This free Windows text tool will change the way you type - turnerwareturs

When it works, a text shortcut tool can feel for like magic. Create a few shortcuts for your most frequently typed phrases or sentences, and you can enter them instantly with honorable a few keystrokes. With a bit of practice, textbook shortcuts—alias text expansion—can down on vast amounts of repetitive typing.

Awhile, I used a program called PhaseExpress for text shortcuts. Piece IT's been just about for nearly two decades, the free edition wasn't a great fit for Pine Tree State as I don't call for whatsoever of its more advanced features and got tired of occasional pop-ups reminding me about the paid reading. I besides tough issues acquiring shortcuts to ferment dependably, and instead of hard to troubleshoot them, I instead just started quest out alternatives. That light-emitting diode ME to a glorious app—with an even off more brilliant name—called Beeftext.

Beeftext is an open-source Windows program that's at large to use, simple to set raised, and has none of the annoyances I experienced with PhaseExpress. Once you've installed the app, you set up "combos" that include the text you want to write and a short keyword you use to make that text appear. Beeftext works deep down any Windows app, and unlike the predictive text tools built into apps like Gmail, you can go far drop a line anything you want.

Some examples of how I'm victimization Beeftext now:

Adjoin data. For instance, I eccentric "@@" to write my email address, and "@adr" to enter my home address.
Typewriting "—" in Windows, whose emdash keyboard shortcut other than requires a issue pad. I use "—_" to enter this.
Email templates. My personal dearie: Rejecting Atomic number 59 pitches by typing "!Gopa," which turns into "Gonna reach this one. Thanks – Jared"
Googling specific sites. For example, I've set up "pcw:" to case "place:pcworld.com 'Jared Newman,'" which helps me look up my previous articles here.
Retrieving unmemorable info, like the hexadecimal encrypt for the colour scheme of my newsletter. (Note: Don't use this for passwords OR separate sensitive details.)
Uncomplicated emoji incoming: While you fundament always hit Win + . to get up Windows' emoji picker, typing them in Beeftext is faster. I use !thumb to make over a thumbs-up 👍🏻 on the fly.

Au fon, Beeftext is apotheosis for any situation where you'Ra typing the same text time and again. Setting up shortcuts will save you time and help eliminate typos.

How to use Beeftext

Once you've installed Beeftext, head to Combos > Early and ease up your first shortcut a moniker. Under Keyword, get in the phrase you'll use to trigger the cutoff. Under Snippet, enter the text you want it to bring forth.

beeftextgopa — Fair-and-square make a trip formulate for your crosscut, then enter the textbook you want it to make over.

You'll likewise notice a couple of extra options: Dynamical the Matching option from Puritanic to Loose will trigger the shortcut even when you type the keyword inside other Christian Bible. If you want the shortcut to be case-insensitive, you can convert it here as well.

After creating some shortcuts, you might view classification them into groups thusly they're easier to find. E.g., I have one radical for personal details, and other one for work-related typing tasks.

Heading to to File > Preferences also lets you tweak how Beeftext works. You can invalid cutoff sounds (though I find them satisfying), require hitting spacebar to confirm a shortcut, set up a picker window where you can choose shortcuts manually from your list, and more. If you head to Advanced > Yield Cheat Canvas, IT'll create a .CSV spreadsheet of totally your shortcuts, which you can open or print for quick reference.

beeftextpreferences — Beeftext's Preferences computer menu lets you control the manner shortcuts are activated.

Lastly, weigh making a fill-in of your shortcuts under Advanced > Backup, especially if you plan to use Beeftext on multiple PCs. I save this substitute file to a folder in OneDrive, so I can restore each my shortcuts on a fresh install of Beeftext with just a couple of clicks.

Bringing schoolbook shortcuts with you

Although Beeftext is available only on Windows, you can placid use text shortcuts on your phone or tab with alternative tools. Here's how:

iPhone and iPad

Orchard apple tree has its own text shortcut tool around collective right into iOS, hidden away under Settings > General > Keyboards > Text Replacement. Hit the + button to make up a new shortcut, and so fill out the Phrase and Shortcut fields.

Unfortunately, this system doesn't support multi-business line text shortcuts, merely there is a workaround if you throw a Mac: Channelise to System Preferences > Keyboard > Schoolbook > Shortcuts in MacOS, then hit Option-Return to make over new lines equally you effect your shortcuts. (You can also just copy and spread a block of text from another text editing app.) Provided some devices are victimization the cookie-cutter iCloud account, Apple will mechanically synchronise your multi-line shortcuts over to iOS.

Android

Google's official keyboard connected Android devices has a built-in textual matter crosscut have if you know where to looking at. Firstborn, cause sure you've downloaded and switched to Google's Gboard app—many Humanoid devices ship with their own keyboards instead—past hit the gear icon above the keyboard. Guide to Lexicon > Personal dictionary > English (US), then hit the + push. Type the articulate you'd like to enter in the "eccentric a word" arena, then type the the keyword crosscut you'd like to role underneath.

As with Apple's system, you can't directly enter upon multi-line shortcuts in this carte du jour, but you can use any text editing app to get down multiple lines of text, then copy and spread it into the "type A word" field.

Naturally, these aren't the only when options for text shortcuts. If you're willing to pay, you fundament check out other tools like Text Expander, aText, ActiveWords, and maybe even PhaseExpress, which offer late features like rich text formatting, autocorrection, and cloud up syncing.

Only if you've never gotten into text shortcuts before, you should at least try free tools equal Beeftext first. They might end improving being completely you need.

A version of this clause to begin with appeared in Advisorator, Jared's period of time tech advice newsletter. Sign up, and he might just manipulation Beeftext to assist send you a welcome message.