What is a text expander?
A text expander is a tool that replaces a short abbreviation with longer text you saved earlier. You type .sig and your full email signature appears in its place. The abbreviation is called a hotword, shortcut or snippet trigger, and the saved text can be a sentence, a whole reply, an address or a code block.
People use text expanders to stop retyping the same 20 or 30 messages every week: support replies, sales follow-ups, meeting links, clinical note templates. A reply that takes 87 keystrokes by hand takes 5 with a hotword.
Type a hotword, watch it expand.
This box runs a small sample on this page, so it works without installing anything. Type .sig, .ty, .addr or .today, or tap a chip. It expands on the last letter, the same way Makro does.
The full demo has 20 sample macros across email, support, clinical notes and code, plus AI rewriting.
Three parts, one keystroke.
A short trigger you pick, such as .sig or /refund. A prefix like . or / keeps it from matching an ordinary word you meant to type.
Some expanders wait for Space or Tab after the hotword. Makro expands the moment you type its last letter, and only when a space or punctuation comes before it, so letters inside a word never fire.
The hotword is replaced with the saved text. Placeholders inside it, such as [$DATE], fill in at that moment.
Placeholders are what separate a text expander from copy and paste. [$DATE] inserts today's date, [$CLIPBOARD] inserts what you copied, [$PROMPT:First name] asks you for a value before inserting, and [$CURSOR] sets where the caret lands. Makro has 44 placeholders on the free plan; the quick reference lists them all.
10 hotwords worth setting up first.
| Use | Hotword | Becomes |
|---|---|---|
| .sig | Best regards, Jordan Lee Support Lead, Acme Corp | |
| Support | /refund | I have processed your refund. It should reach your card within 3 to 5 business days. |
| Sales | .fup | Hi [$PROMPT:First name], following up on our call on [$DATE]. Is Thursday at 10:00 still good for the demo? |
| Scheduling | .zoom | Here is the meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/0000000000 |
| Address | .addr | 1200 Market St, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94103 |
| Healthcare | soap | SUBJECTIVE: OBJECTIVE: ASSESSMENT: PLAN: |
| Legal | .conf | This message and any attachments are confidential and intended only for the named recipient. |
| Developers | .log | console.log('[$CURSOR]', ); |
| AI prompts | .tldr | Summarize the text below in 3 bullet points for a busy executive: [$CLIPBOARD] |
| Dates | .today | [$DATE] becomes today's date, e.g. 2026-10-29 |
Ready-made sets for support, sales and developers are in the community packs. Role-specific setups: customer support, sales, developers, healthcare, legal, AI prompts and accessibility.
Three kinds of text expander.
They differ in where they can type for you. Pick by where you spend your day.
Browser extensions
Works inEvery text field on every website: Gmail, Outlook on the web, Zendesk, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Notion.
TradeoffNothing outside the browser. Desktop apps such as Word or the Slack desktop app are out of reach.
Desktop apps
Works inAny app on one computer, browser included, by watching keystrokes system-wide.
TradeoffAn install per machine, often an accessibility or input-monitoring permission, and a separate setup on each OS.
Built into the OS
Works inmacOS and iOS Text Replacements, Gboard shortcuts on Android.
TradeoffPlain text only: no placeholders, no fill-in fields, no folders, and no import or sharing.
Five questions before you install one.
- Where do you type?Mostly in web apps, a browser extension covers you. Native desktop apps need a desktop tool.
- How many snippets does the free plan allow?Free tiers range from a handful of active snippets to unlimited. Count the replies you send in a week before you pick.
- Who can read your snippets?Snippets hold signatures, addresses and client wording. Check whether sync is end-to-end encrypted or stored readable on the vendor's server.
- Do you need fill-in fields?Dates, names and dropdowns inside a snippet turn one template into many replies.
- Can you bring your library?Look for importers from the tool you use today, and an export so you can leave later.
Side-by-side breakdowns: every tool in one matrix, or one at a time against TextExpander, Text Blaze and Espanso.
A browser text expander that cannot read your macros.
Makro is a free extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Brave. Unlimited macros, 44 placeholders and local AI rewriting are free, with no account. Macros are encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your device before they sync, so the server stores ciphertext only. The importer reads 11 other text expander formats.
What it does not do: it works in the browser only, so it does not expand in desktop apps such as Word or the Slack desktop app. There is no Safari version and no phone app.
Common questions.
What is the difference between a text expander and autocorrect?
Autocorrect guesses what you meant and fixes typos. A text expander only fires on abbreviations you defined yourself, so it never changes words you did not ask it to.
Is a text expander the same as a snippet or macro tool?
Yes. Snippet, macro, shortcut, abbreviation and hotword all name the same idea: a short trigger you type that becomes longer saved text.
Can a text expander read what I type?
It has to watch keystrokes in the fields where it works, in order to spot an abbreviation. What matters is what it stores and sends. Makro keeps your macros encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your device, and its sync server stores ciphertext it cannot read.
Is there a free text expander?
Yes. Makro is free with unlimited macros and no account. Paid plans add cloud sync across devices and AI credits.
Does a text expander work in Gmail?
A browser extension works in Gmail, Outlook on the web and any other site with a text field. Google Docs is the exception for Makro: its editor does not accept inline expansion, so you copy the macro from the popup and paste it.