy policy.

Event Tap Reliability

Trigger detection runs locally across compatible applications. Test expansion in your own apps during the trial.

Start TypeSnap automatically when you log in. Always ready when you need it.

Apple Shortcuts

TypeSnap adds actions to the Shortcuts app:

Expand Snippet - Get a snippet’s expanded text, with macros evaluated, and optionally paste it into the active app
Create Snippet - Add a snippet with an abbreviation, label, content, and group
Search Snippets - Find snippets by text and use the results in your shortcut

Global Hotkeys

System-wide keyboard shortcuts including:

Quick Search popup (⌘+Shift+T by default, changeable in Settings > General)
Toggle expansion on/off
Per-snippet custom hotkeys

Security

Built with security in mind.

Password Field Detection

TypeSnap blocks expansion in detected secure password fields by default. A setting can override this protection. If the focused field cannot be checked, expansion is blocked by default. Some apps or text fields may prevent expansion or change inserted formatting; test your own apps during the trial.

Clipboard Handling

Secure clipboard operations ensure your data is handled safely.

JavaScript Sandboxing

Scripts run in an isolated environment. They can’t access your file system, network, or other sensitive resources.

Direct Mac Distribution

TypeSnap is downloaded directly from this website, not from the Mac App Store. The current release is signed and notarized for macOS 26.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
⌘+Shift+T (default, changeable)	Quick Search
⌘+Shift+E	Toggle expansion
⌘+Shift+I	Import snippets
⌘+Option+E	Export snippets
⌘+Option+S	Statistics

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