Learn how to create text replacement shortcuts on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to speed up typing and save time while reducing typos.
This tremendously useful feature allows you to quickly type out long phrases or sentences by typing custom triggers. Text replacements save you time when typing frequently used terms in text messages, emails, and elsewhere.
For instance, I’ve set up a text replacement that turns “aaem” into my full email address (ankur@idownloadblog.com) so I don’t have to type it out fully every time. Similarly, if you frequently share your business phone number with clients, you may want to use a text replacement shortcut for that.
iPhone and iPad
1) Open the Settings app and navigate to General > Keyboard, then tap Text Replacement and hit the plus sign in the top-right corner.
2) Type anything you’d like to shorten, like your email address, a phone number, or a specific phrase or sentence.
3) Type in the trigger for this shortcut. For instance, you may want to use “myem” for your email address.
4) Hit Save in the top-right corner to save this text replacement and return to the previous screen, where you should see the shortcut you just added. To edit a text replacement, tap it, then make your changes and choose Save.
Mac
All text replacements sync automatically to all your other devices that use the same Apple account, including your Mac. Follow the steps below if you’d like to set up text replacements directly on your Mac.
1) Open System Settings, then select Keyboard in the sidebar and click the Text Replacements button on the right.
2) Hit the tiny little plus button (+).
3) Create a trigger in the Replace section and type the actual phrase in the With field.
4) Click Add, followed by Done to save this text replacement.
How to use text replacement shortcuts
Whenever typing something, simply type out a trigger phrase and the appropriate replacement appears above the onscreen keyboard, then hit the Space key or tap the replacement above the keyboard. Doing so will replace the trigger with the text you’ve assigned to it.
Text replacements also work with most third-party iOS keyboards. In certain apps, however, text replacements may not function. For instance, text replacements work throughout Google Chrome but not in the URL bar.
Other typing tips
Did you know you can actually type copyright ©, trademark™, and registered® symbols on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac? If you own an Apple Watch, you may be interested to learn how to type in another language using the watchOS keyboard.
iPhone owners often overlook the built-in swipe keyboard that speeds up typing by letting you slide your finger over the keys that form the word you intend to type. We also have other tips you should check out to speed up typing on your iPhone.