Type it once. Never again.
Save the replies, links and paragraphs you type every day. Type ;trigger in any Mac app and Retext swaps in the full text before you lift your finger.
Free for 5 snippets · Works in every app · Native for macOS 26+
You type
Thanks for the call. ;sig
Retext types
Thanks for the call. Best, Sam Rivera Head of Customer Success · Acme (555) 014-2290
How snippets work
Save it once
Give the snippet a short trigger, like sig or addr, and paste in the text it should become: a signature, an address, a reply you send ten times a day.
Type ;trigger anywhere
In Mail, Slack, a browser, a support desk or a terminal, type a semicolon and the trigger. There's no key to press and no menu to open.
It expands on the last letter
Retext deletes ;sig and pastes the full text where you were typing. Your clipboard goes back to whatever was on it before.
Fast, everywhere, and careful
The parts you notice every time a snippet expands.
Expands as you type
The moment the last letter of a trigger lands, the snippet replaces it. Triggers aren't case-sensitive, so ;Sig and ;sig both work.
Works in every app
Retext listens for triggers system-wide, so a snippet you save once works in native apps, browsers and Electron apps alike. It needs Accessibility permission, which macOS asks for once.
Your clipboard stays put
Retext pastes through the clipboard, then puts back what you had copied. If you copy something new in the meantime, Retext leaves it alone.
Never into a password field
If a password field has focus, Retext doesn't expand. It leaves what you typed exactly as it was: no backspaces, no paste.
Find the right snippet
A library you can still find your way around when it holds hundreds of snippets.
Search triggers and text
The search box matches both the trigger and the snippet's text, so you can find the refund reply even if you forgot it's ;rf.
Tags in the sidebar
Tag snippets by client, team or topic. Click a tag to see only those snippets, or All Snippets to see everything.
⌃Space opens Retext
Press Control-Space from any app to bring up your library, and again to hide it. Change the shortcut or turn it off in Settings.
Warnings before trouble
Retext won't save a trigger that's taken, that clashes with another (;sig and ;signature), or that would expand inside itself. It warns about common words and spaces too.
Snippets are where Retext starts
Everything else in Retext builds on the same library.
Let AI write the first draft
Describe the snippet you need and Retext writes it for you, streamed into the editor. Edit it, then save.
Bring your old snippets
Import from TextExpander, Espanso, Raycast, Alfred or macOS Text Replacements. Retext converts their placeholders to its own fields where they mean the same thing.
Shared with your team
Team snippets expand just like your own. If you and your team both use a trigger, your personal snippet wins.
On your Mac
Your snippets are stored on your Mac. Retext keeps a 50-character buffer to spot triggers; it isn't logged and never leaves your Mac.
Questions? Answers.
What is a text snippet?
A piece of text you've saved under a short trigger. Type the trigger, with a semicolon in front, and Retext replaces it with the full text. Snippets are good for signatures, addresses, links, canned replies, code and prompts: anything you'd otherwise type again or hunt down to copy.
Why a semicolon?
Words rarely start with a semicolon, so ;sig won't fire while you're writing a normal sentence. It also keeps triggers short: two letters after the semicolon is enough.
Does it work in every app?
Yes. Retext watches for triggers across macOS, so it works in Mail, Slack, Chrome, Safari, Notion, Zendesk, your terminal and anything else you type in. The one place it skips is Retext itself, so you can type triggers into the snippet editor.
Will it mess up my clipboard?
No. Retext saves what's on your clipboard, pastes the snippet, then restores what you had. If you copied something else during that moment, Retext keeps the new copy.
Can a snippet expand into a password field?
No. When a password field has focus, or macOS Secure Input is on, typed triggers don't expand. If a snippet asks for fill-ins and focus moves to a password field while the form is open, Retext doesn't paste.
Can snippets include today's date or a name I type in?
Yes. Dynamic fields add dates, the time, your clipboard, fill-in prompts, a cursor position and other snippets. See the dynamic fields page for the full list and examples.
How many snippets can I have for free?
Free includes 5 snippets. Pro and Lifetime are unlimited, and a paid team plan gives every member Pro.
How Retext compares
See how Retext's snippets stack up against other text expanders for Mac.
Save your first snippet in a minute
Download Retext, add the text you typed most today, and type its trigger.