TextExpander Not Working? Common Errors & Fixes

When nothing expands, TextExpander is usually not running, expansion is switched off, or the app is signed out. Check the menu bar or tray icon, re-enable 'Expand abbreviations', then sign out and back in.

macOS Secure Input blocks TextExpander whenever a password field, password manager prompt or Terminal's Secure Keyboard Entry is active. Close the prompt, turn off Secure Keyboard Entry, or lock and unlock the Mac with your password.

If snippets don't expand in Chrome, sign out of the extension and back in, toggle expansion off and on in its Options, shift-reload the page, and reinstall the extension if needed.

Google Docs handles simulated typing and pasting differently from native apps, so snippets may not expand or lose formatting. Update the app/extension, allow browser automation on Mac, and turn off Docs substitutions.

On Windows, snippets failing in Outlook, Word or PowerPoint are mostly fixed by updating TextExpander: new Outlook support arrived in v8.2.2 and focus handling for Microsoft apps was fixed in 8.4.5. Restart the Office app if it still fails.

On iPhone and iPad, snippets only expand from the TextExpander keyboard with Full Access enabled. Re-check Full Access (iOS updates can reset it), sign out and back in, and update the app.

TextExpander expands by pasting with Cmd/Ctrl+V. In Remote Desktop, VMs or some Java apps the paste arrives without the clipboard content, so only 'v' appears. Install TextExpander on the remote machine or raise the paste delay.

If a snippet pastes a previous snippet or leaves text on the clipboard, TextExpander skipped restoring your clipboard because another app touched it. Check 'Restore clipboard after expansion' and ask support for the 'restore clipboard regardless' AppleScript.

Missing snippets are usually a sync or display problem: sign out and back in, check app.textexpander.com, and expand collapsed groups. Deleted snippets can be restored from Snippet Activity, within your plan's history window.

Slow expansions usually come from low RAM or disk space, an unsupported system, or leftovers from an old install. Free up resources, then do a clean reinstall; your snippets are stored on TextExpander.com.

Sign in at app.textexpander.com, open Profile and choose Deactivate (keeps the account, freezes snippets) or Delete (erases everything). Team admins cancel from the Billing tab. Export your snippets first.