Shorthand: a text expander for Windows

Type ;sig and your signature appears. Type ;addr and your address lands. A snippet can ask for a name, drop in today's date or the clipboard and put the cursor where you need it. Everything stays on your PC in one JSON file.

What it does

Forms inside a snippet

A snippet can ask for a name, a multi line body, a choice from a menu or an optional block. A small form opens, you fill it in, the text lands.

Dates that move

%Y-%m-%d is today, %[+1 day] shifts to tomorrow. Weekdays, months, hours and minutes are all there.

Clipboard and cursor

%clipboard drops in what you copied. %| puts the cursor where you want to keep typing.

Case follows you

brb gives be right back, Brb gives Be right back, BRB gives BE RIGHT BACK.

Search anywhere

Ctrl / opens a search box wherever you type. Arrows to move, Enter inserts, Esc closes.

Import from TextExpander

Settings reads a .textexpander file or a CSV of abbreviation and content. The library exports as JSON.

Starts with Windows

Sits hidden in the tray at login. The tray menu turns expansion on or off and opens the search box.

Local only

The keyboard hook watches for your abbreviations and stores nothing. No account, no server, nothing sent anywhere.

Your snippets live in %APPDATA%\Shorthand\data\library.json. The folder is a setting, so it can also sit in a synced or versioned folder.

Up and running in three steps

Run the installer

It installs per user, needs no admin rights and starts Shorthand when it is done. The portable version runs without installing.

Write a snippet

An abbreviation and the text it expands to. A leading ; or / keeps it from firing inside a real word. The editor shows a live preview and lists the fields it will ask for.

Type the abbreviation anywhere

Mail, browser, Slack, HubSpot. The abbreviation is typed as normal and then replaced, so you see it for a moment before the snippet lands.

Shorthand types the full text for you