Importing Your Snippets from TextExpander, TypeIt4Me, and More
Bring your existing snippets into TypeSnap from TextExpander, TypeIt4Me, Raycast, Espanso, Alfred, aText, or CSV. Supported macros convert automatically; review import warnings.
Switching text expanders shouldn’t mean starting over. TypeSnap imports your existing snippets, groups, and supported macros from six apps: TextExpander, TypeIt4Me, Raycast, Espanso, Alfred, and aText. Every import starts the same way: File > Import Snippets… (Cmd+Shift+I), then pick the app you’re coming from.
Importing from TextExpander
TypeSnap reads TextExpander’s export formats and automatically converts macros to TypeSnap syntax.
How to Export from TextExpander
- In TextExpander, go to File > Export
- Choose your groups to export
- Save as
.textexpander(plist), CSV, or XML
How to Import into TypeSnap
- Open TypeSnap
- Go to File > Import Snippets… (or Cmd+Shift+I)
- Select TextExpander as the source and choose your export file
- Review the import preview
- Click Import
Groups from your export become TypeSnap groups. Snippets that didn’t belong to a group land in a group called “Imported”.
What Gets Converted
TypeSnap automatically translates TextExpander macro syntax:
| TextExpander | TypeSnap | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `% | ` | {{cursor}} |
%clipboard |
{{clipboard}} |
Clipboard contents |
%D |
{{date:MMMM d, yyyy}} |
Long date |
%d |
{{date:MM/dd/yyyy}} |
Short date |
%Y |
{{date:yyyy}} |
4-digit year |
%m |
{{date:MM}} |
Month number |
%e |
{{date:d}} |
Day of month |
%H |
{{time:HH}} |
Hour (24-hour) |
%M |
{{time:mm}} |
Minutes |
%S |
{{time:ss}} |
Seconds |
%t |
{{time:h:mm a}} |
Short time |
%T |
{{time:HH:mm:ss}} |
Long time |
%@today |
{{today}} |
Today’s date |
%@tomorrow |
{{tomorrow}} |
Tomorrow’s date |
%@yesterday |
{{yesterday}} |
Yesterday’s date |
%fill:name% |
{{input:name}} |
Fill-in field |
%fillarea:name% |
{{textarea:name}} |
Multi-line fill-in |
%fillpopup:name:a:b:c% |
{{select:name=name:options=a:b:c}} |
Dropdown selection |
Date format strings using %@strftime{...} are fully converted to TypeSnap format codes, including %B (month name), %A (weekday), %I (12-hour), and %p (AM/PM) — these tokens are only recognized inside strftime blocks, not as standalone macros.
Duplicate Detection
TypeSnap checks for duplicate abbreviations during import, ignoring case, so ;SIG counts as a duplicate of ;sig. If a snippet with the same abbreviation already exists, you’ll see a conflict dialog where you can skip or replace it, one at a time or all at once. This applies to every import source.
Importing from TypeIt4Me
TypeSnap supports TypeIt4Me’s native formats.
Supported Formats
.typeit4meor.typeit4me.txt— TypeIt4Me’s tab-separated text format.plist— Property list format.csvor.txt— Comma-separated values or plain text
How to Export from TypeIt4Me
- In TypeIt4Me, go to File > Export Clippings
- Save as your preferred format
Macro Conversion
| TypeIt4Me | TypeSnap | What it does |
|---|---|---|
<cursor> or <|> |
{{cursor}} |
Cursor position |
<date> |
{{date}} |
Current date (long format) |
<time> |
{{time}} |
Current time (short format) |
<shortdate> |
{{date:MM/dd/yyyy}} |
Short date |
<year> |
{{date:yyyy}} |
Year |
<month> |
{{date:MM}} |
Month number (padded) |
<day> |
{{date:d}} |
Day of month |
<hour> |
{{time:HH}} |
Hour (24-hour, padded) |
<minute> |
{{time:mm}} |
Minutes |
<fill:name> |
{{input:name}} |
Fill-in field |
<textarea:name> |
{{textarea:name}} |
Multi-line fill-in |
<popup:a,b,c> |
{{select:a,b,c}} |
Dropdown |
TypeIt4Me’s strftime-style date formatting (using ⊢ and ⊣ delimiters) is also converted.
Encoding Support
TypeIt4Me files can use various encodings. TypeSnap handles UTF-8, UTF-16, macOS Roman, and ISO Latin-1 automatically, including byte order mark detection.
Importing from Raycast, Espanso, Alfred, and aText
TypeSnap 1.4 added four more importers. Each reads the app’s own export format directly, so there’s no hand conversion:
| App | File to import | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Raycast | .json snippet export |
Converts {cursor}, {clipboard}, {selection}, {date} with formats and offsets, and {argument} fields (including defaults and options) |
| Espanso | .yml or .yaml match file |
Reads trigger/triggers, label, multi-line replace, $|$, and date, clipboard, choice, and random variables |
| Alfred | .alfredsnippets collection or .json |
Applies the collection’s keyword prefix and suffix, and converts {cursor}, {clipboard}, {date:short}, {snippet:...}, and more |
| aText | .csv or .json export |
Reads columns by header name, keeps groups, and converts [[cursor]], [[date]], [[input:...]], and more |
A few things to expect:
- Raycast and Alfred snippets without a keyword are imported disabled, with a placeholder abbreviation starting with
;;. The warnings list each one so you can give it a real abbreviation. - Espanso regex and image matches are skipped with a warning. Shell and script variables don’t run in TypeSnap; they become fill-in fields.
- Anything a converter doesn’t recognize stays as plain text, so it’s easy to spot when you test.
Each app has a step-by-step guide: Raycast, Espanso, Alfred, and aText.
Importing from CSV
If you have snippets in a spreadsheet or plain CSV file, the most flexible route is the aText importer, which reads columns by their header names:
- Give your CSV a header row with
AbbreviationandContentcolumns, plus optionalLabelandGroupcolumns, in any order - Open File > Import Snippets…, choose aText as the source, and select the file
Rows with a Group value go into a matching TypeSnap group.
Exporting from TypeSnap
TypeSnap exports in three formats:
JSON (Full Backup)
Includes everything: snippets, groups, metadata, version history. Use this for complete backups.
File > Export Snippets… > JSON
CSV (Simple)
Columns: Abbreviation, Label, Content, Group, Enabled, Tags. Opens in any spreadsheet app. Good for bulk reviewing or editing.
File > Export Snippets… > CSV
TextExpander Compatible
Exports in TextExpander’s plist format with macros converted back to TextExpander syntax. Useful for sharing with colleagues who use TextExpander.
File > Export Snippets… > TextExpander
Backup Strategy
A practical backup approach:
- Enable iCloud Sync for automatic cross-device backup to your own iCloud
- Export JSON monthly via File > Export for a local safety net
- Keep the original export file from your old app as an archive
TypeSnap stores everything locally in standard JSON files. You can also find your data at ~/Library/Application Support/TypeSnap/ and back up that folder directly.
After Importing
Once your snippets are in TypeSnap:
- Review your imported groups: check that macros converted correctly
- Test a few snippets: expand them to verify the output matches what you expect
- Reorganize if needed: drag snippets into groups, rename, or adjust trigger modes
- Delete what you don’t need: old or outdated snippets can be removed
The import is non-destructive. Your original files are never modified, and you can always re-import or manually adjust anything that needs tweaking.
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