If you keep typing the same email address, sign-off, or awkward symbol over and over, text replacements can save you the effort. You type a short shortcut, and your Mac swaps it for the full text. This guide shows you how to set up text replacements on a Mac running macOS Ventura 13 or later, turn them on in your apps, apply them to text you’ve already written, and keep them in sync with your iPhone and iPad.
The short answer: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Keyboard in the sidebar, then click Text Replacements. Enter the text to replace and its replacement, click Add, then click Done (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
What Are Text Replacements?
Text replacements are a built-in Mac feature. They let your Mac automatically replace certain text with other text or symbols (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026). For example, you can set it up to replace (c) with ©, or to fix a typo you make all the time, like turning “teh” into “the.”
There’s nothing to download or install. Everything lives in your Mac’s Keyboard settings, so you can start right away.
Before You Begin
This guide covers text replacements in documents on a Mac with macOS Ventura 13 or later (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Make sure you have:
- A Mac running macOS Ventura 13 or later
- A few shortcuts in mind, such as phrases, typos, or symbols you type often
- An app you type in that has an Edit > Substitutions menu, for testing your shortcuts
- (Optional, for syncing) iCloud Drive set up on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, signed in to the same Apple Account on each device
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Device | Mac |
| OS version | macOS Ventura 13 or later |
| Syncing (optional) | iCloud Drive on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, with the same Apple Account on each |
Using macOS 12 or earlier? The menu path is different. Apple’s Pages documentation says older versions use Keyboard preferences > Text instead (Apple Support: Pages, retrieved October 19, 2026). This guide follows the Ventura 13 and later layout.
Step-by-Step Guide: Set Up Text Replacements on Your Mac
Step 1: Open System Settings
On your Mac, click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, then choose System Settings.
Go to Apple menu > System Settings.
What you should see: The System Settings window opens, with a list of settings categories in the sidebar on the left.
Step 2: Click Keyboard in the Sidebar
In the System Settings sidebar, scroll down and click Keyboard (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Go to Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard.
What you should see: Keyboard settings appear on the right side of the window.
Step 3: Click Text Replacements
In Keyboard settings, click Text Replacements. On macOS Ventura 13 or later, Apple’s Pages documentation places this button under the Text Input section of Keyboard settings (Apple Support: Pages, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Text Input > Text Replacements.
What you should see: The Text Replacements window opens. This is where you create and manage your shortcuts.
Tip: If you’re already typing in an app, you can get here without opening System Settings first. Choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions, then click Text Settings (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Step 4: Enter Your Shortcut and Its Replacement
In the dialog that appears, type two things:
- The text to replace. This is the shortcut you’ll type, such as
teh. - Its replacement. This is what your Mac should put in its place, such as
the.
Then click Add (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
What you should see: Your new pair of entries for the text to replace and its replacement, ready to save.
Tip: Pick a shortcut you would never type by accident. A short code that isn’t a real word is a safe choice, since a common word could get swapped when you don’t want it to.
Step 5: Click Done
When you’ve finished adding your replacements, click Done (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Repeat Steps 3 to 5 for each shortcut you want to add.
What you should see: The dialog closes, and your text replacement is set up.
Step 6: Turn On Text Replacement in Your App
Setting up a shortcut is only half the job. For an app to apply your text replacements, you need to turn the feature on in that app’s Edit menu.
- Open a document in the app you want to use.
- In the menu bar, choose Edit > Substitutions.
- Choose Text Replacement. A checkmark shows whether it’s on or off (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Go to Edit > Substitutions > Text Replacement.
What you should see: A checkmark next to Text Replacement in the Substitutions submenu. If the checkmark is already there, leave it alone. Choosing it again will turn the feature off.
Step 7: Try Your Shortcut
In the same document, type the shortcut you created in Step 4. With Text Replacement checked, the app will replace your shortcut with the replacement text you saved.
If nothing happens, jump to the troubleshooting section below.
Configuration: Common Settings and Patterns
Apply a Replacement to Text You’ve Already Written
Say you created a shortcut after you’d already written a long document. You don’t have to retype anything. You can apply the replacement to existing text:
- Select the text you want to update.
- Choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions.
- Make sure the Text Replacement checkbox is selected.
- Click Replace in Selection (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Apply a Replacement to the Whole Document
To use the text replacement across the entire document, open the same Substitutions window and click Replace All (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Go to Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions > Replace All.
Warning: Replace All changes every match in the document at once. If your shortcut is also a real word you use elsewhere, try Replace in Selection on a smaller chunk of text first.
Sync Text Replacements to Your iPhone and iPad
Text replacements aren’t stuck on one Mac. Set up iCloud Drive on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and sign in to the same Apple Account on each device. When you do, a text replacement you add on your Mac works on your other devices, and the reverse is also true (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
This is one of the most useful parts of the feature. Create a shortcut once at your desk, and it’s there when you’re typing on your phone later.
Ideas for Useful Shortcuts
Here are some patterns that work well. Swap in your own details.
| Type of shortcut | Example shortcut | Example replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Common typo | teh | the |
| Symbol | (c) | © |
| Email address | @@ | your full email address |
| Sign-off | sgn | Your name and job title |
| Long phrase | anyq | If you have any questions, please get in touch |
If you spend your day typing on a Magic Keyboard or a mechanical keyboard, a handful of shortcuts like these can cut down on a lot of repeated keystrokes.
Import Text Replacements from a File
According to Apple’s documentation, you can import text replacements by dragging the property list.plist file from its location to the Text Replacements window, then clicking Done (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
- Open System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements.
- Find your
property list.plistfile in Finder. - Drag the file into the Text Replacements window.
- Click Done.
This is handy if someone shares a set of replacements with you, or if you’ve saved a set in that file format before.
If Something Goes Wrong
Most text replacement problems come down to one of these quick checks:
- Confirm your Mac is running macOS Ventura 13 or later, since the menu path described here applies to that version and newer.
- Check that Text Replacement has a checkmark under Edit > Substitutions in the app you’re using.
- Make sure you clicked Done after adding your replacements.
- For syncing, confirm iCloud Drive is set up on each device and that every device uses the same Apple Account.
Common Issues
My shortcut doesn’t get replaced when I type it
Why it happens: For an app to apply text replacements, Text Replacement needs to be turned on in that app’s Edit > Substitutions menu.
Fix: In the app, choose Edit > Substitutions and check whether Text Replacement has a checkmark. If it doesn’t, choose it to turn it on (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026). Then type your shortcut again.
Text I wrote earlier still has the old typos
Why it happens: You may have written that text before you set up the replacement.
Fix: Select the text, choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions, make sure Text Replacement is selected, and click Replace in Selection. To fix the whole document at once, click Replace All instead (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
My shortcuts aren’t showing up on my iPhone or iPad
Why it happens: Syncing depends on iCloud Drive being set up on each device and on every device being signed in to the same Apple Account.
Fix: Check that iCloud Drive is set up on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and that all three use the same Apple Account (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026). If one device is signed in to a different account, its shortcuts won’t match the others.
I can’t find Text Replacements in Keyboard settings
Why it happens: The location depends on your macOS version.
Fix: On macOS Ventura 13 or later, look in Keyboard settings under Text Input, then click Text Replacements. Apple’s Pages documentation says macOS 12 or earlier uses Keyboard preferences > Text instead (Apple Support: Pages, retrieved October 19, 2026).
I don’t want to open System Settings every time I add a shortcut
Why it happens: It isn’t really a problem. There’s just a faster route when you’re already in an app.
Fix: From inside an app, choose Edit > Substitutions > Show Substitutions, then click Text Settings to jump to the text replacement controls (Apple Support, retrieved October 19, 2026).
Tips and Hidden Features
- Use symbols as well as words: Text replacements can swap text for symbols too, like turning
(c)into©. That’s easier than hunting through a character viewer. - Build shortcuts on the device you type on most: With iCloud Drive and the same Apple Account on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, a shortcut you add on one device works on the others, so it doesn’t matter where you create it.
- Check each app: The Text Replacement checkmark lives in each app’s Edit > Substitutions menu. If a shortcut works in one app but not another, check that menu first.
- Keep shortcuts unusual: Shortcuts that aren’t real words are less likely to fire when you don’t want them to, especially if you plan to use Replace All.
Wrapping Up
You now have text replacements working on your Mac. You can add shortcuts in System Settings > Keyboard, turn them on in your apps, and fix older text with Replace in Selection or Replace All. Honestly, this is one of the most underrated features in macOS. It takes a couple of minutes to set up, and the iCloud sync means your shortcuts follow you to your iPhone and iPad too. Start with the two or three phrases you type most, and add more as you notice yourself repeating things.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard | Mac (macOS Ventura 13 or later) |
| 3–5 | Text Replacements > enter shortcut and replacement > Add > Done | Mac |
| 6–7 | Edit > Substitutions > Text Replacement (checkmark on), then type your shortcut | Apps on your Mac |
| Extra | Show Substitutions > Replace in Selection or Replace All | Existing text in a document |
| Extra | iCloud Drive and the same Apple Account on each device | Mac, iPhone, iPad |