Text Snippets and Templates on Mac
You type the same email sign-off, meeting template, or code block a dozen times a day. Here are three ways to save reusable text snippets on your Mac, from free and limited to powerful and affordable.
Option 1: macOS Text Replacements
- 1 Open System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements.
- 2 Add a shortcut like "@@sig" that expands to your email signature.
- 3 Limitations: plain text only, no placeholders, no dynamic dates, and it does not work in every app.
Option 2: TextExpander ($4/month)
- 1 Full-featured snippet manager with fill-in fields and scripting.
- 2 Requires a subscription: $3.33-$4.16 per month, billed annually.
- 3 Your snippets are stored in their cloud. If you cancel, you lose access.
Option 3: SaneClip Snippets ($6.99 once)
- ✓ Dynamic placeholders: Use
{{name}}to prompt for input,{{date}}and{{time}}for auto-fill, and{{clipboard}}to insert the current clipboard. - ✓ Categories and search: Organize snippets into folders and find them instantly.
- ✓ Siri Shortcuts: Paste any snippet by name from Shortcuts.app or a voice command.
- ✓ URL scheme: Trigger snippets programmatically with
saneclip://snippet?name=MySnippet. - ✓ 100% local, one-time purchase. Your templates never leave your Mac. No subscription, no cloud lock-in.